End of the Season San Jose Sharks Prospect Perspective

How are the team’s rising prospects performing and reaching promising expectations as the San Jose Sharks embraces the playoff push for the Stanley Cup?

With the regular season winding down in most of the Junior leagues throughout the world many of the San Jose Sharks prospects are coming off stellar season.

While the main roster is going all in on a Stanley Cup play off run. They’ve had to deal with the  recent absences of Erik Karlsson and Evander Kane, two of Team Teal’s key driving forces on offense. This has put head coach Peter DeBoer’s coaching ability depth has been fully on display down the stretch.

This depth roots itself all the way through the organization. Looking down at the farm system, there are positive signs that show a road of promising success.

Within the system, there are over two dozen Sharks prospects that have proven their value and refined their skill sets.

Through the San Jose Barracuda (AHL) and junior leagues, the young talent on the way is definitely worth taking notice, including five notable rising stars that, to no surprise, could be the next wave of San Jose Sharks prosperity.

5. Noah Gregor

Noah Gregor is a name that not many San Jose Sharks faithful are familiar with. A fourth-round pick in 2016, Gregor has played a major role in a center role for the Prince Albert Raiders in the Western Hockey League.

Gregor is ninth in the WHL in scoring with 39 goals and 45 assists. The 20-year-old center has averaged over a point a game in three full seasons at that level.

What stands out the most for this young Sharks center is his hunger for the puck. With a sturdy 6-foot figure, Gregor is always aggressive on the fore-check and brings a heavy physical presence out in front of the goal crease, chipping away at loose rebounds.

Gregor’s gradual growth and mental development will one day earn him a spot on the Sharks roster. With more time, patience and practice, a leadership position could follow as well, an experience similarly dawned with the Moose Jaw Warriors.

4. Ryan Merkley

From the very moment general manager Doug Wilson and the Sharks staff selected Ryan Merkley as their first-round draft pick (No. 21 overall) in the 2018 NHL Draft, the 18-year-old defenseman has done everything, including improve on his “attitude” that’s plagued his reputation for a few years now.

Merkley is a dynamic, fleet-footed blueliner who possesses a high hockey IQ with the puck. The Sharks knew he would have the speed and scoring strength to compete with the elite defenseman at his age in the Ontario Hockey League and the results are clearly proving that.

In his third year in the OHL, despite a mid-season trade, Merkley has put up a combined 66 points with the Guelph Storm and the Peterborough Petes. Among the OHL defenseman ranks, Merkley has the third highest point total, yet has also racked up a league-leading 55 assists.

A pivotal puck-moving marksman from the point, Merkley embraces a critical role on special teams, quarterbacking the power play and fending off the waves of penalty kill – which is an area of his ability the Sharks admire at his level of competition.

With a few more years of strength and maturity under his belt, Merkley will be one of the core pieces to the future San Jose Sharks blue line.

3. Joachim Blichfield

Joachim Blichfield could very well be the next Joe Pavelski.

No, I do not mean serving as the Sharks captain next in line. However, this 20-year-old winger could share a similar fortune the current Sharks captain holds pridefully to this date, steering the ship rightfully to another Stanley Cup run.

Blichfield is the arguably the best prospect as far as statistics goes. He’s out-pacing all young Sharks in the system with 53 goals and 57 assists in 65 games with the Portland Winterhawks. Those impressive marks top all WHL performers.

Along with his team-leading totals and sensational Danish dangling maneuvers, Blichfield dawns an “A” in his third season with Portland. The role of leadership has presented this Sharks hopeful a positive sign of responsibility and character as he continues to mature into a power forward with a remarkable cannon of a shot.

But what Blichfield faces commonly with Pavelski is what NHL teams always try to do – find the sleeper picks late in the draft.

Like Pavelski, the Sharks selected Blichfield in the seventh round (No. 210 overall) of the NHL Draft, although 13 years in advance.

Blichfield’s has built off his experience of playing in Denmark and competing as a teenager on the national team. All of these factors have resulted in has paid off as a highly effective pick for the organization.

Let’s hope Blichfield’s future carries strong because he might just be the one that keeps the Sharks competitive for the next decade.

1. Ivan Chekhovich

If you go back to the 2018 Vegas Rookie Faceoff, you may just remember Ivan Chekhovich’s name.

The 20-year-old Russian winger was best forward on the ice. Although that’s all she wrote for Chekhovich’s time as a Shark in the preseason, however Chekhovich’s success did not stop there.

Chekhovich has flourished with the Baie-Comeau Drakkar in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, leading his teammates in assists (59) and points (101).

Furthermore, along with his 42 goals, Chekhovich ranks in the top three among all QMJHL skaters with his impressive stat line.

Chekhovich’s hockey sense, deceptive skating ability and stealthy shot on the wing serves as powerful offensive tools for any team looking to bolster their scoring prowess.

In his third season with the Drakkar, Chekhovich has led his team to the top of the Eastern Division. However, he’s not finished as they seek the crown of the QMJHL.

But when Chekhovich wraps up his time at the junior level, he will soon earn a well-deserved spot at the forefront of the Barracuda offense. From there, his skill set and offensive mind will lead him to joining Team Teal at the NHL level in the near future.

All of the statistics in this article are provided by eliteprospects.com unless stated otherwise.