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Eklund, Bordeleau, Thrun Make Sharks’ Opening Night Roster

Originally posted on San Jose Hockey Now | By Sheng Peng | Last updated 10/9/23

The San Jose Sharks have submitted their opening night 23-man roster.

Prospects William Eklund, Thomas Bordeleau, and Henry Thrun have made the team. They’re starting the season with 13 forwards, eight defensemen, and two goalies:

Forwards: Alexander Barabanov, Thomas Bordeleau, Anthony Duclair, William Eklund, Mikael Granlund, Tomas Hertl, Mike Hoffman, Luke Kunin, Kevin Labanc, Givani Smith, Nico Sturm, Filip Zadina, Fabian Zetterlund

Defensemen: Matt Benning, Kyle Burroughs, Ty Emberson, Mario Ferraro, Nikolai Knyzhov, Jan Rutta, Henry Thrun, Marc-Edouard Vlasic

Goalies: Mackenzie Blackwood, Kaapo Kahkonen

William Eklund says he’s been told that he’s made the team. “It means a lot. I’ve worked hard for this. Now my job is to be here all year, so my focus will be on that.” #SJSharks

— Curtis Pashelka (@CurtisPashelka) October 9, 2023

Forward Logan Couture, who’s skating, is “unlikely” to be ready for opening night, per head coach David Quinn. According to the San Jose Sharks, Couture is eligible to be activated any time, however, so he won’t be going to IR. Couture doesn’t have to go into season on IR because he started camp injured, and technically, was never added to the roster.

Nikita Okhotiuk also falls under this designation.

Defensemen Jacob MacDonald and Radim Simek, who all played in the pre-season, to go on IR. Per the Sharks, their one-week minimum IR stay is retroactive to their last pre-season game. MacDonald last played on Oct. 3, while Simek’s last game was Sept. 27.

The San Jose Sharks open the season on Oct. 12, hosting the defending champs Vegas Golden Knights.

This article first appeared on San Jose Hockey Now and was syndicated with permission.

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