Post by Deleted on Mar 25, 2020 20:02:26 GMT
San Jose's newest (and only) superstar rocking the full teal look during training camp.
San Jose, CA (AP) - When it was announced that an expansion ice hockey franchise would land in San Jose, most people scoffed. Then they announced their primary colour would be teal, and almost everyone laughed. Finally, in his first press conference as the team's inaugural general manager, Gary Mok announced that his team had traded their first round pick and the chance to select a franchise cornerstone player.
"The draft had three franchise talents, and for sure it would have been great to have a recognizable face on billboards and ticket stubs to sell to potential fans," said GM Mok. "But there's nothing that sells more tickets than winning, and our goal is for Sharks fans to witness playoff hockey first-hand within three seasons."
In order to build a squad capable of challenging for a playoff spot in the near future, the Sharks dealt the second overall pick (which the Philadelphia Flyers used to select Swedish sensation Peter Forsberg) for a boatload of assets and players to augment the expansion roster. Martin Gelinas was one of those players, a speedy winger with an eye for goal and is likely to assume a top-six role as early as this season. The other roster player that came along in the trade was Mike Ricci, a rough-and-tumble former fourth overall pick whose grit and leadership qualities will likely make him a fan favourite in no time.
However, the most notable pieces coming over in the trade were the draft picks. San Jose was able to extract four future first-round and second-round picks, with two of them coming in the draft that just passed. On draft night, they packaged the eighteenth overall pick with Jeff Hackett to move up and select Slovakian centre Jozef Stumpel. The enigmatic forward has superstar potential but a disappointing training camp has left many coaches wanting more. Even so, he was named an assistant captain for the expansion squad along with Ricci.
The most valuable asset coming in the Forsberg trade was the ninth overall pick, which was first acquired by the Flyers from Edmonton in the package for goaltender Ron Hextall. Although he fielded many generous and tempting offers for the choice selection, GM Mok held out and ended up with the second-highest rated defender in the draft. Sandis Ozolinsh has been touted as the best hockey player to ever come out of Latvia and many scouts suggested he was a player with the skills of Paul Coffey in a 6'3 frame. And on the same day of the press conference to welcome their first draft class, the Sharks also announced Ozolinsh as their inaugural captain.
"Sandis is going to challenge for the Norris Trophy one day, and he's the type of special player that any hockey team would be thrilled to build around," said the Sharks decision-maker. "He's a quiet leader in the locker room but boisterous and loud is why we traded for Mike Ricci's hair."
"It's a role that I will take on with great pride," said San Jose's first captain through an interpreter. "Hopefully I can wear it for a long time."
Ozolinsh stands to be the team's only superstar in its first season in the league, but one is better than none.