Tomas Hertl Faces Pivotal Season With San Jose Sharks
By Sam Kelly
Tomas Hertl took the NHL by storm during his rookie season with the San Jose Sharks. On Oct. 8, 2014 – in just his third career game – the Czech forward potted four goals in one game against the New York Rangers. His fourth tally was an unreal between-the-legs snipe that garnered national attention, and the highlight has amassed over one million views on the Sharks’ YouTube channel.
Hertl was the consensus favorite to win Rookie of the Year from that point forward, continuing to produce offense until a hit from Los Angeles Kings captain Dustin Brown caught him in the knee and sidelined him for the remainder of the regular season. Hertl registered 25 points in 37 games as a rookie, including 15 goals and 98 shots on net.
After sitting out the second half of the season, Hertl returned to the lineup for San Jose’s first-round playoff series against – you guessed it – Brown and the Kings. The Sharks blew a three-game series lead and were ousted in seven games, but Hertl managed three goals and two assists over that stretch despite having just spent four months on injured reserve.
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Now fast forward to last season. San Jose missed the playoffs for the first time in over a decade, and a number of its top players experienced drops in production. It was a down year for the entire franchise, but perhaps the biggest disappointment was Hertl’s performance.
After such a promising rookie campaign, the second-year forward regressed in a big way and failed to solidify his role in the top six. In fact, Hertl had lengthy spells playing in the bottom six after spending most of his rookie year on the first line with Joe Thornton.
That’s a fall from grace, and it’s highlighted by a heavy dip in points-per-game. Despite playing a full 82-game season, Hertl tallied just 31 points. His plus/minus rating fell from plus-11 in 2013-14 to minus-five last year, and his shooting percentage dipped from 15.3 to 9.0.
It’s a concerning trend that can’t continue. Now in the third and final year of his entry-level contract, Hertl has to bounce back if he aims to have a prolific role on an aging Sharks squad in desperate need of quality youth. He’ll need to battle to regain a spot in the top six, and he’ll need to produce in order to keep it.
This will likely be a crucial season for the 21-year-old, both financially and in terms of his long-term role with the team. If Hertl elevates his offensive production, he could secure a quality roster spot and earn a considerable raise. If he falls short, he’ll get neither and the Sharks will continue to lack that top-flight young scorer they so desperately need.
Step one for Hertl is to have a strong showing in training camp, which gets underway at Sharks Ice this week.
Next: San Jose Sharks 2014-15 Season Review: Tomas Hertl