Happy June!

It’s been a couple of weeks since we last spoke, but I hope you’ve all been enjoying what has been an outstanding Stanley Cup and Calder Cup Playoff season.

Congratulations to Barracuda/Sharks alumnus Henry Thrun, who, as a current member of the Toronto Marlies, has a chance to win a Calder Cup. The best-of-seven final between the Marlies and Chicago Wolves begins Friday in Chicago.

For a while, it looked like the Pacific Division would be represented in the Calder Cup Final by the Colorado Eagles. Colorado held a 3-2 series lead over the Wolves and had the final two games on home ice. However, the Eagles dropped both contests, including Game 7 by a 4-3 score.

If the Wolves were to win the Calder Cup and the Hurricanes capture the Stanley Cup, it would mark the first time since 1995 that the same NHL organization won both trophies in the same year, when the New Jersey Devils and Albany River Rats accomplished the feat.

Neither the Wolves nor Marlies are strangers to hoisting the second-greatest trophy in hockey. Chicago captured the Calder Cup in 2022 and previously won championships in 2008 and 2002. Toronto last lifted the trophy in 2018.

Hockey is in an incredible place right now. The growth of the game and the excitement surrounding it seem to be at an all-time high. Just look at some of the developments outside the AHL and NHL.

Last month, it was announced that the PWHL, the premier women's hockey league in the world, would double in size from six teams to twelve, including a franchise that will call San Jose home and play at SAP Center. As someone with a 19-month-old daughter, it’s incredibly exciting to see professional women’s hockey coming to San Jose. It’s another example of the tremendous growth of women’s sports and the support they’ve gained over the last several years.

PWHL San Jose has already begun building its roster, and the league's draft is scheduled for June 17.

You won’t have to wait until the fall to get your hockey fix in San Jose. Following the NHL Draft at the end of the month, the Sharks will host their annual Development Camp Scrimmage on July 2 at Tech CU Arena.

Development camp is something I look forward to every year. It’s a great opportunity to catch up with everyone, get back to the rink for a few days, and get a first glimpse of the organization's newest prospects in teal.

With San Jose holding two first-round selections, including the No. 2 overall pick, there will be no shortage of exciting young talent on display. Just a couple of years ago, Development Camp gave fans their first opportunity to see Macklin Celebrini as a Shark. A few months later, I had the chance to call his first professional goal during the 2024 NHL Rookie Faceoff in Los Angeles.

Since we last spoke, both the Sharks and Barracuda have stayed busy.

The Sharks had already announced the re-signing of Patrick Giles, but another key member of the Barracuda is officially back under contract as well. Forward Jimmy Huntington signed a one-year, two-way contract with San Jose and should once again be a major piece of the Barracuda next season.

Huntington was an outstanding addition to the locker room and, alongside Giles, helped the Barracuda become one of the most competitive teams in the league this season. Culture is incredibly important at every level of an organization, and those two were the definition of what head coach John McCarthy calls "standard-bearing players."

The Barracuda also announced the signings of four players to AHL contracts: Brendan Hoffmann, Tristan Sarsland, Mack Oliphant, and Connor Hasley.

College free-agent signings can sometimes fly under the radar, but they provide tremendous organizational depth while increasing competition throughout both AHL and ECHL rosters. We’ve seen firsthand in recent years how older college players can carve out meaningful professional careers. Names like Anthony Vincent, Donavan Houle, and Lucas Vanroboys immediately come to mind.

The PWHL isn’t the only league expanding into California.

The Federal Prospects Hockey League (FPHL), a league one step below the ECHL, recently announced expansion franchises in Stockton, Fresno, and Oceanside beginning this season. Meanwhile, the United States Hockey League (USHL), the premier junior hockey league in the United States, has also announced plans to expand west, though official destinations have yet to be revealed.

The rapid growth of hockey is a testament to the sport’s current health and popularity. Television ratings continue to rise, international competition is thriving, and the game itself keeps getting faster and more skilled. With the Olympics returning this winter and more best-on-best events back on the calendar, hockey’s future has never looked brighter.

My hope is that college hockey continues to grow over the next decade as well. The CHL-to-NCAA eligibility changes have dramatically expanded the talent pool, and the sport appears poised for another period of growth.

Maybe one day my alma mater, Arizona, will add a Division I program. If that happens, perhaps some of the major universities in California will follow suit. We know San Jose State already has an arena it could potentially call home. It may be wishful thinking, but it feels more realistic than ever.

For years, western players often had to leave home and head to traditional hockey hotbeds like Michigan, Minnesota, and Boston to play college hockey. As the game continues to grow, perhaps more opportunities will emerge closer to home.

A big congratulations also goes out to Sharks goaltending prospect Christian Kirsch, who helped the Kitchener Rangers capture the Memorial Cup on May 31. Kirsch went 16-2 during the playoffs while posting a 2.32 goals-against average and .900 save percentage. Originally committed to UMass, he flipped his commitment to Quinnipiac in January and will join the Bobcats next season.

For those keeping track, the 2026 NHL Draft will take place June 26-27 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, with the first round airing live on ESPN.

Until next time, enjoy the hockey. There’s still plenty left to be played.

— Nick Nollenberger