NOLLY'S NOTES - BLOG #34
Jun 7, 2023Nick 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.
Rusanowsky to the Hall
We begin this week’s blog by congratulating longtime Sharks radio voice Dan Rusanowsky, who was named the newest recipient of the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award for outstanding contributions as a hockey broadcaster. The highest honor in the field. Rusanowsky will receive the award at the Hockey Hall of Fame Media Awards Luncheon in Toronto on Nov. 13.
The team’s original radio voice since the club’s inception in 1991, there was no doubt this day would come eventually.
In many ways, my love for broadcasting began with listening to Dan and Randy Hahn as a kid. The pinnacle moment for me as a fan, and I’ll remember it forever, came on April 25, 2000. I was just 10 years old and was on a family camping trip at Henry Cowell State Park, located in the Santa Cruz Mountains. With the car running, my twin brother and I sat by the radio listening intently to every detail so eloquently laid out. With the Sharks up 1-0 in game 7, on the road at the Kiel Center against the Presidents' Trophy-winning St. Louis Blues, Sharks captain Owen Nolan wound up for a shot just inside the red line, and in the most improbable turn of events it beat one of the game’s best netminders at the time Roman Turek from 75-feet out. The goal would turn out to be the game-winner in a Sharks 3-1 victory over the Blues and to this day stands as one of the greatest moments in Sharks history. It's funny how we remember so vividly in our lives moments that create emotional reactions. Dan created that moment with his incredible enthusiasm and precision.
Rusanowsky’s pro career began in the AHL, calling games for the now-defunct New Haven Nighthawks, the then affiliate of the Los Angeles Kings. He has called all but 27 games in the Sharks' history. He suffered a serious car accident just blocks from SAP Center that kept him from the booth for those games during the 2000-01 campaign.
As good of a broadcaster as Dan is, he’s an even better person. He has been an incredible mentor and friend to me since I was hired by the Barracuda in 2016. If I ever have a question, and I have lots of them, he's always happy to help.
Congrats, Rusy!
Bona Fide Offers
Sharks GM Mike Grier issued bona offers to six players last week, thus retaining their negotiating rights. On the flip side, three players from the 2021 draft class were not offered, and in turn, may reenter the upcoming NHL Draft. It was announced earlier in the offseason that the Sharks would not be signing goaltender Ben Gaudreau, their 2021 third-rounder. But last Thursday the organization also announced they would not be signing Gaudreau’s fellow draft classmates in Liam Gilmartin (Erie Otters) or Max McCue (London Knights). A couple of things stand out about the trio, most notably being that all three players are products of the OHL, which did not conduct a season due to COVID the year leading into the 2021 draft. On top of that, these players were selected by the prior regime. Grier and company are going to continue to analyze what they have in the cupboard and get “their guys” in the building. We saw that process begin last season when the Sharks dealt several prospects. Most notably, Ryan Merkley and Jasper Weatherby.
Here is the list of bona fide offers the Sharks issued on Thursday:
| PLAYER | POSITION | TEAM |
|---|---|---|
| Eli Barnett | D | Victoria Grizzlies (BCHL) |
| Mason Beaupit | G | Winnipeg ICE (WHL) |
| Michael Fisher | D | Youngstown Phantoms (USHL) |
| Jake Furlong | D | Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL) |
| Reese Laubach | F | Omaha Lancers (USHL) |
| Joey Muldowney | F | Des Moines Buccaneers (USHL) |
Calder Cup Playoffs
The 2023 Calder Cup final is set. The Coachella Valley Firebirds will face the Hershey Bears in a best-of-7 series that will begin on Thursday in Palm Desert. It is the first time since 2018 (Texas Stars) in which a Pacific Team will be represented in the finals (No Pacific Division club has ever won the Calder Cup since the division was created in 2015-16), and it is the first time a team has reached the final in its first year since the Stars in 2009-10. That year Texas faced, you guessed it, the Hershey Bears. The Stars won that series, 4-2.
There are now just two Cuda alumni remaining in Calder Cup Contention; Alex True (Coachella Valley) and Matt Tennyson (Coachella Valley).
In my last blog, I said that Stefan Noesen was the last Cuda alum still hoping to hoist the Stanley Cup, but I mistakenly left out longtime Barracuda netminder Adin Hill (1 GP) from that list. Hill is now truly the King of the Hill as he's the last man standing.
Prospect Notables
Now that everyone is officially done playing, we continue this week’s edition of Nolly’s Notes by going over some of the Sharks prospect notables from this past year (This info was formulated by Sharks Media Relations Coordinator Dylan Finan).
· Danil Gushchin and Shakir Mukhamadullin finished the 2022-23 season on hot streaks with the Barracuda. Gushchin tallied five points (three goals, two assists) in his final two games of the season while Mukhamadullin had eight points (one goal, seven assists) in seven games in April.
· Ethan Cardwell was named the 2022-23 Sharks Prospect of the Year presented by Kaiser Permanente following an impressive 90-point OHL season. Cardwell finished the playoffs as a nearly point-per-game player. He signed a three-year, entry-level contract with San Jose on April 14.
· Jake Furlong notched 11 points in 21 QMJHL playoff games, second among Halifax defensemen.
· Joey Muldowney led Des Moines in playoff scoring with four points in two games.
· Filip Bystedt was named the 2022-23 SHL Rookie of the Year after posting 20 points in 45 regular-season games.
· Theo Jacobsson appeared in 16 playoff games for MoDo Hockey as they claimed the HockeyAllsvenskan championship and secured promotion to Sweden’s top flight, the SHL, for next season.
· San Jose had a pair of prospects represent their respective countries at the 2023 World Championships in May. Martin Kaut (Czechia) recorded one goal in seven appearances while Henry Thrun (United States) made 10 appearances and finished with a +9 rating, good for seventh highest in the tournament (in a tie). Both players were making their World Championships debuts.
Coaching Shuffle
The Colorado Eagles are officially looking for a new head coach as Greg Cronin was named the bench boss of the Anaheim Ducks on Monday. The 60-year-old guided the Avs top affiliate to three separate playoff appearances in his five years with the club and was instrumental in the development of several key players who went on to help the Avalanche capture the Stanley Cup in 2022. Cronin replaces Dallas Eakins, who prior to spending the last four years in Anaheim, had coached their AHL affiliate the San Diego Gulls in the first four years of their existence. The Gulls replaced longtime Barracuda head coach Roy Sommer, who retired this summer, with Matt McIlvane in May. There is potential that we could see more coaching movement this summer within the division, especially if the Flames promote internally (Mitch Love) for their vacant head coaching spot. The Henderson Silver Knights already made a change this summer, mutually parting ways with Manny Viveiros who had coached the team during the first three years of its existence.
That wraps up this edition of Nolly’s Notes. Thanks for reading and so long until next time.