Sharks Announce New Operational Staff Additions

 This story comes a tad late on my end primarily due to work, travel, and family plans, but the Sharks announced new operational staff hires on Friday, with a few notable names. They are as follows: 

Jack Anderson, Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach

Jaren Burke, Amateur Scout (Ontario) 

Igor Eronko, Amateur Scout (Russia) 

Ryan Miller, Goalie Scout/Assistant Goalie Development Coach

Thomas Vanek, Amateur Scout (Minnesota) 

Anderson will help Director of Strength and Conditioning Steven DiLustro in tracking player fitness, gathering on-ice skating data, and off-ice workout and regeneration sessions during the season. He was previously a performance coach at P3 and worked with a variety of pro athletes. Before P3, Anderson also served as a strength and conditioning coach for the Washington Capitals and Director of of Strength and Conditioning at the University of Mary Washington.

Burke will scout for talent in the Ontario region. He previously served as a management development associate with the Toronto Maple Leafs for one season and played two seasons at Queen's University along with two seasons at Rensselaer Polytechnical Institute.

Eronko will scout for talent in Russia. He was previously the Assistant General Manager for Avangard Omsk of the KHL for the past three seasons and was also a hockey writer, sideline reporter, and NHL commentator.

The two most notable names added to the Sharks' operational staff that stood out to me the most are former NHL veterans Ryan Miller and Thomas Vanek, who I remember well from their playing careers. Miller will scout draft-eligible goaltendersand assist Evgeni Nabokov, the Sharks' primary goaltending coach in the organization's goaltending prospect and player development. Miller was previously an NHL goalie across 18 seasons with the Buffalo Sabres, St. Louis Blues, Vancouver Canucks, and Anaheim Ducks, amassing a 391-289-88 record, a 2.64 goals-against average, and a .914 save percentage in 796 career games. Among U.S.-born players, Miller is the all-time wins leader and second in shutouts (44) and games played. Team Teal hasn't had the best track record in drafting and developing goalies, but I believe this hire should help turn that around for the better in the long run.

Vanek will scout for talent in the Minnesota region. As a player, he played in 14 NHL seasonsfor the Buffalo Sabres, New York Islanders, Montreal Canadiens, Detroit Red Wings, Florida Panthers, Vancouver Canucks, and Columbus Blue Jackets, amassing 373 goals and 416 assists for 789 points in 1,029 games played. Vanek was also a two-time 40-goal scorer while with the Sabres, led the league in power-play goals in 2008-09, named to the NHL's Second All-Star Team in 2006-07, and played in the NHL All-Star Game in 2009. In addition, he was an assistant coach at Stillwater High School at the USHS level after he retired from playing in the NHL after the 2018-19 season.

Source: Sharks + SAP Center App

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