San Jose Sharks Prospect Perspective: Forward Alex True

Alex True’s perspective is part one of a series that will be highlighting some of the prospects within the San Jose Sharks organization.

Developmental camp for the San Jose Sharks is almost here and Team Teal has quite a few prospects within their system to get excited about. One player who’s trajectory appears to be aimed towards the NHL is Forward Alex True.

The San Jose Sharks are a little light when it comes to draft picks this summer. However their farm system is littered with blossoming talent that could potentially make an impact on the big club. A few of these flourishing skaters are developing close to home with this being the case of San Jose Barracuda standout Alex True.

The 6’5 200 pound 21-year-old went undrafted after playing his junior career in the WHL with the Seattle Thunderbirds for 3 seasons. Throughout his time in Seattle he was never really recognized for his scoring ability. True accumulated 84 total points during his time with the T-Birds with a junior career high of 25 goals during the 2016 – 2017 campaign, per eliteprospects.

The San Jose Sharks AHL affiliate offered True a 2-way contract on July 13th 2017, according to CapFriendly. He’s spent the past two seasons with the San Jose Barracuda registering 83 points with 39 of those being goals.

The 2018 – 2019 season was a breakout year for the Danish forward. In 68 games Alex True led the Barracuda in scoring with 24 goals (19 at 5v5) and 31 points (20 primary), per prospect-stats. He played huge minutes for coach Roy Sommer. He flourished in his 2nd professional season and showed serious NHL potential.

Judging him by his average points per game last season (0.81) you’ll notice a player who’s finally starting to round out his skills in the offensive zone. There are still some glaring issues with his game like the 40 penalties he accumulated last season. This shows that he’s still having trouble fitting into his 6’5 frame and doesn’t quite have the discipline of some of other big forwards around the league. Nevertheless Alex True’s progress within the San Jose Sharks system is extremely promising and should give Sharks fans something to look forward to during development camp.

21 years old might seem a bit old for a prospect, especially considering how young players are viewed in today’s league. However True’s size presented a bit of hurdle for the Danish skater. Growing into your frame while simultaneously trying to adjust different leagues and the varying playing styles they require is a tall task for anyone but True seems to finally blossoming into a NHL talent.

His point per game totals from last season, specifically the primary totals are something to get excited about. It shows that he’s heavily involved in the play and has the skill to convert high danger scoring chances into goals at a professional level.

Alex True has shown significant progress during his time within the Sharks organization, exhibiting the potential that scouts saw in the Danish skater a few years back. Along with his size the 21-year-old finally seems to be establishing abilities that make him a headache for opponents all over the ice, but specially the offensive zone.

It wouldn’t be a shock if True possibly cracks Team Teal’s roster next year, with the disappearing act many of the Sharks depth skaters performed during the Stanley Cup Playoffs.