Which Sharks Prospect Had The Best Season?
The San Jose Sharks have seen their prospect pool reach new heights with the addition of the 2023 draft class. Who actually had the best season 2023-24 season?
Honorable Mentions:
Danil Gushchin
20 goals, 34 assists in 56 games. San Jose Barracuda AHL
Gushchin would have been in the top 5 easily if he didn't have an injury right before the AHL All-Star game that knocked him out. He missed several weeks and took a while to get back into form. Gushchin should be knocking on the door of the NHL next year.
Kasper Halttunen
49 goals, 38 assists in 75 games. London Knights OHL
A guy scoring almost 50 goals can't even crack the top 5. While Halttuen had a great season, he did a lot of his damage on the power play (24 goals). This isn't to take away from what Halttunen did this season, but I think some players had a bigger impact.
JD Young
Eric Pohlkamp
11 goals, 13 assists in 32 games. Bemidji State NCAA
The overager had a knack for scoring at the USHL level and playing defense and that quickly showed at the NCAA level. Pohlkamp was a monster ending plays at the blueline and scored some of the biggest of the season. He transferred to the University of Denver this offseason and has a chance to play against some of the best competition in the NCAA this season.
Eric Pohlkamp OT game winner!#SJSharks pic.twitter.com/rK5BfZ8NQB
— JD Young (@MyFryHole) March 9, 2024
- Ethan Cardwell
23 goals, 2o assist in 71 games. San Jose Barracuda AHL
San Jose Barracuda Rookie of the Year
San Jose Barracuda Man of the Year
The former 4th round pick was one of the last players to be sent back to his junior team during the 2022 Training Camp. He had a monster season for the Barrie Colts. This season for the Barracuda, Cardwell led the team in goals with 23 and games with 71. Carwell saw his stock rise significantly because he could play in all situations. Cardwell was playing the top 6 minutes for the Barracuda as a rookie, earning power play time and penalty kill minutes. The more Cardwell can expand his ability, the better it will help his chances to become a staple on the Sharks roster.
Cardwell should be entrenched as a top-6 player for the San Jose Barracuda, and expect him to be stapled to Filip Bystedt's wing next season. The two showed immediate chemistry when Bystedt arrived and could be a long-term pairing for the Sharks on the third line.
- Shakir Mukhamadullin
7 goals, 27 assists in 55 games. San Jose Barracuda AHL
San Jose Barracuda MVP
San Jose Sharks Top Prospect
AHL All-Star
Shakir Mukhamadullin built off his small sample size of success at the end of the 2022-23 AHL season with the Barracuda with a great season for the Barracuda. Mulhamadullin's growth has really come in his decision making. He is more confident in the way he processes the game and earned a lot of trust from the Barracuda coaching staff.
An injury prematurely ended his season, but he should be seen as a favorite to crack the Sharks opening night roster if healthy. He provides something on the blue line that the Sharks do not have in a large puck moving defenseman. For a team that spent most nights hemmed in their own zone, Mukhamadullin should be able to help alleviate that issue.
- Luca Cagnoni
21 goals, 82 assists in 78 games. Portland Winterhawks WHL
WHL (US) First All-Star Team
WHL Player of the Week January 22, 2024
Lead WHL Defenseman in points
Lead WHL Defenseman in assists
Just an absolutely bonkers season for Cagnoni that ended with a well earned ELC contract this week. After falling to the 4th round, Cagnoni went ham on the WHL this year and became the first defenseman to score 90 points in the league in over 30 years. While only listed at 5'9", Cagnoni doesn't shy from contact or playing defense. He uses his size to his advantage as leverage to get under bigger players and steal the puck from them.
Make no mistake, Cagnoni's offense will be the reason he plays NHL games. His ability to create space for himself and his teammates is impressive. Finding the right partner will be key, but Cagnoni's story is an easy one to root for as Sharks fans and he should look to crack the Barracuda's lineup next season.
- Quentin Musty
45 goals, 67 assists in 61 games. Sudbury Wolves OHL
OHL Player of the Week January 22, 2024
OHL Player of the Month March 2024
Mike Grier probably lays in bed late at night and chuckles to himself that Quentin Musty fell to the Sharks at 26 last summer. Musty scored 102 points in 53 regular season games for an average of 1.92 points per game. Clear you schedule for the next 10 minutes and enjoy the video.
Musty will either have to go back to the OHL or play with the Sharks next season. Don't be surprised if the soon to be 19 year old gets his nine games before heading back to Sudbury.
- Will Smith
25 goals, 46 assist in 71 games. Boston College NCAA
San Jose Sharks Prospect of the Year
NCAA (Championship) All-Tournament Team
NCAA (East) First All-American Team
NCAA (Hockey East) All-Rookie Team
NCAA (Hockey East) All-Tournament Team
NCAA (Hockey East) Champion
NCAA (Hockey East) First All-Star Team
NCAA (Hockey East) Regular Season Champion
NCAA (Hockey East) Tournament MVP
NCAA (Overall) Most Assists (46)
NCAA (Overall) Most Points (71)
NCAA (USCHO) First Team
NCAA Top Collegiate Player (Hobey Baker Award) Finalist
Hockey East Player of the Month January 2024
I'm missing multiple Hockey of the East player of the weeks and other accolades for Smith. Will Smith put up one of the greatest Freshman seasons that we've ever seen. Smith's ability to create dangerous opportunities for his teammates with his otherworldly hockey IQ combined with his pin point passing is going to make him a star in the NHL.
There is work to be done in the defensive zone, but if you control the puck the entire time, you don't have to play defense. We wait for Will Smith to make his decision to turn pro or return to Boston College for another season, but no matter what the San Jose Sharks prospect pool is in great hands.