- Sharks 2004 first round pick Lukas Kaspar has 10 goals and 12 assists in 22 games played for the Ottawa 67s of the Ontario Hockey League. In a recent article on the official Sharks
website, Kaspar talked about the biggest adjustment he had to make playing hockey in North America:
The rinks here are smaller, so everything is different. Here there is more hitting and in Czech you can play more with the puck. We can play four games in four nights, but I want the ice time. It is why I am here.
- Sharks 2003 first round pick Steve Bernier picked up
player of the week honors from the Canadian Hockey League at the start of November. Bernier leads the Moncton Wildcats in
scoring with 16 goals and 17 assists in 29 QMJHL games.
Hockeys Future writer Matt MacInnis
interviewed Steve Bernier after a recent game with Shawinigan.
- Sharks 2003 2nd round draft pick Joshua Hennessey is tied for
5th overall in QMJHL scoring with 18 goals and 22 assists in 29 games played for the Quebec Remparts.
- On November 22nd and 23rd a team of Russian select players defeated
Team QMJHL in the ADT Canada-Russia challenge. On consecutive nights, the QMJHL team lost 4-3 after a shootout. Team OHL won
third game of the six game exhibition 3-1 with goaltender Ryan Munce [Sarnia Sting] making 25 saves on 26 shots. After one more game against the OHL Monday in Ontario, Team Russia will head to Alberta to face a team of Western Hockey League allstars December 1st and 2nd.
- Many writers have compared Cleveland Barons defenseman Josh Gorges to San Jose's Scott Hannan. There are similarities, but comparing prospects to NHL players has always bothered me. It sets unrealistic expectations that may or may not fit the player. I mention it in this case, because the Gorges-Hannan theme has popped up in over a dozen articles.
Josh Gorges was not on the radar of many scouts, but he has continued to impress at every level he has played. Although he was not selected in the 2002 NHL entry draft, Gorges helped the Rockets win a Memorial Cup championship in 2003-04, and helped the Team Canada win a
silver in Finland during his first WJC tournament. What leads to all the comparisons is the fact that he works hard and leads by example both on and off the ice.
The Cleveland Plains Dealer has more on his first season with the AHL Cleveland Barons:
No goals for Gorges, but he's making his point.
- Sharks goaltending prospect, 2004 4th round draft pick, and Sharkspage favorite Jason Churchill has recorded a
12-8-5 record [2.44GAA, .909sv%] with the Halifax Mooseheads of the QMJHL. The 6-4 200 pound goalie was named the Mooseheads
Player of the Month for September. The consensus during the NHL entry draft framed Churchill as a rough prospect with a large upside.
- Another Sharkspage favorite, 6-4 245 pound
Mike Hoffman, earned a spot on the Cleveland roster as a Right Wing.
- The Cleveland Barons are tied 1-1 for the season series with the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks. The Ohio team with the best head-to-head record at the end of the season wins the Labatt Blue Cup. First the Halifax Mooseheads, then the Labatt Cup. Molson has to have a hockey-related sponsorship or
two. The
Bud Light trophy goes to the NHL player with the best +/-, with a minimum of 60 games played. Spaten?
Sometimes
beer and hockey do not mix.
- Back to prospects, remember Tero Maatta? The Sharks first selection in the 2000 draft [2nd round], is trying to help the
Espoo Blues sneak into the last playoff spot in the Finnish Elite League.
- Sharks 2002 1st round draft pick, Mike Morris suffered a
concussion on November 13th. Morris has 5 goals and 9 assists in 9 games played this season for
Northeastern.
- I
interviewed Sharks goaltending prospect Patrick Ehelechner earlier this year about his goaltending style, Germany in the World Cup, and about Sudbury's chances for a Memorial Cup this season.
[Q] How would you describe your style of play in net [standup, butterfly, combination..]?
[PE] I believe there isn't a specific style anymore, because one has to adopt as the game evolves and how it suits you best to stop the puck. This is a process of constantly evaluating your performance and trying to work to get better and if you don't have any specific style, it is probably easier to change a bit to solve an upcoming problem better. And this will change constantly, just think of the new rules they will implement to the goalies equipment in the near future, this again will force the goalies to change and try to make the best out of it.
- According to this
article on Fox Sports detailing the performance of the top two picks from the draft from all 30 NHL teams, Sharks 2004 third round draft pick Thomas Greiss is playing with top ranked
Kolner Haie of the German DEL. As mentioned in an earlier post, a German fan was right when he said Kolner was relying mainly on goaltender Chris Rogles. Thomas Greiss only has three starts on the season with 3.76 GAA and a .888 sv%.
[Update] David Pollak of the
SJ Mercury News was at the last SJSU hockey game in San Jose. He mentioned he was there following Sharks fans as much as he was watching the SJSU team play. Make sure to
contact the Mercury News sports department and ask them to write more about hockey. During the lockout, I think they should send Victor Chi to Finland, Sweden, Germany or Russia to write features about international hockey.
This
TSN report of a Canadian playing in Russia is the type of article I think Sharks fans would appreciate.
[Update2] Thanks to the CAL Bears, read this article last month by Ross McKeon:
Midnight Madness with an Icy Twist. Nice photo gallery too.
