NOLLY'S NOTES - BLOG (VOL. 4, ED. 5)
Jul 12, 2024
About Nolly: Nick Nollenberger aka "Nolly" has been the voice of the Barracuda since 2016-17. Over his time with the team, the Santa Curz, Ca. native and San Jose Jr. Sharks alum, has called over 500 games and made his NHL regular-season debut with the Sharks on Nov. 17, 2024 at Anaheim, filling in for the Hall of Famer Dan Rusanowsky.
Wow, it’s only been a couple of weeks since we last spoke, but a lot has been happening in the organization! This definitely makes for an easier blog. However, as I say that, the news cycle will likely hit a lull as it often does in late July and August before rookie camp. No official details about the Rookie Faceoff have been released yet, but it’s confirmed to be in LA in September. With No. 1 overall pick Macklin Celebrini officially signing, it will likely be the first time we see Celebrini, Will Smith, and the rest of the team’s top prospects (minus the college players) faceoff off against different sweaters. Keep an eye out for more details as we get closer to September.
The Barracuda’s 10th season will begin on Sat., Oct. 12, against the Reign in Ontario. The team announced its entire 10-year-anniversary season schedule on Thursday. Click HERE for the full schedule. This will be the third time the Cuda will begin a season versus the LA Kings' top affiliate (1-1) and the second time on the road (0-1). It is also the fifth time the Barracuda will start the season on visiting ice. Technically, it’s the sixth time, but during the COVID campaign, the Barracuda played their first two games of the year in Tucson against the Roadrunners, serving as the home team. If you recall, Santa Clara County had strict COVID protocols which forced both the Sharks and Barracuda to relocate to Arizona for over a month. The Barracuda are 3-5-1 in openers and 2-3 in road openers. The club’s home opener is the following Sat., Oct. 19, versus the Iowa Wild. The Sharks open their season on Thurs., Oct. 10, against the St. Louis Blues.
A schedule breakdown can be found below, but the biggest highlight is the Toronto Marlies on the schedule. It marks the first time the Barracuda and Marlies have ever met and the second straight season that the Barracuda will play an Eastern Conference foe after not going outside the conference through its first eight seasons. The last time Sharks and Maple Leafs affiliates played was during the 2005-06 season when the Sharks’ AHL franchise was the Cleveland Barons. I haven’t been to Toronto since I went for hockey tournaments as a kid. In total, the Barracuda will play north of the border on eight separate occasions this season with the trip to Toronto, a pair of trips to Abbotsford and one trip to Calgary.
I was disappointed to find out Wayne Gretzky’s restaurant permanently closed in T.O.. I think I went there five or six times during my two trips. It was heaven for a nine-year-old hockey-obsessed kid. But the Hockey Hall of Fame is only about 15 minutes from where the Marlies play, Coca-Cola Coliseum, so I will try to visit there. At my core, I’m a complete sports junkie so I love all things sports and hockey. I went to the Hockey Hall of Fame during both of those hockey tournaments as a kid, but a lot has changed in 20+ years.
Breakdown of opponents:
- 8x: Abbotsford, Bakersfield, Coachella Valley, Colorado, Henderson, Ontario, San Diego
- 4x: Calgary, Iowa, Toronto, Tucson
Breakdown per day:
- Monday: 0
- Tuesday: 1
- Wednesday: 15
- Thursday: 1
- Friday: 11
- Saturday: 27
- Sunday: 17
Breakdown per month:
- October: 7
- November: 11
- December: 11
- January: 11
- February: 11
- March: 13
- April: 8
Nine fresh faces joined the Sharks organization at the 2024 NHL Draft in Vegas last month, marking a transformative moment for the franchise. That momentum and excitement about the future continued through Dev. Camp and into the Prospect Scrimmage on the 4th of July. Over 3,500 people attended the game, which started at 11 a.m. on a holiday. That’s incredible! We also had over 23,000 tune into the broadcast, which is almost unfathomable. The excitement around Team Teal is beyond REAL.
Any concerns about Celebrini returning to school were squashed almost immediately after Development Camp as the 18-year-old signed a three-year entry-level contract. The Sharks also inked their other 2024 first-rounder Sam Dickinson (11th overall). Celebrini is a lock to be on the Sharks, but Dickinson will likely go back to junior as he’s not eligible for the AHL for two more seasons and could probably use more seasoning before beginning his pro career. Although he physically looks the part already, standing at 6-4, 205 pounds.
I don’t like to make huge prognostications about players after Development Camp or even scrimmages, but I had several takeaways that got me excited about the future and what Mike Grier has added over the past three years. The scrimmage was only played four-on-four and three-on-three, so it’s hard to get a great gauge. It’s also against your peers and not NHLers, so if you’re a top guy, you should look good. Let’s start with Celebrini. Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau, the coaches of Team White, seemed to have a governor on him early, allowing everyone to get ample opportunities in the first quarter or so. When I was calling the game, I forgot about him for a bit. That’s no offense to Celebrini; it's kudos to Grier and Co. and how they've replenished the pipeline with several players that I'd refer to as 'dudes'—highly-skilled NHL-caliber prospects. Team Teal was carrying the play early. Will Smith ripped a shot off the pipe seconds in and then set up Quentin Musty moments later for the opening goal. Celebrini wasn’t getting a ton of ice time from the naked eye at least early on, but as the game continued and so did his reps, he began to put on a show. He plays at a lower gear, as most of the greats do, almost making it look easy. While he didn’t score, he was relentlessly threatening as Team White mounted a late comeback. His ability to hold onto pucks and create offense when there doesn't seem to be much was extremely impressive. We’ve all heard about his work ethic in practice and in the gym, but he carries that into games too. He is relentless and he's going to get better and better.
The Musty and Smith connection was electric. Musty will likely go back to junior next season. Like Dickinson, he can't play in the AHL this season. But the chemistry between the two '23 first-rounders is hopefully a harbinger of things to come for the Sharks.
Kasper Halttunen was another standout. His shot is his bread and butter, but the other parts of his game will take him to the next level. He's got the physical tools to be in the NHL, but as we all know, that won't get you there alone. He's got to continue to round his game out but playing for the London Knights this past season, getting used to the North American-sized rink, and playing big minutes in the playoffs paid huge dividends. There were several players I liked, but the biggest thing that stood out, even from the booth, was the overall size of the prospects. Everyone, for the most part, is big. Filip Bystedt, David Edstrom, Igor Chernyshov, and Halttunen are all in the six-foot-three to six-foot-four range. It's one thing to be big; it's another to be big and skilled, and the Sharks have made a concerted effort to acquire as many big and skilled players as possible. All you'd have to do is look at the Development Camp roster, and you'd notice that quickly.
Aside from the more well-known names, the biggest standout was defenseman Eric Pohlkamp. The Denver-bound blueliner was all over the ice. While he's not overly tall, five-eleven-ish, he's stout and well-built. He almost reminds me a bit of a younger Radim Simek. The physical makeup is very similar, and they play alike too. I listed a handful of other players that were memorable in the game:
-- Brandon Svoboda: Big, really good shot
-- Cam Lund: Held on to pucks, played confidently, and has good skill
-- Christian Kirsch: Four-on-four and three-on-three aren't built for goalies, but Kirsch looked the part. Big and athletic, and he made some outstanding saves in practice.
-- Ethan Cardwell: Looked like a player who has a full year of pro under his belt.
-- Sam Dickinson: Four-on-four and three-on-three can be tricky, and most defenders struggled with it, including Dickinson at times, but you could see his two-way ability, and his size is apparent.
Development Camp is a blend. You’ve got players who have done it several times, and you can usually tell by the way they carry themselves, and then others who are throwing on an NHL sweater for the first time, and there are nerves. But overall, this camp was as skilled as we’ve seen in years. The talent was jumped out at you. The crowds that showed up to the practices were like nothing I've seen in my eight years with the organization. The excitement among the players and fans is palpable.
While the signings of Tyler Toffoli and Alex Wennberg grabbed most of the headlines, the Sharks made several moves during the first couple of days of free agency that will directly benefit the Barracuda. Notably, they added Andrew Poturalski and Jimmy Schuldt from the two-time Western Conference-winning Coachella Valley Firebirds. Poturalski has reached the Calder Cup Finals the last four times it has been held, winning twice, including once with Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky in 2022 with the Chicago Wolves. That season, he led the AHL with 101 points and served as the Wolves' captain. Reports indicate that Warsofsky was a significant factor in Poturalski’s decision to sign with the Barracuda. As a two-time AHL Champion and two-time scoring champion, Poturalski will slot in as the Barracuda's first-line center. Schuldt, known for his defensive prowess, will immediately strengthen the team's blue line and could be paired with another Sharks defensive signing, Lucas Carlsson, one of the AHL's most productive offensive defensemen. Additionally, the Sharks re-signed Justin Bailey, who set career highs in NHL games last season with the Sharks and is one of the AHL's top players when he's in the league.
While the AHL can been extremly unpredicable with so many outside factors, the Barracuda should be much improved group from a year ago. We're less than 100 days out from the season opener in October and can't wait to get it going again. For now, let's enjoy the sunshine and the summer.
Thanks for reading and I'll talk to you all soon.