Oct 30, 2014; Saint Paul, MN, USA; San Jose Sharks defenseman Mirco Mueller (41) shoots during the first period against the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
With the NHL Draft set to begin later tonight, let’s take a look back at the season of Mirco Mueller, who was drafted 18th overall back in 2013 by the San Jose Sharks. The former first-round pick struggled in acclimating to the NHL game along with battling multiple injuries in his first campaign with the Sharks.
Mueller began the season with San Jose after making the opening night roster out of training camp. He featured prominently in the early going, appearing in 21 of the Sharks first 24 games, and often played opposite of Brent Burns. He would score his first career goal on October 30 in a 4-3 shootout loss against the Minnesota Wild.
However, like many rookies, Mueller hit a lull during the middle portion of the season. After seeing lots of action early, Mueller appeared in just three games in December and didn’t play a single game in January. Part of that was due to the fact that Mueller played for Team Switzerland at the 2015 IIHF World Junior Championships. Mueller played six games for the Swiss and registered one assist with 11 shots on goal during the tournament.
When he returned, it was a continued struggle to find his way on the Sharks blue line. Mueller would feature in only five games during San Jose’s February collapse. But the coaching staff placed more faith in Mueller in March as he would play in 10 of the Sharks first 11 in March.
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But his season would come to an early end after blocking a shot against the Detroit Red Wings on March 26. Mueller would end up suffering a broken thumb that would cut his season short.
Mueller played in 39 games during his rookie season with one goal and three assists in just under 17 minutes of ice time. He was a minus-eight and his Corsi For percentage was right at 50 percent, but he had the second-worst goals for percentage on the Sharks at 38.6.
None of that should be surprising as it’s a difficult transition for any rookie, let alone a defenseman, to make an impact at the NHL level. Mueller possesses good size and skating ability at 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds. He will need to continue to get stronger in front of his own net and be better at retrieving the puck in his own end.
San Jose is seeking improvement from Mueller next year as he should be more aware of what to expect from the NHL game. The best case scenario for Mueller would be to remain a third-pairing option and hope the Sharks can upgrade their top-four via trade or free agency. This would help alleviate some of the pressure off Mueller, while solidifying San Jose’s blue line.
All-in-all, it was an expected inaugural campaign from Mueller, but now he will need to show more consistency and improvement to justify his position within the Sharks lineup and as a former first-round selection.