The 2023 Rookie Faceoff tournament kicked off with a bang yesterday as the San Jose Sharks came from behind for a 4-3 shootout win.
In a lineup featuring highly touted prospects and last year’s Barracuda rookies William Eklund, Thomas Bordeleau, Tristen Robins and Daniil Gushchin, as well as Sharks rookie Henry Thrun, defensive prospect Shakir Mukhammadullin, and 2023 first rounder Quentin Musty, this was a tough test for the LA Kings, who were missing many top prospects such as Brandt Clarke. They did have 2020 second rounder Francesco Pinelli and goalie prospect Jacob Ingham, both of whom had very solid games.
GOALS
Despite dominating in shots and posssesion, the Sharks found themselves down 1-0 on a shorthanded goal from Andre Lee, but Tristen Robins tied it up not long after. Unfortunately, in a pattern familiar to many Sharks and Barracuda fans last season, they conceded immediately, and went into the third period down 2-1.
It was there the Sharks went to work. Goals from Bradley Marek and Gannon Laroque put them up 3-2, but unfortunately the Kings scored with 1:16 left in the third to force overtime, and the Sharks would end up winning 2-0 in the shootout with goals from Daniil Gushchin and William Eklund.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Despite an early shorthanded goal in the second period, the Sharks power play looked good, with a top unit of Eklund-Bordeleau-Robins-Coe- Thrun and a second unit of Musty-Halttunen-Gushchin-Cardwell-Mukhammadullin, there was a lot of good chances and some excellent possession. As many of these players will likely be in the AHL to start the season, this should excite Barracuda fans a lot. Look for them to start scoring at a reasonable clip in the next two games of the tournament.
The penalty kill was also strong, going scoreless through the game including killing off a minute of 5 on 3 and the remnants of an overtime penalty.
GOALIES
The San Jose Sharks went with Georgi Romanov, an undrafted Russian who Mike Grier signed to an entry level contract this summer. He’ll be in the mix for a job with the Barracuda this fall, and with 41 of 44 saves, he was a big part of last night’s win.
The Kings goalies were no slouches, with Jacob Ingham especially having a good night, saving all 26 shots he faced before Erik Portillo took over at the halfway mark. Portillo made some good saves but ultimately allowed 3 goals on 17 shots and went 0-2 in the shootout.
STANDOUTS
The biggest standout of the game for me was Gannon Laroque. After a year of injury struggles last season, he looks healthy and ready to play. He scored the third goal of the night for the Sharks, made some strong defensive plays, and was on the ice for all three Sharks goals and only one Kings goal.
Quentin Musty will likely be heading back to the OHL after this training camp, but Sharks fans should keep an eye out for him, because he did everything he needed to to impress in his Sharks jersey debut. Playing on a line with Bordeleau and Gushchin, that line was small, speedy, and felt like they were everywhere. Though he didn’t feature on the scoresheet, he drew two penalties and didn’t look out of place at all on a roster almost entirely made up of players two or more years older than him.
Also returning from injury is William Eklund, one of the flagship prospects for the Sharks. After being shut down at the end of last season for shoulder surgery, it was revealed he hadn’t been 100% all season. He certainly looks it now. Though he may never pan out into the top center role Sharks fans were hoping for, the thought of a future Eklund-Smith duo is maybe the most exciting prospect for Sharks or Barracuda fans alike. He showed incredible speed and skill on a top line with Robins and Kasper Halttunen, the Sharks second round draft pick from the 2023 draft, and he had countless chances all through the game before finally potting a shootout goal.
This was Georgi Romanov’s North American debut, and he didn’t disappoint. He made 41 saves, and though there was some technical issues to be seen (for example, his apparent love of giving up huge rebounds), he got the job done. He likely won’t play again in this tournament, as the Sharks brought three goalies for three games, but he could be a big part of the Barracuda’s season this coming Fall.
NEXT UP
The Sharks are set to face the Golden Knights prospects tonight at 7pm PST, before taking a day off and then facing the Coyotes prospects on Monday at 1pm.
