Barracuda’s Young Guns IGNITE AHL Excitement | Musty and Cagnoni Lead Charge

Barracuda’s Young Guns IGNITE AHL Excitement | Musty and Cagnoni Lead Charge

Can the Barracuda build off of last year’s playoff run even without Potterski and Ascrov. You’re Locked on Sharks, your daily podcast on the San Jose Sharks, part of the Locked on Podcast Network, your team every day. Hello, welcome to Locked on Sharks, the premier hockey podcast covering your favorite team, the Bay Area. My name is JD Young, caretaker at the Reef, also the co-host of Locked On NHL. Want to thank you for making the Locked On Sharks your first listen. Proudly part of the Locked On Network. We cover your team every day. If you want to be an everyday, all you have to do just follow along wherever you get podcasts. Of course, you can watch on YouTube as well. And today we are joined by the voice of the San Jose Barracuda, Nick Nolenberger, uh, Nully, which joins now as an annual tradition where we’re going to kind of get preview the the Barracuda this year and as this team hopefully continues the success that they had last year, even though they’re losing some big pieces. So, we’ll talk about that. We’ll talk about, of course, the influx of young players and expectations uh heading into this year. So, before we get to all that, do want to let you guys know that today’s episode is brought to you by FanDuel. Download the FanDuel app now by visiting fanduel.com and win $300 in bonus bets if your first $5 bet wins. And now we are joined by the voice of the San Jose, Nick Nolanberger. Nick, how’s it going, buddy? Life is good. Hockey season’s back. It’s such a fun time of year because there’s so much optimism and yeah, you’re a fan of the Sharks organization. It’s been a tough few years, but it feels like some of that pain uh is starting to become worth it. Uh we’ll see how things transpire, but you’re starting to see the fruits of your labor, if you will, with some of these high draft pickicss that are in the flesh in camp competing, trying to make a difference. So, uh it’s a fun time here. I’m doing great. Uh seems like you’re doing great as well. You’ve been pumping out some awesome content. So, um, meat yogurt content, Nick, you got to keep the bar low. Keep the bar low here. So, uh, but yeah, as as it’s become a tradition now where we want to, you know, kind of just talk Barracuda this year because I mean, last year, uh, this Barracuda team was a really fun, exciting team. They made the playoffs for the first time in in what felt like uh, forever. Um, and, you know, this year, while there’s some big names leaving, there’s still plenty of optimism because this team does have some uh big pieces coming through. So, let’s start with with of course, you know, losing two big guys and Andrew Potterski who’s uh gone on to Greener Pastures to go play over in the KHL and um Yarov Vascarov who looks like he’s going to be graduating as as you hope, right? These young guys graduate. So, uh where do you want to start there? You want to start with the the MVP of the league just kind of no longer with with the team and like how do how do they kind of work through this? Well, it’s going to be a challenge. Look, you you can’t just replace the best player in the league, but I think there’s been a bit of a change in philosophy this year because you do loseki and his running mate in Coachella Valley for a couple of years and Jimmy Schultton who is the captain. You mentioned Yaris Lafascro. He’s going to graduate, but that was planned. You figured he’d spend last year in the AHL continue to fine-tune his game before he was ready to roll in terms of of his development. But look, you’re going to see an impact when you lose the best player in the league, and you’re gonna see an impact when you lose your captain. But every year in the AHL, one of the most consistent things in the league is inconsistency with rosters. A lot of these guys are on one-year deals. Long-term deals are two-year deals. And we saw last year with Perolski, he was on a two-year deal, but a guy in his 30s who was trying to, and good for him, make as much money before his career is over as possible, he makes the decision to go overseas and go play in the KHL. And you know, I respect the Sharks for honoring that because he was under contract. They they didn’t necessarily have to to let him go, but they did. And now it’s an opportunity for some of these young guys to fill those roles. Last year was all about getting into the playoffs, seeing what it takes to get into the playoffs and having guys kind of pull the rope who have been there and done that. This year it’s going to be a more youthful team. There’s some veterans joining the group as well, but it’s going to be up to the young guys to try to make this team successful. So, we can dive in how many young prospects are going to be joining the fold this year because it it just feels like it’s almost hard to keep track at times how many guys we’ve been waiting to get to the AHL and are now going to make their debut this year. Um, but there’s tons to be excited about, but hard to replace a guy like Paulski. That’s just obvious. Uh, and then we can jump over to Yarislaf Ascro. He’s proven at the American League level that he’s elite. He was a high high draft pick for a reason. You don’t see goalies. Mark Andre Flour just retired. He was drafted number one overall, but that’s almost that’s a thing of the past in in a sense where you see goalies be drafted so high because the position is just really hard to kind of judge long term. But when you see him physically, he checks every single box and you’ve seen guys like whether it’s beginning to block off talk about him and just the the pure raw talent um that he possesses. There’s no question he has the ability to be a number one goalie in the NHL, but this will be his first real crack in the National Hockey League. So, you know, I’m sure there’s going to be ups and downs, but he is capable of no doubt being a number one goalie in the NHL. But on the flip side for the Barracuda, it’s going to impact this team. Gabe Carrier, I thought, played good uh in in his opportunities last year. Scaric is a guy who was on a very bad, and this is no knock, but Bridgeport was the worst team in the league last year. Oh, they were horrible. Wholesale wholesale changes this this off season. Um, so it’s really hard to judge him in terms of his numbers because they weren’t all that sparkling. He did get a taste last year in New York with the Islanders, a couple of NHL games. So, I’m curious to see what he’s all about because when you when you’re in the West in the AHL, you just don’t see a ton of those a ton of those Eastern Conference teams. Um, so it’ll be interesting. There’s a lot of question marks whether it’s on the back end even these young forwards joining the mix and the goalie position I think is maybe one of the biggest question marks going into this season. I was going to say with Ascar right uh I mean even though he’s you know the plan was to have him play you know the season in the he played you know like what was it 22 games because of uh callups right he spent a good chunk of the time in the NHL and then he dealt with some injuries. So, you kind of think maybe some of these guys are are going to be used to not having Ascarov back there. But again, like having Ascarov back there, uh we saw especially in the playoffs where, you know, you didn’t have Paul Rosski, this team, they strug struggled to score in the playoffs. But as long as Ascarov was back there, if you could squeak out two goals, Ascrov was only going to let in one and he was uh stellar in the playoffs. And you kind of feel like if if Paulski got back, this team could have maybe made an even deeper run, unfortunately. but uh he just couldn’t, you know, he just couldn’t get back from the injury and they couldn’t find that one win there against Colorado to force that game five unfortunately. But uh yeah, I mean I think these are two big questions. You mentioned Schult, right? And you know, I know they they brought in guy like Cole Clayton, but this is still going to be a really young blue line. Uh you know, with guys like uh Canon and you know, presumably Jack Thompson if he assuming he kind of clears waiverss and goes down, but Hashe is going to be in his second year. you have Matias Havlet like there’s a a lot of young players so I think there’s might be some growing pains early but there is a lot of talent though still right yeah it’s a it’s and it’s a good point just jumping back quickly to ask I think the final box they wanted to see him check at least at the level was playoff success and team got out of the first round didn’t go on an incredibly long run but you’re exactly right you don’t have your best player in the lineup throughout the playoffs and he stood on his head at times both games against Ontario in round one really close games and had it not been for the play of Yarlaf Aszgro, who knows how that series goes. So, I thought that was huge for him in his kind of next step in evolution. But then, yeah, looking at this back end, there was question marks last year with the back end as well. But you do lose a guy like Jimmy Schultz who is oh so reliable and he played a ton last year with Luca Canyone, that’s I think the role Cole Clayton will play this year. We saw Ken Yon and Clayton quite a bit in training camp as a pair. he’s a right shot that’ll, you know, obviously you’ve got guys on their on their right sides being able to, you know, play their proper position. So, um, it’ll be interesting if that continues. I I I would see that as as a likely kind of pairing as your as your top pair. But have Lucas Carlson in the mix, just coming off a ACL tear last year, which um, you know, impacted I think his start to the season. Certainly, he didn’t participate in training camp. Took him a little bit to go uh, get going. Um, ended up scoring 10 goals. He’s you can kind of pencil him in for double digit goals, but you know, you’re looking for offensive production there. He’s a guy you can you can lean towards. But yeah, I want to see where these young guys can take it. I thought Hashe got better as the season continued along, spent some time in the ECHL and for him he talked about how important that was just getting his touches and kind of get his timing and his rhythm and feeling confident at the professional level. you know, Havlet, it felt like, and I say forgotten because he was over in Sweden and it took him longer to come over here and sign than I think I expected, but you see some of the the ability in that rookie face off at least where he, you know, he’s really mobile. You can tell he thinks the game um I thought made some good plays, you know, scored I think he scored at least one goal in that tournament, too. Yeah. So, you know, that’s not necessarily his game, but you saw him generating some offense just by his skating ability. So yeah, it’s it’s an intriguing blue line and I think the story lines are rich this year going into this season because of all these forwards that are joining the group and you know who’s going to rise to the top in terms of what guy’s going to take the lead as that prospect in the AHL is going to push immediately for for NHL opportunities on the back end. I think more question marks but know was such a great story last year and I think he’s followed it up this year in training camp. He got six games last year in the NHL. Would not be surprised if if he gets more. So, um, it’s it’s fun. It’ll be interesting to see how things kind of play out. All right, before we continue with Nullie and we talk about some of the young guns joining like, uh, Shernaw, Musty, all these fun guys here, just need to take a quick break. The NFL season is here and FanDuel has an offer you don’t want to miss. Right now, new customers can bet just $5 and get $300 in bonus bets if you win. That’s right. Pick a bet, put down five bucks, and if it hits, you only like $300 in bonus bets used across the app. Uh I love FanDuel because it makes it easy to play, right? Uh they have parlays that you can play or player props or jumping into live action. Nothing like uh jumping in on a underdog or somebody who’s down big coming back uh into winning the game. Uh whether you’re a casual fan or love diving into the stats, FanDuel makes the game day experience so much better. what you’re waiting for. Visit fanduel.com to download the FanDuel app today and get started. Uh you you mentioned the forge, right? I think uh very much when are we going to get to the fireworks factory uh storyline here because uh that that’s the big news, right? Because you have so many of these topend prospects who are kind of making their debut and make going to be making a splash here in San Jose, right? You have Quinton Musty who uh if the new like AHL rules like he would have been an easy shoe in last year to play in the AHL, right? You have Igor Shernishoff who’s going to be playing in the AHL. You have Casper Halton in uh you probably have Cam Lun who I think is going to be on the Colin Graph patch of success of like let’s start you in the AHL, let you kind of finish, you know, finish up your and then we’ll pull you up. And we saw how great that was for Colin Graph last year. So, um, I like if you’re looking for a a something to help replace Potterski’s production, here’s four guys who’ve all know how to put the puck in the back of the net, then let’s see if they can do it now playing against men, right? Yeah. No, absolutely. And there’s always there’s always the balance, right, in the AHL because it’s really hard to win without, in my mind, you see Hershey as one of the most competitive teams in the league every year. They’ve got a lot of veteran players. Coachella Valley when it had its success over its first two years, a lot of veteran players. So, you do have to spend a little bit of money. You have to go get veteran players. But on the other side of the coin, the point of the AHL is a developmental league. And you know, some people have the philosophy if guys don’t play and they aren’t put in certain situations, well, how are they going to develop properly? Because if you look at let’s let’s say a Casper Halton for example. If he’s not getting top six minutes, he’s not on your power play, well that’s his greatest skill set is his ability to shoot the puck. So you need to put these guys in advantageous positions in particular in the AHL. And sometimes when you’ve got a veteran guy who in Paul’s case was the best player in the league last year, how are you going to put an a young player into that role and have him play over Paulski? I mean, Greer, I think he he’s proven at this point, it’s going to be a meritocracy with these guys. The best players are going to play. With that said, you need to give the young guys opportunities, and I think that’s going to be exactly what will happen. There will be growing pains. There’s going to be moments probably where, you know, we’re going to be giving up lots of chances because you’ve got young guys who have scored a bazillion points in their career and they’re still figuring out what it takes to to be a pro hockey on the defens hockey player that is on the defensive side of the puck. So, there’ll be nights that that are rough. I I I anticipate that. But, uh, the firepower is is extremely intriguing and late first round, second round has been the spot that Mike has has kind of targeted these these wingers that hopefully can kind of fill uh the Sharks roster in the next couple of years on the wing to maybe a Celibbrini or a Misa in the future. You certainly hope. So, yeah, it’s going to be it’s going to be interesting. Um, again that I’m most intrigued by who can kind of separate themselves amongst this group of players. Um, one guy who’s been here for a little bit, but you know, again, maybe almost in that kind of forgotten prospect uh, land, I think, is Philip Beaststead. Uh, guy, right, who’s shown some flashes, but with a guy like Potterski leaving, I think this is a a big season for Philip Beaststead. You kind of presume he’s going to be in the running at least for the first line center mix. uh you know Colin White and I know they have Jimmy Huntington as well who two veterans who could probably fill the role as well but like if you’re the Sharks and my crew you probably want Philip B said to win this first line center and then you can kind of you know a guy who’s been here for a little bit and help some of these young guys along. How do you big of a season you think it is for B said? I think it’s a it’s definitely a big year. Phil, when I spoke to him a lot last year, you know, one of the questions I asked him was who’s a player that you kind of look up to. And what’s great about the Shark situation is their AHL teams in the same city. So, yes, the Swede kind of connection bleeds over. You know, he he got pretty close with Eklan, but Alex Wenberg is a is a player that he kind of compared himself to as a player, at least somebody he he looks up to and wants to kind of model his game after. And I think that is a perfect example of who Phil can be in the future. I I don’t think he’s ever going to be a hugely dynamic offensive player, but he does have some offensive skills. The way he’s able to protect pucks, you know, getting into the offensive zone and generating offense, just using his frame and holding on to pucks a little bit longer than other players, I think is certainly an asset to his game. You know, the way he thinks the game, I think he’s pretty defensively responsible. you know, most Swedes, they they have just kind of almost a they’re sometimes a carbon copy um of one another, just how they they come over and the way they approach the game. And, you know, it will be a big year for him, but I think this will be a great chance for him to get his first taste maybe in the NHL, maybe get some games this year and then see where he takes it from there. But for Philip Beasta, a first round pick, I mean, my mind you think, well, is there going to be a ton of offense? That’s just not necessarily his game. Now, he can put up offense, but the greatest asset for for Phil in my mind is in the future is is being a 200 foot player who can, you know, jump onto a penalty kill, can take some big faceoffs, is a big body, he’s going to wear teams down. So, um, yeah, excited where he can take his game because there’s so many outside factors for a player coming over from Europe where they’re just getting used to the culture and and simple things like where the grocery store is and, you know, what is available in the grocery store and where they’re going to live and their their car situation, how to get to the rink, all these different nuance things that we don’t always account for. Um, he doesn’t need to worry about that this year because he’s been in San Jose now for over a year. So excited to kind of see where Phil can take his game this year for sure. Uh you’ve seen especially with Mike Greer and the way he’s built this team. You really saw in the playoffs last year with the Barracuda where it’s just like these forwards, right? Micro likes big boys who can wear teams down and you know kind of looking at like that 2020 draft class which now unfortunately like the whole class is gone from the Sharks where some smaller you know skilled guy like definitely skilled guys with guys like Gushian and Bordaloo and Robbins but now like you look at some of the guys entering the frey here uh guys like Shane Bowers and uh Patrick Giles and even like you know a guy like Pavo Regenda who was a big asset to to Cuda you know during their kind of stretch run here. How does that, you know, kind of make this team, you think maybe more playoff built compared to what we saw with some of the smaller players? Yeah, it’s really interesting. I mean, you you look at the playoffs. I think Colorado was kind of the exception when they won the cup a few years ago as a smaller team, but for the most part, these teams that win are big and heavy and they can skate. Vegas, perfect example. Obviously, Florida the the last couple of years. And I mean, I I think Mike and his staff, that’s how they view playoff success, long long-term playoff success is you have to be physically able to handle the the rigors of the postseason. The regular season’s one thing, playoffs is just a different animal. So, there’s no doubt been a a concerted effort to get a a little bit bigger. I always kind of view a not that a small player can’t make it, but I always view the target from a prospect standpoint. The bigger a player, the bigger the target, the the it seems like a better chance of success because they can make it in different areas. A smaller player, things kind of have to break the right way, it seems like, for a player to to make it ultimately. And you know, these things are cyclical. I feel like when the Sharks went really heavy, you can go back, I think it was a 2020 class when they took nine forwards. It was all forwards in all draft class. And one of them, if I’m not mistaken, Brandon Co, was like the only guy over six foot. So it was almost I mean that’s only what five years ago but it things have definitely changed now the reg regime has changed that that’s been a big factor but I think kind of the thought process amongst the entire league has changed a little bit too and it’s a copycat league you see who wins and and all of a sudden you see teams kind of drafting drafting that way as well. So, um, yeah, it’s it’s it’s interesting how they have gone so big and heavy, but if you’re going to make it, I think in my opinion, uh, and I I believe young players can certainly make it. Um, but you’ve you’ve got a better chance as a as a bigger player. You just have a larger target to make it. But, um, so yeah, it’s interesting because ultimately the Sharks want to get into the playoffs and when they get to the playoffs, they want to be able to handle it. So, yeah, it’s been interesting to see that that total shift, uh, in philosophy. But um yeah, they they like their big players with the exception of certain guys. Kenone the perfect example. Ken Yeah. And like I always say with a guy like Luka K with these smaller players, right? Especially smaller defenseman. Uh if they make it to the NHL, they’re usually amazing. And if they don’t, right, they don’t. So that I’m very I mean, you know me, I’m very much the leader of the Canyote hive. I think Kenyod is uh uh amazing. I think he’s gonna have a amazing season and I cannot wait till uh unfortunately for you. I can’t wait till he gets that call up and he just never comes back because that’s okay. That’s okay. That is the point. That’s the point of the league. I mean, you you hope you you build relationships with these players and you hope they all make it to the NHL. I mean, that’s that is the ultimate goal. So, uh you won’t find anybody complaining even though it does suck when you lose your best player. That’s just the nature of of the league. But, um you know, we want these guys to get to the NHL. All right. Before we finish up with Nullley, uh, and kind of talk about expectations for this season and games he’s looking forward to on the calendar, I just need to take a quick break. I’m super excited to tell you about my new favorite jeans brand, Doer. I’ve been living in their performance denim straight jeans, and honestly, they’ve completely changed the game for me. I love my Der jeans because one, they look great. There’s nothing right more important than looking good in your jeans. But two, they’re also super comfortable. They have five times the stretch of traditional denim. They feel stretchy without looking stretchy. Dior combines classic jeansear style with the kind of comfort and performance you get from athletic wear. The best of both worlds, and there’s a reason why they call them the world’s most comfortable pants. Don’t take my word for it. Go try a pair on for yourself. George just opened up a store in Hayes Valley so you can feel the difference firsthand. Go check them out on 567 Hay Street and mention our promo code locked on SF in store to get 15% off your first order. Or check them out online at shopdoerd.com/lockedonssf for 15% off. That’s shopder.comf. All right. uh kind of, you know, looking at this season here, um I expect the expectations are even though you did lose some some big pieces in Asi and Potterski, but uh expectations should still be playoffs, right? There’s still a lot of guys who are, you know, I guess kind of I don’t want to say entering veteran status, but like guys who’ve been here for a little bit. You know, you look at a guy like Ethan Cardwell, Bill Bid, who I I mentioned before, you have some veteran guys. like does it feel like the expectation should be a playoff team for this Barracuda team? Yeah, I mean I think that’s the goal for this organization right now in particular over the next couple years is for these guys to get into these playoff situations. I I think when the Sharks get back into the postseason themselves, all these prospects that were with this Barracuda team will look fondly back on this time and how important it was for their development because you hear players talk about it, you hear coaches talk about it. What is accomplished in a playoff game compared to a regular season game? It’s like it’s on steroids almost, you know, the the development and and what you take away from it is incredible. Just the intensity and speed, the physicality, what it’s learned in a playoff situation. You really can’t mimic it in a in a regular season game. So, that’s the goal. Even though you have a lot of guys leaving and we mentioned some of those names, I I think the goal is for this team to get into the playoffs again. And know over my first few years, we we had younger teams. There was a lot of talent on some of those rosters, but we had younger teams that still pushed for for playoff spots. And I think it was almost like uh there was a confidence that that rolled into each season because it was a team that was making it annually. When you don’t make it for a few years, there’s just you lose a little bit of that shine and it becomes more challenging. So now that the door has been kicked in, I think not that it’s going to be any easier, but I think the standard has now been set and we’ll see if some of these newbies that are joining the fold can kind of carry the torch and continue that trend because it is very very important um I think for the organization still to get these prospects into playoff situations. Which new guy are you kind of most interested to see? It’s a really good question. You know, last year I I was really impressed by Chernishov just based off the size um the season. I’m sorry. Let me Which new veteran? Let me qualify this. Veteran guy are you are you most interested to kind of uh seeing what they can do here? Yeah, there’s a couple of guys that just, you know, when we signed them that that are intriguing. I can start with Jimmy Huntington. He didn’t play much last year. Four games, missed most of the season, but before that in Hershey the year before, he put together his best stretch of hockey in his career. He was really, really good in particular in the playoffs. So, I believe he’s 100% healthy and we’ll see if he can kind of just pick up where he left off during that season in Hershey. To have that type of experience in the room, a championship caliber type presence, I think is going to be really valuable. So there there’s multiple guys we can pick, but Huntington up at the four position and then Cole Clayton on the back end because Clayton has not played any games in the NHL in his career, but has been a really solid AHL defenseman and as we noted, he’ll he’ll likely be part of a top pairing with Luca Canone. So does he kind of get some of the residuals in terms of opportunities because he’ll have more eyeballs on him? You know, we’ll see. So, you know, you never know. We’ll find out as the season kind of starts to unfold. But those are two guys that that come to mind as new additions uh coming via the free agent um landscape that that I’m intrigued to to see what they can add to this team. I’ll let you go now with the young guys. Which young are you most excited now? So, okay. Uh you know, there’s lots of faces and you know the we’re talking we’re talking in the middle of training camp, so the roster is not completely set and there’s going to be fluidity throughout the year. It’s I always think it’s funny how big of a deal we make opening night rosters when somebody could 20 minutes old 20 minutes later. So, especially when your HL team is down the hall and it’s so easy to to make transactions. You don’t got to fly a guy cross country. So, um you know, I don’t look into that stuff a ton. What I what I do like though is when guys are able to make an impression and and kind of open eyes, if you will, um to the NHL coaching staffs and and to the organization. So, um, from a young guy perspective, Chernoshave is a guy I mentioned. Just physical size, the numbers he put together last year after coming off a pretty serious injury were incredible. Playing, you know, in Sagenov with Michael Mises certainly didn’t hurt, but the Sharks hope that’s part of the future, right? That he’s a guy on the wing, a big body who can score. And I think his frame, he’s he’s going to be able to incorporate some tenacity and a little bit of maybe bite to his game over time. Um, so he’s an intriguing guy. Musty, we’ll see if he ends up kind of sticking around here till the end of the Sharks because he’s been really impressive and there’s been so many prospects that have joined the organization times. Sometimes you almost like a guy just falls a little bit off to the wayside for a moment and last year was an interesting year for him. Had a couple of injuries, of course, requested to trade out of Sagenon. Just didn’t go the way he hoped and you kind of touched on it on the top. if if he was able to play in the HL last year, it would have been perfect for him. He wasn’t. And then you got to go back to junior and you’re just too good for that league. So, he’s come in and he’s he’s looked like a different player in my mind from what we saw last year. He was good in the rookie tournament last year. It didn’t translate to training camp. He was good this year and it has. So, um you know, he’s he’s a guy that has all the talent in the world. So, uh if he ends up playing some games with the Barracuda, he will certainly be a guy I’ll keep my eye on. All right. Uh the Barracuda a successful Barracuda season this year is what I we talked about. I think getting into the playoffs again is is is a pretty easy one. I want to see these young guys when you draft a player high and then you see them in rookie camp, development camp, all that stuff. Sometimes you you look at a player and you can almost tell right away. You’re like, “Okay, I I I kind of see something here.” And same thing early in the season. What are we going to see from some of these from some of these young guys? Who’s going to sustain it throughout the year? Who’s going to hit a wall come January when it’s the dog days of the season? This is going to be a big year for a lot of players. So, you know, that’s the thing I’m probably most intrigued about is just again, and I’m sounding like a broken record, but who can kind of rise to the top when you have this many prospects that we’ve all heard about for a couple of years now. who’s gonna be the kind of guy that separates from the pack and and can try to start pushing for for NHL opportunities. That’s kind of what I’m I’m looking forward to the most. All right. Uh I’ll get you here with some easy ones. Uh the best player on the Barracuda this season will be Luca Canone. Uh last year that’s a layup for you. Yeah, he was incredible. And you know, there’s a lot of things that that I think people had question marks about him. Can he adjust to the pro game? Uh does he need to go back to junior? That was answered pretty quickly. Can he handle the physicality? I thought he did fine despite not being the biggest of guys. Can he defend well enough? Thought he did fine. One thing that Ryan Worovski mentioned about Lucas, you know, at the NHL level, it’s just that much quicker. So, can he defend the speed? Can Can you make those decisions uh just at a a split second quicker? Um, and I I think he’s capable. I think he’s got the hockey smarts and and the skating ability to do it. Um, you know, Dan Bole is a is is a guy that’s kind of connected to to you and and Shang now now on Shang’s podcast as well. And you know, one thing I heard him say I thought was was interesting was you can’t have too many small defenseman, but you can have at least one. And he was one that won a Stanley Cup um as an undersized guy. So, you know, the the Sharks have gone big, but Canon, I think in the future, if everything kind of goes the right direction, he continues on this path, he can kind of be that exception to the rule. Uh, the Canon Wong period is going to be great. Cannot wait for it. Yes. All right. Uh, final one. What is your favorite theme night that they have planned for this year? Which one are you looking forward to the most? Oh, that’s a really good question. Um, let’s think. Sorry, he put me on the spot a little bit. Uh, you know, the just the traditional ones. I love teddy bear toss, easy. Um, our country night has been awesome. Um, super fun with our with our uh partnership with Bay Country. They’ve broughten in some great acts and uh it’s fun too because all the nowadays it’s it’ll change eventually, but all the players love country music, so it kind of works. And uh you know, one of the one of the games I’m probably most looking forward to is uh our Roy Smer retirement night. So Roy obviously a fixture with the organization local from Oakland AHL Hall of Famer and we’re able to honor him the way he deserves and uh we’ll raise his name to the rafters and and it’ll be a really fun night and he’ll bring his whole family uh his wife Melissa Mo uh his son should be there. I I don’t know if Cast and his his other son will be there. He’s coaching right now. His daughter, I’m not sure if she’ll make it, but it should be a lot of fun. I mean Royy’s just he’s he’s classic. uh he’s so old school when it comes to the storytelling and the experiences. So that’s probably one just off the top of my head that I’m most looking forward to. Yeah. Uh yeah, Teddy Bears and Star Wars night. Uh Star Wars night is actually my my uh youngest’s birthday. So yes, we’re Are you already we’re already trying to play? We’re we’re already planning games this year. So yes, uh cannot wait. Uh very excited. Uh Nick, I’ve taken up way too much of your time as always. So, uh, of course, Nick, where can the people find you? Uh, I know we got games coming, you got games coming up like next weekend, don’t you? We Yeah, two preseason games this weekend. We’ll be, uh, calling both of them in Bakersfield on on Saturday, 4:00 start, and then back home on Sunday, also four o’clock start. You can find me on Twitter, Nick Nolan. Um, you know, we’ll we’ll call all the games this year. You can listen to us live on the Sharks app. Uh, whenever the Sharks aren’t on their audio network, 24-hour home, we’ll bump over there as well. Um, and we’re planning on having another five or so television games this this year as well. So, uh, yeah. So, you can watch them. Yeah. In your market as well. Um, so yeah, that that’s where you can find me and appreci appreciate you having me on. Appreciate the support and you gonna be doing pregame shows again this year. Yeah. Yeah, I think I’m doing about 12 this year. So, lots of CUDA uh this season for sure on on pre and post. Yeah. Don’t forget us little people as you continue to climb up the ladder, Nick. Uh, thank you. Thank you so much, buddy. We’ll chat again soon. All right, JD. Thank you. As always, thanks to Nick Nolenberger for uh joining me to hanging out to talk about some Barracuda hockey. Uh super excited about this Barracuda team. There’s going to be so many young fun guys uh to watch. Musty and Kenyon, uh you know, Halton, like just all these young guys who are going to be making an impact for the Sharks sooner rather than later. Uh super excited about this team and kind of the expectations. Yes, I know they lost some big veterans, but I think they have enough talent uh to help maybe overcome that. So, I think a big year. I think it’s going to be a fun year for for the Barracuda this year. So, uh we’ll be back though um Friday night after uh the Sharks continue their preseason tour here. Uh they take on Vegas. We’ll have a game reacting to that on Friday night. Uh no hotel lobby won this this weekend, so we’ll we’ll be home for these. We’re back at home for these games. So, uh, make sure you’re following along wherever you get podcasts. And of course, you can watch on YouTube as well. Follow the show on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and on Tik Tok, uh, over at Locked on Sharks as well. Follow me on Twitter and Blue Sky Fryhole. Uh, until Friday night. Bye, friends.

The San Jose Barracuda face a season of change and opportunity as they lose key players but welcome exciting prospects. Can the AHL affiliate of the San Jose Sharks maintain their competitive edge?

Nick Nollenberger, voice of the Barracuda, joins to break down the impact of Andrew Poturalski’s departure to the KHL and Yaroslav Askarov’s likely NHL promotion. He discusses the influx of young talent, including Quentin Musty, Igor Chernishev, and Cam Lund, and how the team plans to balance development with on-ice success.

The conversation shifts to veteran additions Jimmy Huntington and Cole Clayton, exploring their potential roles and the experience they bring to the roster. Nollenberger also shares insights on the team’s playoff aspirations and the crucial role postseason experience plays in prospect development.

The episode wraps up with a look at upcoming theme nights, including the highly anticipated Roy Sommer retirement celebration. Tune in to hear Nollenberger’s insider perspective on the Barracuda’s roster changes and expectations for the new season.

Timestamps:
0:00 Intro: Barracuda preview with Nick Nollenberger
5:34 Goaltending changes and defensive prospects
10:30 Young forwards joining the Barracuda
17:17 Shift towards bigger, heavier players
24:14 Key veteran additions to watch
32:37 Upcoming Barracuda games and broadcasts

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