Saturday the Barracuda will drop the puck on its 11th season as they open their 72-game slate against the Bakersfield Condors at Tech CU Arena (3 p.m.). While it seems like yesterday that the AHL moved west and formed the Pacific Division, 11 years marks the longest continuous affiliation for a Sharks top affiliate.

After reaching the Calder Cup playoffs last season, the first time since 2019, and winning a round for the first time since 2017, the bar has been set for John McCarthy’s team. If they hope to return to the playoffs, it will take a new cast of characters to get it done.

A year ago, the Barracuda finished with the AHL’s top power-play unit and averaged the third most goals for per game. The club finished with a 36-27-5-4 record (81 pts.), the third best regular season in franchise history.

Graduates

Yaroslav Askarov (G)
Top goalie prospect Yaroslav Askarov had a strong first year in Teal, going 11-9-2 with the Cuda, posting a 2.45 GAA, .923 SV%, and four shutouts. He went 3-2 in the playoffs with a 1.68 GAA and .935 SV%, including one shutout. Askarov also played 13 NHL games and became the first Barracuda goalie to record shutouts in his first two starts. The 23-year-old will begin his first full-time stint in the NHL in 2025‑26.

Collin Graf (F)
Collin Graf split time between the Sharks and Barracuda in 2024‑25, posting 11 points in 33 NHL games and 35 points (8g, 27a) in 40 AHL games. He added five points (2g, 3a) in six playoff games, including a series-clinching goal vs. Ontario. While Graf remains on his entry-level contract and is waiver-exempt, his versatility as a penalty killer and strong camp performance allowed him to make the Sharks out of training camp.

Shakir Mukhamadullin (D)
While he played 21 games with the Barracuda a year ago, Mukhamadullin cemented himself as an every-day NHLer in the back half of the year, skating in 30 NHL games before his season was cut short due to injury.

Key Departures

Andrew Poturalski (F)
Poturalski’s loan season with the Barracuda was memorable, claiming the JB Sollenberger Trophy (AHL’s leading scorer – 73 points) and Les Cunningham Award as league MVP. He was a cog on the AHL’s top power-play unit (24%) and an offense that ranked third in the league (3.39 goals per game). His 30 goals, 43 assists, and 73 points were all franchise single-season records. The 31-year-old signed with Avangard Omsk in the KHL this summer.

Jimmy Schuldt (D)
In his first season under contract with the Sharks, Schuldt wore the “C” for the first time in his six-year pro career and made an immediate impact. He played eight NHL games and led the Barracuda in plus-minus (+22), ranking top-10 league-wide. Schuldt was named the Barracuda's Most Inspirational Player but signed a multi-year deal this summer with the Vancouver Canucks.

Danil Gushchin (F)
The 2024‑25 season was Gushchin’s most productive to date, posting 28 goals and 14 power-play goals (franchise record). From March 7 to 28, he recorded points in nine straight games—the second-longest streak in team history—and scored in five straight games (March 16–26), tying John McCarthy’s franchise record. Gushchin became the Barracuda’s all-time leader in points (150), goals (70), and assists (80). After missing the first round of the playoffs due to illness, he made his Calder Cup debut on May 2, scoring an overtime winner against Colorado on May 4—the team’s only second-round victory. The Sharks traded Gushchin to the Avalanche for former first-rounder Oskar Olausson.

Thomas Bordeleau (F)
Bordeleau was traded to the New Jersey Devils this summer, giving the former top Sharks prospect a fresh start. He posted 24 assists in 2024‑25, the most of his career.

Scott Sabourin (F)
One of the most feared players in the AHL, Sabourin signed a two-way contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning this summer. The veteran forward scored 10 goals for the third straight year in 2024‑25 and hit 25 points for the fourth time in his career, adding seven fights. The previous year, he set a Barracuda single-season record with 192 penalty minutes.

Notable Returnees

Luca Cagnoni (D)
(2023 round 4, #123 overall)
At just 20 years old, Cagnoni was dynamic as a rookie in 2024‑25, finishing just three points shy of the AHL defenseman scoring title with 52 points in 64 games. He led all skaters in power-play points (34), ranked second in power-play assists (23), and tied for fourth in power-play goals (11). Among defensemen, he ranked third in both points and goals (16) and tied for fifth in assists (36). He was named to the AHL All-Rookie Team and set franchise records for goals and power-play goals by a defenseman. Cagnoni also appeared in six games with the Sharks, recording two assists.

Filip Bystedt (F)
(2022 round 1, #27 overall)
Bystedt scored in his Calder Cup Playoffs debut on Apr. 24 at Ontario and finished the postseason tied for first on the Barracuda in goals. In the regular season, he posted 12 goals, tied for fourth among team forwards. In 2023‑24, he made his AHL debut, totaling seven points (four goals, three assists) in eight games and earning Sharks Prospect of the Week honors on Apr. 10. He also ranked seventh among SHL U-20 skaters with 17 points and won a Silver Medal with Sweden at the World Junior Championship.

Ethan Cardwell (F)
(2021 round 4, #121 overall)
Cardwell had a tremendous NHL preseason, scoring a hat trick in Vegas, and was one of the final cuts. He’ll likely get NHL looks in 2025‑26 but will start with the Barracuda. In 2024‑25, he set career highs in points (48), assists (37), and shots (195) and made his NHL debut on Oct. 31, scoring his first NHL goal five days later.

Patrick Giles (F)
Acquired from Florida last season in exchange for goalie Vitek Vanecek, Giles appeared in eight games with the Barracuda, scoring four goals and netting his first NHL tally on March 11 against the Predators. He’s a big-bodied forward who contributes on the penalty kill and can chip in offensively from time to time.

Pavol Regenda (F)
Regenda was a camp standout but will start the season with the Barracuda due to limited NHL openings. After being acquired from Anaheim in January, he posted 25 points in 36 games, including seven power-play goals, and co-led the team in playoff goals (3). He could be one of a handful of players from the Sharks org to play in the upcoming Olympics.

Colin White (F)
White led the team in postseason points (6), assists (5), and plus-minus (+3) in 2024‑25 despite missing the final playoff game due to injury. After signing a two-way deal in January, he played three NHL games and set AHL career highs in games (48) and goals (12), taking over the top-line center role late in the season. White re-signed with the Sharks this summer on a one-year deal.

Gabe Carriere (G)
Carriere returns for his second year in San Jose. In 2024‑25, he impressed in 22 games with the Barracuda, earning an NHL deal on Mar. 7, the same night he posted a 35-save shutout. He also went 14-9-2 in 22 ECHL games with Wichita, recording three shutouts and a .922 SV%.

Anthony Vincent (F), Donovan Houle (F), Lucas Vanroboys (F)
These depth forwards combined for 31 goals and 59 points, almost exclusively at even strength or shorthanded. Vincent earned the Hard Hat Award for the second straight season, setting career highs in nearly every category. Vincent and Houle signed two-year AHL contracts, while Vanroboys re-signed for one more season.

New Prospects to Watch

Quentin Musty (F)
(2023 round 1, #26 overall)
Musty split 2024‑25 between the Sudbury Wolves (OHL) and Barracuda (AHL), making his AHL debut on Apr. 12 against Ontario, appearing in three games including one playoff contest. With Sudbury, he tallied 59 points (30g, 29a) in 33 games, finishing third in goals, tied for third in points, and tied for sixth in assists, highlighted by a six-point game (2g, 4a) on Nov. 15. He was previously named to the OHL First All-Star Team after tying for fourth in league scoring in 2023‑24 with 102 points and leading Sudbury with 43 goals.

Cam Lund (F)
(2022 round 2, #34 overall)
In 2024‑25, Lund made his NHL debut on Mar. 27 against Toronto and scored his first NHL goal on Mar. 29 vs. the Rangers. At Northeastern University, he led the team in goals (18) and finished second in assists (22) and points (40) in 37 games, earning Hockey East Third All-Star Team honors and Sharks Prospect of the Week recognition twice. Previously, he helped Northeastern win a Beanpot title and earned Rookie of the Year and All-Rookie Team honors as a freshman.

Kasper Halttunen (F)
(2023 round 2, #36 overall)
Halttunen split 2024‑25 between the Barracuda (six games) and London Knights (38 games). He made his AHL debut on Oct. 12 at Ontario, scoring two goals. With London, he tallied 41 points (21g, 20a) in the regular season, helped the Knights capture back-to-back OHL Championships, and earned OHL Playoffs MVP honors. He recorded nine goals in the OHL Championship series—the most since Jonathan Cheechoo in 1999—and added four points in five Memorial Cup games to help London win the title. Internationally, he served as an alternate captain for Finland at the World Junior Championship, recording four points (1g, 3a) en route to a silver medal.

Igor Chernyshov (F)
(2024 round 2, #33 overall)
Chernyshov made his AHL debut on Apr. 18 at Calgary, recording his first point (an assist), and scored his first AHL playoff goal on May 7 at Colorado. In 23 games with the Saginaw Spirit, he totaled 55 points (19g, 36a), ranking among the top seven skaters in goals, assists, and points for the club, and added six points (2g, 4a) in five playoff games. He was named Sharks Prospect of the Week three consecutive times in February and signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Sharks on Aug. 1, 2024.

Zack Ostapchuk (F)
(2021 round 2, #39 overall)
Ostapchuk split 2024‑25 between the Sharks and Ottawa Senators (NHL) and Barracuda and Belleville Senators (AHL), recording his first NHL point on Oct. 29 vs. STL and first NHL goal on Jan. 19 at NJD. He made his Sharks debut on Mar. 15 and appeared in six AHL playoff games. Previously, he captained the Vancouver Giants and Winnipeg Ice in the WHL and helped Canada win Gold at the World Junior Championship.

Matias Hävelid (D)
(2022 round 2, #45 overall)
Hävelid split 2024‑25 between Linköping HC (SHL) and Djurgårdens IF (HockeyAllsvenskan), recording one assist in 19 games with Linköping and 16 points (2g, 14a) in 18 games with Djurgårdens. He helped Djurgårdens capture the 2023‑24 HockeyAllsvenskan Championship, adding three points in 14 postseason games. Hävelid signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Sharks on May 9 and earned Sharks Prospect of the Week honors on Feb. 26.

Newcomers

Jakub Skárek (G)
Signed a one-year deal with the Sharks. In 2024‑25, he made his NHL debut with the New York Islanders on Feb. 2, stopping 27 shots, while spending most of the season with Bridgeport (AHL), posting a 3.52 GAA, .884 SV%, and one shutout, including a 43-save win at Syracuse on Jan. 24.

Jimmy Huntington (F)
In 2024‑25, Huntington scored four points (1g, 3a) in four games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton before missing the rest of the season due to injury. In 2023‑24, he helped the Hershey Bears capture the Calder Cup, recording 14 points (5g, 9a) in 20 postseason games. He also set AHL career highs in games played (67), goals (16), and points (33).

Sam Laberge (F)
Laberge split 2024‑25 between the New Jersey Devils and Utica Comets, appearing in 38 games with Utica and recording three goals and one assist. In 2023‑24, he made his NHL debut with New Jersey on Nov. 30 and set AHL career highs in points (19) and assists (13), ranking among the top 10 in both categories for Utica forwards.

Oliver Wahlstrom (F)
A former 11th overall pick, Wahlstrom signed an AHL deal in September. In 2024‑25, he split the season between the Islanders and Bruins organizations, recording six points (3g, 3a) in 43 NHL games and 15 points (9g, 6a) in 19 AHL games. Previously, he tallied 16 points (7g, 9a) in 35 games and set NHL career highs in 2021‑22 with 24 points (13g, 11a).

Cole Clayton (D)
In 2024‑25, Clayton served as an alternate captain with the Cleveland Monsters (AHL), recording 15 points (1g, 14a) in 63 games and tying for first on the team in games played. He helped Cleveland reach the Calder Cup Playoffs, skating in six postseason games.

Shane Bowers (F)
A former first rounder of Ottawa, Bowers has become a reliable two-way forward during his career that has been spent mostly in the AHL. The Sharks aquired the 26-year-old from NJ for Thomas Bordeleau. In 2024-25, appeared primarily with the Utica Comets (AHL), recording 17 points and 14 assists—just three shy of his AHL career best—while skating in a career-high 65 games. In 2023-24, matched his AHL career high with 10 goals. Made his NHL debut with Colorado in 2022-23 and was a point-per-game performer in the 2021-22 Calder Cup Playoffs, tallying four points (1g, 3a) in four games. Earlier in his career, posted AHL career highs with 27 points (10g, 17a) in 2019-20 and represented Canada at the 2019 World Junior Championship, contributing two assists in five games.

Oskar Olausson (F)
Another Former first-round pick, the Sharks aquired Olausson from Colorado this summer in exchange for Danil Gushchin. In 2024-25, split his season between the Colorado Avalanche and the Colorado Eagles (AHL), appearing in two NHL games and recording AHL career highs with 26 points and 15 assists while matching his career best with 11 goals. Added three assists in seven Calder Cup Playoff games. In 2023-24, appeared in 39 AHL games and one NHL contest, totaling 20 points (11g, 9a) and closing the regular season strong with eight points (5g, 3a) in his final six games, including three straight multi-point performances. Made his NHL debut with Colorado in 2022-23, when he tallied 20 points in 63 AHL games and added three points in six playoff contests.

One of the deepest incoming prospect crops in memory, the 2025-26 Barracuda will be young and talented.