SAN JOSE SHARKS
Sharks Poised For Serious Run At The Stanley Cup

By Ryan Stenn

San Jose Sharkes

The San Jose Sharks are ready for the 2007-08 season. After treating Sharks Territory to the best season in franchise history with 51 wins and 107 points, Team Teal is looking to avenge their second-round exit in the playoffs and bring a Stanley Cup to San Jose.

Last season San Jose fans became very familiar with their home-grown talent. Recent draft picks Joe Pavelski, Ryane Clowe, Steve Bernier, Milan Michalek, Patrick Rissmiller, Marcel Goc, Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Christian Ehrhoff and Matt Carle all played significant roles in the Sharks third consecutive trip to the Stanley Cup Playoffs as they continued to establish their NHL careers.

The good news for the 2007-08 season — those players will be back, along with several other usual suspects.

Veteran forwards Jonathan Cheechoo, Patrick Marleau, Mike Grier and Curtis Brown all look to lead the group to a return trip to the postseason. Only two other teams in the NHL have played in as many playoff rounds in the last three seasons (seven) as San Jose has (Anaheim and Ottawa) and only Anaheim (25) has more playoff wins during that span than the Sharks (22).

Perhaps the biggest news in the offseason was the contract extensions of Joe Thornton and Milan Michalek. Thornton, one of the top-10 players in the League, is locked up for the next four years, while Michalek's six-year extension ensures this powerful forward stays in San Jose until 2013-14. Each of these players, similar to Evgeni Nabokov, Cheechoo and Kyle McLaren, extended their deals past the date they could become unrestricted free agency, speaking volumes to the attractiveness of playing in San Jose.

Bringing back Thornton was the Sharks top priority. One of the top point producers in the NHL over the last few seasons, Thornton became just the third player in NHL history to have back-to-back 90-assist seasons in 2006-07, joining elite company with Wayne Gretzky (12 in-a-row, 1980-81 through 1991-92) and Mario Lemieux (1987-88 and 1988-89).

"Joe (Thornton) is among the top group of elite players in the National Hockey League," said Executive Vice President and General Manager Doug Wilson. "In addition to his play on the ice, he leads by example and has as much love for the game as anyone I have seen."

Michalek recently completed his second, full NHL season, posting career-highs in points (66 — fourth on team), goals (26 — third on team) and assists (40 — third on team) in 78 games. In addition, his +17 was second on the team, behind Joe Thornton, and he was tied for fourth in the NHL in game-winning goals (9).

"Milan defines what a multi-dimensional player should be," said Wilson. "He has size, speed, strength, skill and the drive to not only play, but excel in both ends of the ice."

Thornton and Michalek weren't the only impact players to remain with San Jose. After enjoying his playoff run with the Sharks in 2006-07, Craig Rivet, acquired just prior to the trade deadline, decided to forgo his opportunity at free agency and signed on for four seasons in Teal. Rivet will be a key member of the Sharks blueline, adding a steady veteran presence.

"He's got professionalism, he's got a competitive bite and he's got poise," Wilson said of the veteran Rivet. "He wanted to be with us and he liked the direction we were going."

Rivet, along with McLaren, will serve as the team's veteran leadership on the blueline, but the Sharks defensive core is packed with impact players that are improving.

"Some of these players are pretty mature for their age," Rivet said. "Vlasic, Carle and Ehrhoff are absolutely fantastic hockey players and their growth and upside is endless. We've got an outstanding bunch of guys that are very competitive.

"The growth of this team is something that caught my eye and it's a team focused on winning a Stanley Cup and that's a major reason for signing in San Jose. With the fan base and the lifestyle in San Jose, you just can't beat it."

Another change Sharks fans will notice was establishing Nabokov as the undisputed No. 1 goaltender. After successfully splitting duties with Vesa Toskala last season, Nabokov remains with the Sharks as their goalie of the future as Toskala, along with forward Mark Bell, were traded to Toronto on Draft Day for three draft picks, including a first rounder.

Nabokov, who enjoyed an impressive campaign in 2006-07, owns virtually every goaltending record in Sharks history and returns for his eighth season in San Jose.

Nabokov's understudies are two German goaltenders who will look to impress at training camp. Sharks draft picks Thomas Greiss and Dimitri Patzold will compete for the backup goaltender role and are next in line from San Jose's famed "goaltender factory." It's safe to say that the Sharks are comfortable in goal in 2007-08.

"We really like where 'Nabber's' (Nabokov) game is at," Wilson said. "Toronto got a good player in Vesa and he'll do well there. Greiss and Patzold are both at the point where they're ready to compete (at this level)."

Sharks management is very excited about the prospect of having a full lineup of returning players under Head Coach Ron Wilson in 2007-08. San Jose's stocked roster, envied by most other clubs, meant the Sharks did not need to be overly active in the free agent market. Wilson did sign defenseman Alexei Semenov, who will likely compete with Rob Davison and Douglas Murray for a spot.

With the selections that San Jose acquired at the draft, Director of Scouting Tim Burke and the scouting staff found a player they couldn't pass up. With the ninth overall pick (acquired from St. Louis in exchange for several draft picks), the Sharks selected center Logan Couture.

Couture played in 54 games with the Ottawa 67s of the Ontario Hockey League, posting 76 points (26 goals, 50 assists) which ranked him second on the team behind fellow Sharks prospect Jamie McGinn (2006, second round, 36th overall).

The Sharks continued their draft day maneuvers, swapping selections and positions with Washington and taking 6-foot-3, 215-pound Nick Petrecki, a solid blueliner, with the 28th overall pick.

This isn't the first time San Jose has made numerous moves to work their way up in the draft to get the player they really wanted. All of the scouting staff's work has paid dividends over the years, as the talent level on the Sharks is one of the deepest in the NHL and the roster is stocked with home-grown talent quickly becoming NHL-level performers.

"I'd rather leave the draft floor with two or three players that we had identified as our type of player rather than six or seven maybes," Wilson said.

Couture and Petrecki follow first rounders from 2004 Lukas Kaspar (22nd overall), 2005 Devin Setoguchi (8th overall) and 2006 Ty Wishart (16th overall) as draft picks that Wilson traded up to acquire. Sharks fans will soon become accustomed to these names, as each player will fight to earn a spot on the 2007-08 roster during training camp.

Besides the talent on the ice, fans will have even more to cheer about this season. On July 24 the Sharks unveiled their new, updated logo that will serve as the face of the team for years to come. This announcement, coupled with the September unveiling of new Rbk jerseys being worn by all NHL teams, give the Sharks a tougher look, but also a feel that the original logo is still ever present.

The National Hockey League and Reebok have teamed to create the Rbk EDGE Uniform System(tm) to meet the performance demands of today's NHL player. The result of more than two years of research and testing, the system features technologically advanced materials and fabrics that are more breathable, more water-resistant, more comfortable and more compatible with equipment.

The Rbk EDGE Uniform System will be worn by all 30 NHL teams in their respective colors and designs. The introduction of this system for the 2007-08 season marks the first time in the history of North American professional sports that a uniform innovation has been implemented League-wide.

"We loved our previous logo and it served us very well for many, many years," president and CEO Greg Jamison said. "But we wanted to update it and move it into the 21st century without sacrificing where we were originally. We knew we were going to put a new uniform together and decided this would be a good time to update the logo."

The Sharks Store, located in HP Pavilion, is your headquarters for a wide variety of merchandise featuring the new logo as well as the best place to go to get your new Sharks jersey.

Corresponding with the launch of the logo came a brand new look to the Sharks official website. SJSHARKS.com received a facelift and now includes even more video content and fresh stories, serving as the place to get all of the Sharks breaking news.

Even HP Pavilion at San Jose has recently undergone an extreme makeover. The interior renovations, including $16.5 million worth of enhancements, boasts new LED signage displays throughout the seating area of the Pavilion, a new state-of-the-art high-resolution scoreboard and a superior sound and video system to support high-definition.

The prospect of a fun-filled, exciting and very successful season has everyone in Sharks Territory buzzing. Come support the boys in Teal this season and cheer them on during their Quest for the Cup.

TICKET INFORMATION

Sharks season tickets and 10-game SharkPaks are on sale by calling 408.999.5757. Individual tickets are available at the HP Pavilion ticket office, online at ticketmaster.com or by phone at 408.998.TIXS, 415.421.TIXS or 510.625.TIXS.