GAMEDAY: BARRACUDA VS HEAT
Jan 11, 2020SAN JOSE BARRACUDA (12-19-0-2) vs STOCKTON HEAT (22-7-2-3)
SUNDAY, JAN. 12 | 3:00 P.M. | SAP CENTER | SAN JOSE, CA
LISTEN | WATCH | GAME NOTES | BIOS
Sunday Funday: The Barracuda continue their four-game homestand on Sunday in the second of two meetings over the weekend with the Stockton Heat (Calgary Flames). The Barracuda were shutout 2-0 on Friday, snapping a two-game winning streak and are now 0-6-0-1 against the Heat this season. Since falling by just a goal in each of the first three meetings this season with the Heat, the Barracuda have been outscored 19-to-3 over the last four games and have been shutout in the last two. The Barracuda are 33-18-2-2 against the Flames affiliate all-time and 18-9-0-0 all-time at home versus Stockton.
Last Time Out: The Barracuda gave up a goal with just 10 seconds remaining in the first period as Alan Quine ripped home his fourth goal of the season against the San Jose and eighth overall and then Bryon Froese made it 2-0 at 13:54 of the second. The Barracuda outshout the Heat 26-to-22 in the game and 10-to-four in the third, but failed to find the back of the net, getting shutout for the third time this season.
Heat Check: The Heat enter Saturday with the AHL’s second best road-winning percentage (13-3-0-2 = .778%) and a league-best +25 goal-differential on visiting ice this season. In addition, Stockton is first in the AHL when scoring the game’s first goal (15-1-2-2 = .850%), first on the power-play (35/129 = 27%), third on the penalty kill (129/149 = 86.6%) and first in goals-per-game (3.97).
A Career Capped: Before the Barracuda’s game on Dec. 29, captain John McCarthy, 33, announced he was going call it a career after 11 seasons due to health reasons. McCarthy suffered an Ischemic stroke on December 10th and has since made a full recovery. He joined the Barracuda’s coaching staff immediately after the announcement. McCarthy will go down as the San Jose’s Sharks all-time AHL leader in games played (552) [Worcester, San Jose], goals (125), assists (164), and points (289) and the Barracuda’s all-time leader in games played (275), goals (62), assists (76), points (138), power-play goals (17), and shorthanded goals (5). Also, McCarthy skated in 88 NHL games with Sharks between 2009-2016, accumulating six points (three goals, three assists) and 22 penalty minutes. The Boston native also captained the 2009 Boston University Terriers to a National Championship and skated for Team USA at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
Hey Now You’re an All-Star: Last Friday, rookie forward Joachim Blichfeld was named to the 2020 AHL All-Star game, joining Jake Middleton, Francis Perron, Josef Korenar, Barclay Goodrow, Ryan Carpenter, Troy Grosenick, Danny O'Regan, Antoine Bibeau, and Rudolfs Balcers as players to represent the Barracuda at the AHL All-Star Classic. Blichfeld, 21, has appeared in 25 games with the Barracuda this season and currently leads the team in goals (13), is second in points (24) and is first in power-play goals (4). A season ago, Blichfeld led the WHL in scoring (53 goals, 61 assists) and was named the WHL Player of the Year.
Halbs Heating Up: Jayden Halbgewachs netted a pair of goals on Saturday and added a goal and an assist on Wednesday. Halbgewachs is second on the Barracuda in goals (12), is first in game-winners (3), and first in overtime goals (2). Two years ago, as a 20-year-old, Halbgewachs led the CHL in scoring (129) and finished first in the WHL in goals (70) as a member of the Moose Jaw Warriors.
Maxed Out: Sophomore forward Max Letunov recorded his second three-point-game (one goal, two assists) of the season on Saturday and the fourth of his career. The former Connecticut Huskie now leads the team in points (26) and assists (18). Letunov has already surpassed his assist totals from his rookie season in 26 fewer games. The Sharks originally acquired Letunov from the Arizona Coyotes in a draft-day trade in 2016.
Youth Movement: The Barracuda are the AHL’s youngest roster with an average age of 22.48-years-old. No other team in the league is under 23-years-old. In fact, seven players on the 'Cuda roster are 21-years-old or younger, including two players under 21 (Sasha Chmelevski [20] and Ivan Chekhovich [20]).