NEW LOOK SHARKS

After a disappointing year which saw the San Jose Sharks finish 31st overall, management made some moves in the offseason that has many fans feeling some excitement heading into season two. During their meetings, the organization knew they had a lot of work to do during the draft, free agency and trading.  

Lets start with the draft recap:

The Sharks had the 2nd best odds to land the 1st overall pick, but ended up slipping down to 5th. During the draft, the team made some moves addressing one of their many team needs. The first trade saw them moving up 23 spots from 34th to 11th, while also shipping 21 year old C Justin Gill  to the New York Rangers. They then proceeded to move pick #56 to the Bruins for depth forward Parker Kelly, a 25 year old winger coming off a -22 season. When GM Walsh was asked about his defensive play, he had this to say: " We feel confident in Parkers ability to be a bottom 6 guy for us. If put in the right situation, he should excel in the defensive aspect of the game and bring a little spark to the lineup." Shortly thereafter, they annouced another move that landed them #80 in the draft, along with Ilya Mikheyev. 

The Sharks had 6 picks during the draft including 3 first round picks, adding some exciting prospects to their pool:

#5: Liam Greentree (6'3", 216 LBS) -  RW, WINDSOR SPITFIRES: 68 GP, 36 G, 54 A

Greentree navigates his way around opponents with a series of look-offs, give-and-goes, and a sophisticated delay game that allows him to problem-solve his way around numbers off the rush. He’s constantly scanning, registering his options and the obstacles that would keep him from getting them the puck.

#11: Jacob Battaglia (6'1", 203 LBS) - RW/LW, KINGSTON FRONTENACS: 67 GP, 31 G, 34 A

In transition, Battaglia relies on impressive one-touch and quick-possession passes to the middle. He slows down, letting opponents charge at him, and then slips a pass through them. Along the boards, he draws pressure, meets the opponent with a shoulder, and then accelerates in the opposite direction.

#18. Luca Marrelli (6'2", 185 LBS) - D, OSHAWA GENERALS: 67 GP, 6 G, 51 A

Luca Marrelli is a high-activity defenceman, jumping into every play and locking down every attacker who enters his space. Knees bent and stick sheathed, ready to land a pokecheck, he backtracks against the rush, waiting for the right moment to launch himself at opponents.

#57. Yaroslav Korostelyov (6'1", 165 LBS) - G, SKA-1946 ST. PETERSBURG: 22 GP, 12-8-2, 2.62 GAA, 0.934%

#66. Jared Woolley (6'5", 207 LBS) - D, LONDON KNIGHTS: 37 GP, 3 G, 2 A

#80. Victor Johansson (6'1", 159 LBS) - D, LEKSANDS IF J20: 34 GP, 2 G, 6 A

After the dust settled on the draft, the Free Agent Frenzy was set to begin with the Sharks eyeing one of the top two availble players, Sam Reinhart and Elias Pettersson. With bids both at 6 x $14,000,000 they were able to land Reinhart who will have an immediate impact on the teams upcoming season. Coming off a 37 goal season, he is slated to start on the top line with Kyle Connor and Alex Newhook. "We are truly excited to welcome an elite talent here in Sam. We spoke briefly after the signing and discussed his role with the team. He is a true professional and can't wait to get him in the room". 

While they tried to land multiple other players to round out the roster, the swing and a miss happened time and time again. Through a couple trades and some minor free agent signings, they were able to retool the roster in hopes of making the playoffs, with their biggest acqusition being Roman Josi, the newest captian of the San Jose Sharks. "Josi brings a different look to our backend this year. A true #1 D-man with puck handling and passing skills, Josi will step right into the #1 PP unit. But what the 34 year old truly brings is his experience and leadership, and because of these two qualities, we are please to introduce San Jose's 2nd captian in franchise history, #59, ROMAN JOSI".

The team was also on the hunt for a goalie to tandem with last years starter, Kevin Lankinen, so they went out and acquired Carter Hart for a 2nd round pick in the year 4 draft. Hart, coming off a disappointing season that saw him finish with a 3.40 GAA and 0.890%, lamented that the change to San Jose may be just want he needed to get him on track. "When the Legend himself approached me with the idea of being moved, I was shocked. I knew the Devils wanted a change, but didn't expect to be one of the guys shipped out. Coming here to the Sharks and seeing the culture both in and outside the locker room, I can't wait to get started and show these fans what we can do." Hart also joins Samuel Ersson from the Devils organization who spent most of his time in Utica posting a 7-2-2 record along with a 2.52 GAA and a 0.915%. Along with Jacob Ingham, last years Baz Bastien Award winner, the Barracuda may have the best 1-2 tandem in the minor system. 

Here is a look at some of changes within the organization: 

Without any futher ado, here are your Year 2 San Jose Sharks: 

Connor 'A' - Newhook- Reinhart 'A'

Sharangovich - Dvorak - Mercer

Protas - Bluegar- Leason

Kelly - Carrick - Sedlak

Josi 'C' - Lindgren

Burroughs - Brown

Lagesson - Fabbro

Hart

Lankinen