San Jose Sharks: Breaking Down Possible Barracuda Roster
Last week, the San Jose Barracuda, the new top development affiliate of the San Jose Sharks, announced their 68-game schedule which will be the first season in franchise history. The Barracuda will play their games at SAP Center, giving Sharks fans the opportunity to see many of the organization’s top prospects in person.
With that in mind, we take a look at the players who could make an appearance with the Barracuda this fall.
Before we dive into the potential list of players, let’s cover the rules about those eligible to suit up for the Barracuda. A player with a two-way NHL/AHL contract with the San Jose Sharks is eligible, along with any player that has signed an AHL contract. Recent signing Frazer McLaren is an example of a player on a two-way contract, while the signing of Trevor Parkes is an example of a player who is signed to an AHL contract.
Also, players on one-way NHL contracts can play for the Barracuda, but they must clear waivers first meaning they could be claimed by another NHL team before ever making it to the AHL.
More from San Jose Barracuda
- San Jose Sharks Sign Goaltender Andrew Shortridge to a One-Year Deal
- San Jose Sharks Reassign Dylan Gambrell to the Barracuda
- San Jose Sharks Recall Nick DeSimone and Dylan Gambrell
- San Jose Sharks Place Simek on IR, Recall Jacob Middleton
- End of the Season San Jose Sharks Prospect Perspective
Now that the rules are out of the way, let’s take a look at who could find themselves on the Barracuda roster beginning with the forwards (courtesy of the San Jose Barracuda):
Forwards: Bryan Lerg, Micheal Haley, Chris Tierney, Barclay Goodrow, Trevor Parkes, Petter Emanuelsson, Nikolay Goldobin, Nikita Jevpalovs, Ryan Carpenter, Joonas Donskoi, Daniel Doremus, Jeremy Langlois, Tomas Hertl, Chris Crane, John McCarthy, Vincent Arseneau, and Frazer McLaren.
Right off the bat, you can cross of Tierney and Hertl as they will be with the Sharks from the get-go unless a conditioning assignment is required. The interesting names to watch are Goodrow, Goldobin, Donskoi and Jevpalovs, as they could all push for playing time with the San Jose Sharks.
Sharks fans will want to keep an eye on Goldobin, who is extremely talented on the offensive end, along with Donskoi, who is a bit older at 23, but put up big numbers with Karpat in the Finnish League. Donskoi scored 19 goals and 30 assists in 58 regular season games, and then added six goals and 16 assists in 19 playoff games. Donskoi has the opportunity to push for a top-nine role with the Sharks if he can prove it in training camp.
Unfortunately, McLaren will likely see time with the Sharks depending upon the opponent throughout the season, but hopefully, his stints are few and far between.
Defensemen: Gus Young, Karl Stollery, Dylan DeMelo, Joakim Ryan, Julius Bergman, Mark Cundari, Mirco Mueller, Patrick McNally, and Rick Pinkston.
There aren’t many available slots on the blue line with the San Jose Sharks as five out of the six spots are already accounted for. Mueller, DeMelo and Cundari will be battling along with Matt Tennyson for the two remaining options on defense. Mueller is really the one to watch as the former 2013 first-round pick struggled with injuries and his play during his rookie year in San Jose.
Mueller could use some time with the Barracuda to develop and gain some confidence before joining the Sharks on a full-time basis. Bergman is another name to watch as the talented Swede makes the jump to the AHL next year.
Goaltenders: Troy Grosenick, Aaron Dell, and Joel Rumpel.
The goaltending position will be competitive between Grosenick and Dell. Grosenick burst on to the radar for Sharks fans with a 45-save, shutout victory in his NHL debut against the Carolina Hurricanes. While many San Jose fans are excited about Grosenick’s potential, don’t sleep on Dell who posted better numbers with a 2.06 goals-against-average and a .927 save percentage.
The upcoming season will be an exciting one for San Jose hockey fans as they will get an up-close and personal look at many players before they make their debuts with the Sharks. The Barracuda should have some intriguing talents on their roster that should draw fans’ attention this fall.
Next: San Jose Barracuda Sign Two Players