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NOLLY'S NOTES - BLOG #32

May 10, 2023

Nick Nollenberger (aka Nolly) is the voice of the San Jose Barracuda. 2022-23 was his seventh year with the club. During the season, he can be heard at SJBarracuda.com, via the Sharks Audio Network and on AHLTV.com. A native of Santa Cruz, CA, Nolly played for the San Jose Jr. Sharks as a kid. His broadcasting career began while in college at the University of Arizona.

 

NHL Draft Lottery

 

Hello, Cuda Country! Hope your offseason is going well. Nolly’s Notes went on a sabbatical during the year, but we’re back on a bi-weekly basis for the foreseeable future.

 

With our hopes and dreams for Connor Bedard dashed on Monday night, not all was lost. For one, the Sharks didn’t fall out of the top four, and two, the rival Ducks won’t pick first overall either.

 

For the Sharks, they’ll select in the top five for the first time since 1998 and will select fourth overall for the first time in franchise history. In what is being hailed an extremely deep draft, Mike Grier and his staff should still be able to get a franchise cornerstone when their name is called at #4.

 

Not to get too far down the line on who the Sharks will and won’t select, because I don't have much of a clue, arguably the most polarizing prospect in the draft, not named Bedard, is Russian-born winger Matvei Michkov. Many prognosticators have him pegged to San Jose. The catch is he’ll be under contract in the KHL for three more seasons, meaning he won’t be available to play in North America until 2026. Wild forward Kirill Kaprizov had a similar route, staying in Russia for five seasons after he was drafted. That was well worth the wait for the Wild. The major difference is that Kaprizov was a fifth-round pick. I think that’s an easier gamble when you’re selecting a player so late. That being said, during his post-lottery presser, Grier didn’t shoot down the idea of the Sharks still drafting the talented Michkov.

 

There have been some legendary players drafted 4th overall including Ron Francis, Steve Yzerman, Paul Kariya, Roberto Luongo, Niklas Backstrom and Alex Pietrangelo. In 1998, the last year the Sharks selected in the top five, they took defenseman Brad Stuart with the 3rd overall pick.

 

If you want to put your GM hat on and select the next great Shark, check out this MOCK DRAFT SIMULATOR.

 

This year’s draft will be June 28-29 at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee.

 

If we really want to get ahead of ourselves, and hopefully the Sharks aren’t in lottery contention next year, the projected top pick in 2024, Macklin Celebrini, is a former San Jose Jr. Shark who is coming off the best 16-year-old year in USHL history, collecting 86 points (46+40=86) in 50 games with the Chicago Steel. Committed to Boston University, Celebrini, who is from Vancouver, moved to the Bay Area when his dad, Rick, took over as the Golden State Warriors Director of Medicine and Performance in 2018.

 

New Guys

 

The Sharks added to their prospect pool over the last couple of weeks, signing a pair of undrafted players to two-year, entry-level contracts. Goaltender Georgy Romanov and Defenseman Valtteri Pulli. Romanov, 23, joins Kaapo Kahkonen and Magnus Chrona as the only signed goalies in the organization. That could certainly change over the next month or so. By all accounts, the Sharks would like Eetu Makiniemi back next year. There is a chance Strauss Mann could return as well, but it’s TBD. Ben Gaudreau could be signed as well after he just completed another season with the OHL’s Sarnia Sting. 

 

Pulli is expected to return to Finland next year, so we likely won’t see him in North America on a full-time basis until 2024-25.

 

Calder Cup Playoffs

 

The best-of-5 Pacific Division Finals begin on Thursday in Calgary as the Wranglers host the Coachella Valley Firebirds at the Scotiabank Saddledome for game one. It should set up for an epic series between the two clear-cut top teams in the Pacific Division. The season series was even at 4-4, with each club going 3-1 at home. Calgary finished the regular season with the league’s best record (51-17-3-1 - 106 pts.), which bodes well for a long playoff run. Unlike the NHL, having the best regular-season record in the AHL has equaled playoff success in recent memory. In fact, the last three Kilpatrick Trophy winners (Regular-Season Champions) have gone on to capture the Calder Cup (Chicago ’22, Charlotte ’19, Toronto ’18). The last time a Pacific Division team reached the finals was in 2018 (Texas), but no Pacific team has ever won the Calder Cup since the division was created in 2015-16. Anything could happen, but for my money, I’ve got to go with the Wranglers taking the series. 

 

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If you’re trying to find a team to root for during the playoffs, you’ve got lots of options. 10 former Barracuda players are still in contention. Ryan Carpenter (Hartford), Jonny Brodzinski (Hartford), Mason Jobst (Rochester), Alex True (Coachella Valley), Matt Tennyson (Coachella Valley), Alex Gallant (Calgary), Nick DeSimone (Calgary), Nicolas Meloche (Calgary), Scott Reedy (Texas), and John Leonard (Milwaukee).

 

We wrap up this edition of Nolly’s Notes, by congratulating Sharks’ 2022 first-rounder Filip Bystedt who was named the SHL’s Rookie of the Year, notching 20 points (7+13=20) in 45 games with Linkoping. 

 

Thanks for reading and I look forward to talking to you all again in a couple of weeks.

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