SAN JOSE, Calif. – William Eklund and Thomas Bordeleau returned to the Bay Area from Europe over the weekend, eager to continue their first full seasons in the San Jose Sharks organization.
Their itinerary for this week is a little different than they originally hoped, though.
Instead of getting ready for the Sharks’ home opener Friday against Brent Burns and the Carolina Hurricanes, they’re boarding a flight to Des Moines for a two-game set against the Iowa Wild this Friday and Saturday.
“I’ve never been,” the Swedish-born Eklund said of the Hawkeye state with a wry smile.
Eklund and Bordeleau, considered the Sharks’ top two prospects, made the trip overseas with the NHL team at the beginning of the month and spent some quality time with all involved.
But in a sign of what was to come, both players and defenseman Nick Cicek had to watch the Sharks’ exhibition game last Tuesday in Berlin and the two regular season games Friday and Saturday in Prague.
Sunday, Eklund and Bordeleau were reassigned to the Barracuda, the Sharks’ AHL affiliate. On Monday, they were with the team at Tech CU Arena.
“It wasn’t a punishment or anything,” Bordeleau, 20, said. “Obviously we have a lot of older players on the (Sharks). It’s a deep team. So I just want to get some ice time, play, and just do my thing and try to get better as much as I can.
“The time will come. I’m not nervous about that.”
Had this been last season’s training camp, there’s a good chance Bordeleau and Eklund, drafted in 2020 and 2021, respectively, would be getting ready for the Hurricanes. They’d likely make a positive contribution, as well.
But part of general manager Mike Grier’s overall vision for the organization is to not rush young players to the NHL and to let them develop, so when they do get called up, they have a better chance of staying there for a long time.
So after Bordeleau and Eklund, who turns 20 on Wednesday, got a taste of the NHL last season, there are a few things that need to happen for them to make their way back up to the big club.
“I think they have to be dominant at our level,” Barracuda coach John McCarthy said.
McCarthy pointed to two of the Sharks’ best players over the two decades, Joe Pavelski and Logan Couture, who averaged over a point per game in the AHL in less than one full season before they were each recalled to the NHL and never sent back.
“Not to gauge anyone’s game by points, but typically if you’re doing that, you’re dominating every game,” said McCarthy, who added that the organization, right now, sees Eklund as a winger.
“So contributing on the scoresheet every night but having that base of their game where they’re taking care of pucks, working back above pucks, playing solid defensively, taking care of their own end while adding that offensive flair that they’re known for is how they’re going to get to the NHL.”
Sharks coach David Quinn has talked about how most young players need to learn how to work away from the puck because if they’re not putting up points, how else can they help the team win games?
“You’ve got to be good off the puck, too, not just with the puck,” Eklund said. “Every small detail in the game is going to matter if you want to make it in the NHL.”
For now, Bordeleau and Eklund will get ample playing team with a Barracuda team that appears to be much improved over last season’s unit that finished with a dreadful 20-42-4-2 record and had the worst points percentage in the AHL (.338).
Of the 26 players that were on the Barracuda roster as of Monday, 15 had NHL experience. That includes forwards Scott Reedy and Jasper Weatherby, and defensemen Ryan Merkley, Artemi Kniazev, and Santeri Hatakka.
“We were talking about how it’s such a fun crew here with a lot of young guys and a lot of buddies that we’ve made in camps,” Bordeleau said about Eklund. “It’s fun to get all the young bucks back together, just having a good time, on and off the ice. Just doing our thing.”
After the trip to Iowa this week, the Barracuda start a five-game homestand next week, with their first regular season games at Tech CU Arena on Oct. 22 and 23 against the Henderson Silver Knights.
As much as they’d like to be at SAP Center, Eklund and Bordeleau will continue their pro careers at the new 4,100-seat arena right next to the Sharks’ practice facility. For now, they understand that’s just part of the journey.
“I just want to keep going, keep doing what I’m doing,” Eklund said. “Playing a lot of minutes. Just try to get better every day.”
