The San Jose Sharks training camp roster has been trimmed significantly from the start, but they still have quite a few decisions left to make. One of the most intriguing aspects of the roster is the defense, as their young defensemen have done their best to make sure David Quinn and Mike Grier’s jobs aren’t easy this season. Players like Henry Thrun, Shakir Mukhamadullin and Nikita Ohotiuk weren’t unanimously expected to make the opening night roster prior to training camp, and although there’s no guarantee that they will, they’re certainly getting a long look.
Henry Thrun
The most likely young defenseman to make the Sharks is undoubtedly Thrun. He’s been one of the best players on the ice during his preseason games and he gives the Sharks a legitimate offensive threat from the blue line which they’re desperately lacking without Erik Karlsson. He started the preseason strong with two goals in the opening contest and in his second appearance he added an assist to his totals. As it currently stands, he has three points through two games and has overall been one of the best defensemen on the team so far.
Thrun has been playing on the power play and actually jumped new acquisition Jan Rutta in the first game of the preseason to take over first-unit duties. Although his name doesn’t bring much star power at this point, he’s the type of prospect who can have a big rookie season with the Sharks if they give him the opportunity he deserves based on his training camp.
Shakir Mukhamadullin
Shakir Mukhamadullin has been incredible in his own right as well. He’s earned praise from teammates and Quinn alike, however, it seems he hasn’t done quite enough to crack the roster just yet. To me, it seems that he’ll be in the NHL by the end of the season, but Quinn stated that he believes he currently belongs in the American Hockey League (AHL). With that being said, there’s still plenty of time for that to change if he continues to impress in the last couple of preseason games.
It is also worth noting that Mukhamadullin spent 12 games in the AHL last season, and was at nearly a point-per-game pace. He’s a strong player with a big frame who also has great skating and playmaking abilities. He’s an all-around solid defenseman who should be in the NHL sooner rather than later.
Nikita Ohotiuk
Nikita Ohotiuk spent the last two seasons bouncing between the NHL and AHL when he was a member of the New Jersey Devils organization. He won’t bring the same offensive contributions as the aforementioned defensemen, but he will bring physicality to the mix. The Sharks are currently building a defensive core made up of shutdown defensemen, and if that’s truly what they want, Ohotiuk can be their guy. While he hasn’t shown it at the NHL level yet, he’s not afraid of physicality which was shown by his 15 penalty minutes in his final game of the 2022-23 season against the Laval Rocket. Out of the three, I think he’s the one who could benefit the most from a season with the San Jose Barracuda. However, he’s earned himself an extended look through training camp and will certainly see some game time at the NHL level this season.
With the current status of the Sharks’ defense, there are a lot of players who would require waivers if multiple rookies earn a spot, which gives the veterans an advantage. Although ideally, that shouldn’t be a major factor, it’s the reality of the business side of hockey. Asset management is key for general managers, and they certainly don’t like losing assets for free if it’s avoidable. If a young player is ready though, it’s hard to justify giving a roster spot to a player like Radim Simek or Kyle Burroughs who are unlikely to be long-term players for the organization.
The addition of Ty Emberson as a waiver claim also makes things a bit more difficult for young players to earn a role. If he doesn’t make the team, he’s likely to be reclaimed by his former team, the New York Rangers, when he goes on waivers again. As a result, management and the coaching staff are going to have to make some tough decisions as we near the end of the preseason. Do they risk losing an asset for nothing or risk stunting a player’s growth if they’ve already outgrown the AHL? There’s not necessarily a right answer as only time will tell, but it will certainly be interesting to see what they decide to do.
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