Who is Sharks’ Rookie Melker Karlsson?

Dec 30, 2014; San Jose, CA, USA; San Jose Sharks right wing Melker Karlsson (68) works the puck around to the front of the Vancouver Canucks goal while defended by Canucks defenseman Chris Tanev (8) during the second period at SAP Center at San Jose. Mandatory Credit: Bob Stanton-USA TODAY Sports

The San Jose Sharks have again struggled to find their scoring touch of late for the most part. Few guys have really stepped up to the plate offensively, including defensemen Marc-Eduoard Vlasic, who’s recently scored 3 goals (a tying goal against the St. Louis Blues on Dec. 20th and two game-winners against the Winnipeg Jets and Minnesota Wild). He has 6 goals on the season so far.  One rookie has truly shown offensive rhythm, however, in light of their scoring struggles.

Ladies and gentlemen, I present you the Melkman™ .

Melker Karlsson was originally an undrafted free-agent from the Swedish Hockey League. He signed over the summer with the Sharks for one year. So far, up from the Worchester Sharks of the AHL for 14 games, he already has totaled 6 goals, 4 assists and 10 points to go along with a +4 rating and is currently on a five-game scoring streak.

What I’ve really noticed and loved about the kid is that he’s not afraid to go to the dirty areas. In this League, if you’re going to win you got to work hard for the puck. It’s not going to be nearly as easy as it is to gain puck possession as it is in the minor leagues or perhaps even other leagues across the Atlantic, although some of those are much closer to NHL level. You have to battle for 50/50 pucks, and you have to have a nose for the net and a knack for putting pucks to the back of the net. Karlsson has that. While he’s certainly not the fastest skater out there, he can beat other opposing players to the puck and battle for those scoring chances just like in last night’s goal shown below in the San Jose Sharks’ tweet.

The Great One once said if that puck doesn’t get on net 100% of the time, you can’t score. You take the puck to the net and good things will happen. Hopefully great things will shape Karlsson’s future as he paves his way for a potential future as a San Jose Shark and NHLer. Well done, kid. Keep it up.