More NHL Awards Nominations for Sharks Players in 2023

 Since my previous post on CPF Hockey covering the draft lottery, two additional NHL award nominations have been announced. Let's dive into them: 

First, Luke Kunin was announced as the Sharks' nominee for the King Clancy Award, which goes to the player who demonstrates exceptional leadership on and off the ice. In other words, the King Clancy is an award for humanitarian efforts. It may be easy to forget about Luke Kunin this past season, as his season was ended early due to a torn ACL, but he has been greatly involved in charity work surrounding kids with type 1 diabetes. I don't expect Kunin to win the King Clancy this year, but it would be great if he did.

Secondly, Erik Karlsson was named a finalist for not just the Norris Trophy, but the Ted Lindsay Award as well, the latter of which is given to the most outstanding player in the NHL as voted by the players. The biggest reason why Erik Karlsson was named a finalist for the Ted Lindsay was due to his unbelievable historic campaign this past season that I don't need to explain any further. The other finalists up for the Ted Lindsay Award this year are the Oilers' Connor McDavid and the Bruins' David Pastrnak. This marks the first time Erik Karlsson was named a Ted Lindsay finalist. In addition, if Karlsson wins the Ted Lindsay, he would become the first player in Sharks franchise history to win this award. I fully expect one of McDavid or Pastrnak to walk away with the Ted Lindsay this year, but it would be amazing if EK65 won both the Norris and Ted Lindsay in the same season. 

Stay tuned to CPF Hockey for more Sharks news and notes all offseason long.

Sources: San Jose Sharks social media pages, NHL Discussion via Instagram, NHL App

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Sharks Awarded No. 4 Pick in 2023 Draft

 The 2023 NHL Draft Lottery results are in, and the Sharks have stayed put with the fourth overall pick in the 2023 draft. 

This result shouldn't come as much of a surprise since they were initially expected to land the fourth overall pick in the projections. I'm okay with this; the Sharks may not be getting Connor Bedard or Adam Fantilli, but at least they didn't fall any further. There is plenty of talent in this year's draft class, so the Sharks should still be in good hands here. According to many analysts and experts, by staying put with the fourth overall pick, the Sharks are expected to go with either Leo Carlsson, Matvei Michkov, or Will Smith with their first selection in this year's draft. However, none of these three draft prospects are expected to be NHL-ready anytime soon after they are drafted. If I had to choose who I think the Sharks will select with the fourth overall pick this year, I think they will go with Russian winger Matvei Michkov, as he has elite-level talent and fits the timeline of when the Sharks expect to be back in the playoff picture once more. 

As for the biggest headlines surrounding this year's draft lottery, the Chicago Blackhawks have won the draft lottery and the Connor Bedard sweepstakes, moving up two spots to number one. The Anaheim Ducks and Columbus Blue Jackets were the only other teams to move positions from their initial odds in the draft lottery, each falling one spot to numbers two and three respectively. The Blackhawks being rewarded the no. 1 pick isn't ideal for the rest of the league, especially since Chicago has officially moved on from Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews and is recently coming off of a scandal in which they covered up a sexual assault/abuse incident during the 2010 season when they won their first of three Stanley Cups last decade. However, as much as many fans of other teams may not like this, I'm happy that Bedard won't be in the Pacific Division on one of the Sharks' rivals, which would be more upsetting. 

We will have to wait until late June to see how this year's NHL draft plays out. In the meantime, here is the full 2023 NHL Draft Lottery results: 

1) Chicago Blackhawks

2) Anaheim Ducks

3) Columbus Blue Jackets

4) San Jose Sharks

5) Montreal Canadiens

6) Arizona Coyotes

7) Philadelphia Flyers

8) Washington Capitals

9) Detroit Red Wings

10) St. Louis Blues

11) Vancouver Canucks

12) Arizona Coyotes (from the Ottawa Senators)

13) Buffalo Sabres

14) Pittsburgh Penguins

15) Nashville Predators

16) Calgary Flames

Sources: San Jose Sharks social media pages, NHL Discussion via Instagram, Curtis Pashelka via Twitter

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Erik Karlsson Named a Norris Trophy Finalist for 2023

 The finalists for the Norris Trophy for the NHL's best defenseman this year have been announced, and it should come as no surprise to anyone that Erik Karlsson has been named one of the finalists for the Norris Trophy along with Adam Fox of the Rangers and Cale Makar of the Avalanche. 

Although the Sharks had one of their worst seasons in recent memory, Erik Karlsson was easily their biggest bright spot this season, putting up a historic campaign. He bounced back in a huge way this past season after his past few seasons were hampered with injuries, recording a total of 101 points (25 goals, 76 assists), leading all NHL defensemen in goals, assists, and points. This sets a variety of NHL and Sharks franchise records, most importantly becoming the sixth NHL defenseman and first since Brian Leetch in 1991-92 to reach 100 points in a season. In addition, EK65 set a Sharks franchise record with his 14-game point streak from December 3 to January 6 and recorded his first NHL hat trick on November 1 against the Ducks. 

This year's nomination marks the fifth time Erik Karlsson was named a Norris Trophy finalist, having previously won the Norris in 2012 and 2015 when he was with the Senators. I'm very confident that Erik Karlsson can and will win the Norris this year. If he does, not only would that be amazing, but it would be a big reason that will make this past season worth it for the Sharks. 

Source: NHL App

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Sharks Sign Valtteri Pulli and Georgi Romanov to 2-Year Deals

 The Sharks announced two signings today: Finnish defenseman Valtteri Pulli and Russian goaltender Georgi Romanov each to two-year, entry-level contracts. 

These are relatively minor additions to the Sharks organization at this time, especially with the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs underway. 

 Pulli recorded three goals and 14 assists for 17 points in 53 games for TPS of the Finnish Liiga this past season. This set a career-high for Pulli in goals, assists, and points in a season and was good for third among TPS defensemen in assists and points. In total, Pulli has 19 points in 82 career games, all with TPS.

 Romanov registered a .907 save percentage, 2.81 goals-against average, and a 8-13-5 record in 31 regular season games for Gornyak-UGMK of the VHL in Russia this past season, along with a .918 SV%, 3.15 GAA and a 2-1-0 record in three playoff games. He also appeared in one KHL game with Avtomobilist Yekaterinberg, saving three of four shootout attempts in a 5-4 shootout loss to Barys Astana on Christmas Eve of last year. Romanov spent much of the past four seasons in the VHL, recording a career total .916 SV%, 2.58 GAA, and 28-33-10 record. This second signing comes as Kaapo Kahkonen is the only other goalie in the Sharks organization signed through at least next season. 

Source: Sjsharks.com

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