San Jose Sharks Prospects Meier And Roy Make Top 50 List

The San Jose Sharks and San Jose Barracuda have been rolling in recent weeks, but it’s a pair of the organization’s top prospects that have fans excited for the future of Team Teal.

Corey Pronman of ESPN performed a midseason update of his Top 50 prospects and the Sharks placed two players on that list, both coming from the 2015 draft. First-round pick Timo Meier checked in at number 16, while second-round pick Jeremy Roy checked in at number 47 in Pronman’s rankings. Forward Nikolay Goldobin, San Jose’s 2014 first round pick, received honorable mention from Pronman as well.

Meier made a big jump in the rankings, moving from number 67 prior to the season to number 16 at the halfway point. Meier’s size at six feet and more than 210 pounds will always be one of his greatest attributes, and Pronman agrees with that particular assessment:

Regardless, he’s steadily made me a big fan, even though he was underwhelming in the round robin portion of the WJC. He’s a good skater with a high skill level and a great motor. He could be a little bit of a better playmaker and have more patience in his game, but he attacks defenses well, and is a solid penalty killer on top of all the offense he creates.

This season, Meier posted 11 goals and 25 assists with a plus-seven rating in 23 games with the Halifax Mooseheads of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), after exploding for 44 goals and 46 assists in 61 games last year in Halifax. Meier was recently traded to the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies of the QMJHL where he has scored three goals and two assists in his first three games with the club.

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Roy held steady in Pronman’s rankings, moving up one spot from number 48 to 47 in the midseason update. While Roy has had to battle injuries this season, he is still seen as a highly skilled, puck-moving defenseman who would fit in perfectly in San Jose. As many of you know, the Sharks have really struggled to develop right-handed defensemen and Roy has the potential to be one of the best in franchise history.

Here’s Pronman’s take on what kind of abilities Roy possesses:

Roy is a personal favorite of mine. His performance has held steady from last season, but I’m willing to bet on him exploding during the next 18 months because he has massive potential. He’s a smart puck mover who seems to slow the game down whenever he gets near the play. Despite not being the biggest guy, he’s also quite good in his own end. He’s the prototypical modern-day defenseman who can outlet, rush and make stops.

From the assessment above, the obvious player that comes to mind is former Shark Dan Boyle, and I’m sure fans everywhere would love if Roy developed into the kind of defenseman that Boyle was.

Currently, Roy is on a similar pace to last year as he’s registered 29 points (six goals, 23 assists) in 30 games, after posting 43 points (five goals, 38 assists) in 46 games a season ago. He ranks 11th in scoring by a defenseman in the QMJHL, and he should see himself within the Top 10 at season’s end.

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Goldobin is the closest prospect to being able to make an impact at the NHL level as he is spending time with the Barracuda in the American Hockey Leauge (AHL), and he has seen limited game action with the Sharks as well. It’s obvious Goldobin needs more time in the AHL to work on his game, but he’s starting to produce more offensively for the Barracuda.

In 25 games at the AHL level, Goldobin ranks second on the Barracuda with 11 goals and fifth with 17 points. In nine games with the Sharks, Goldobin did score his first career NHL goal to go along with one assist while averaging more than 11 minutes of ice time. His offensive upside is clearly there, and the hope is he can develop into a consistent top-six forward for many years to come.

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