Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Rookie Watch: San Jose Sharks

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Each Day until September 15th TPS will take a look at one team from the East and one team from the West and spotlight a few rookies to watch for this season. Today in the West it’s the San Jose Sharks.


San Jose has done a nice job bringing along young players and mixing them in the line up in key situations. Devin Setoguchi and Logan Couture both made their marks as youngsters while Marc-Edouard Vlasic jumped from the QMJHL to the NHL and played 81 games in his rookie season.

Nick Petrecki is a highly touted blueliner for San Jose, who used his 6.03 and 230 pound frame to punish AHL forwards last year. He's also not afraid to drop the mitts, doing so 18 times in 2 pro seasons after 2 years at Boston College. However the Sharks boast a very veteran laden blueline and it might be tough for Petrecki to crack it...however a call up and extended stay at some point is certainly possible.

Up front Tommy Wingels might make his mark with the big club. The 6th round pick from 2008 saw action in 5 games last year but spent the majority of his time honing his skills in Worcester, and Wingels has many different skills. His almost a half a point per game pace shows he has a decent touch around the net and his 69 penalty minutes show he's not a shrinking violet. But it's his all around game and head for defensive play, along with the ability to play both wing and center that could make him a candidate to make the Sharks out of camp.

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