Hey, Cuda Country!

Happy belated Fourth of July! Times have definitely changed for me. I think I was in bed by 9 p.m., cringing every time another firework went off in the neighborhood, just hoping my one-and-a-half-year-old wouldn't wake up. I do feel like the guy who yells at clouds, but that’s parenthood, right?

The NHL Draft has come and gone, free agency has slowed, and while there's still plenty of offseason left, much of the groundwork for the San Jose Barracuda's 2026-27 roster is beginning to take shape.

There are still contracts to be signed and moves to be made, but with development camp complete, the upcoming season is just around the corner.

Building Depth Through Free Agency

The Sharks were very active during the opening days of free agency, adding several players who provide valuable organizational depth while creating competition throughout the lineup.

Among the additions are forwards Alex Barre-Boulet, Tye Felhaber and Brett Leason, defenseman Roland McKeown, and goaltenders Eric Comrie and Kyle Keyser.

McKeown spent the last two seasons with the San Diego Gulls and won a Calder Cup with the Charlotte Checkers in 2019, when current Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky served as an assistant on that staff. Barre-Boulet brings extensive AHL success, producing over a point per game in his AHL career while also appearing in 72 NHL contests. He is coming off a First All-Star Team season last year with the Colorado Eagles, who knocked on the door of reaching the Calder Cup Finals for the first time. Felhaber is a feisty forward coming off the two most productive seasons of his seven-year professional career, also with Colorado, while Leason has appeared in more than 225 NHL games and adds size, versatility, and experience.

In goal, Comrie brings over 100 games of NHL experience and strengthens the organization's depth at the position, while Keyser provides another veteran presence and quality option between the pipes.

Saying Goodbye

As is the case every summer, several familiar faces have found new opportunities.

Defenseman Jett Woo and goaltender Laurent Brossoit both signed with Anaheim, while Braden Hache is headed to Laval on an AHL contract.

Lucas Vanroboys and Gabriel Carriere signed with Hartford, Egor Afanasyev returned to Russia after signing with Avangard Omsk of the KHL, and Lucas Carlsson is heading home to Sweden after signing with Djurgårdens.

The biggest organizational change came via trade, as Kasper Halttunen was dealt to Ottawa as part of the William Eklund trade just before the NHL Draft.

Where the Roster Currently Stands

Up front, Quentin Musty, Filip Bystedt, Cam Lund, Jimmy Huntington, Brendan Hoffmann, Patrick Giles, Alex Barre-Boulet, Tye Felhaber, Brett Leason, Anthony Vincent, Donavan Houle, Carson Wetsch, Andre Gasseau and Igor Chernyshov—who should challenge for a full-time NHL role—headline the forward group.

On defense, Luca Cagnoni, Nolan Allan, Mattias Havelid, Leo Sahlin-Wallenius, Eric Pohlkamp, Phillip Sinn, Mack Oliphant, Libor Hajek, and Tristan Sarsland are among those expected to compete for roster spots.

In goal, Matt Davis, Connor Hasley, Eric Comrie and Kyle Keyser currently give the organization four goaltenders under contract who will be in the AHL mix.

There is still work to be done, however. Several players from last year's roster remain unsigned, including Colin White, Oliver Wahlstrom, Shane Bowers, and Pavol Regenda, meaning the roster could still undergo significant changes before training camp opens. Wahlstrom and White were late additions in the summer the last two years, so we'll see what happens.

Around the Pacific Division

Several notable players are changing addresses within the Pacific Division.

Anaheim added James Hamblin, Jett Woo and Laurent Brossoit, while Los Angeles signed Lane Pederson. Edmonton added Eduards Tralmaks after a 26-goal campaign in Grand Rapids, Vancouver signed Trey Fix-Wolansky, Utah added Zac Jones, and Colorado brought in veteran defenseman Christian Wolanin, among other signings.

Several familiar AHL names also departed the division, including T.J. Tynan, Jacob MacDonald, Glenn Gawdin, Cam Dineen, Jack Ahcan, Pheonix Copley and Scott Perunovich.

New Faces Behind the Bench

Player movement isn't the only thing reshaping the Pacific Division.

Joel Ward was named head coach of the Henderson Silver Knights after Ryan Craig was promoted to head coach of the Vegas Golden Knights.

Former Colorado Eagles head coach Mark Letestu joined Vegas as an assistant coach, while Manny Malhotra earned an NHL promotion after leading Abbotsford to the 2025 Calder Cup championship.

In San Diego, Matt McIlvane departed to join Marco Sturm's staff with the Boston Bruins, leaving another head coaching vacancy within the division.

Rookie Tournament Returns to San Jose

The Sharks will once again host the Rookie Faceoff at Tech CU Arena in September, bringing together top prospects from across the Pacific Division for several exhibition games.

After featuring just three teams last year (San Jose, Anaheim and Los Angeles), the tournament expands back to six clubs in 2026, with Anaheim, Colorado, Los Angeles, San Jose, Utah and Vegas all scheduled to participate.

Two years ago, we saw Macklin Celebrini, among other current Sharks like Will Smith and Collin Graf. Last year, we saw Michael Misa for the first time in teal. I'd expect Ivar Stenberg to be there this year. TBD on Ryan Lin (Denver University) and Keaton Verhoeff (North Dakota), who are expected to be playing college hockey this fall.

A Few Storylines Worth Watching

Several league-wide stories could impact the coming months.

The International Olympic Committee voted to lift Russia's suspension from the Winter Olympics, potentially opening the door for Russian players to return to international competition in the near future. While the NHL has not yet announced how that decision could affect future best-on-best events, it would seem that Russia is back soon. Take the geopolitics out of it. International competition is not the same without Russia. Their team will be loaded if they are able to compete.

Draft Recap

The Sharks continued to add skill, size and upside during the 2026 NHL Draft, making seven selections highlighted by Swedish winger Ivar Stenberg at No. 2 overall. After swinging a deal with Ottawa to acquire the ninth overall pick before the draft, the club added North Dakota blue-line standout Keaton Verhoeff and then traded up in the first round to pick Vancouver Giants defenseman Ryan Lin. The thinnest area of the organization, prospect-wise, is on defense, but the two first-round picks after Stenberg will hopefully fill that hole in the next couple of years. The Sharks selected Haoxi Wong with the first pick of the second round last year and defenseman Sam Dickinson 11th overall two years ago, so they've slowly chipped away at that deficiency. Leo Sahlin-Wallenius, a 2024 second-round pick, is expected to make his way to North America this year and should help the Barracuda.

After their three first-round picks, the Sharks did not select again until No. 127, when they picked USNTDP goalie Brady Knowling, marking the third year in a row they have added a goalie to the system.

Not very often do you get the type of fanfare the Sharks did with their sixth- and seventh-round picks. With selection No. 174, the Sharks took Portland Winterhawks forward Jake Gustafson. He's the son of Jon Gustafson, who is the current Vice President of the Sharks and has been a member of the organization for nearly 30 years. I could not be happier for the Gustafson family. It's an incredible accomplishment to get drafted, but to grow up in San Jose and be selected by the Sharks is a fairy tale.

With their last pick, No. 201 overall, the Sharks took North Bay Battalion defenseman Alexander Karmanov, who stands a whopping 7'1", making him the tallest player ever drafted. He's raw, but talk about a piece of clay.

With another strong draft class in the pipeline, the Sharks continue to prioritize building through youth as the organization's long-term rebuild moves forward.

That will do it for this edition of Nolly's Notes. Thanks for reading and we'll talk to you next time.