The 2026 Rookie Faceoff is in the books for the San Jose Sharks, and all eyes now point to NHL training camp beginning on Thursday.
While information on what the initial training camp roster will look like isn’t out yet, a major question already surrounds the availability of prospect forward Cam Lund. Lund, 22, returned from a major shoulder injury that kept him out of hockey since last February.
His return wouldn’t last long, as the Sharks winger lasted just a period before leaving the game due to injury. Although it isn’t confirmed whether this injury is related to his previous shoulder issue, San Jose Barracuda coach John McCarthy confirmed it to be an upper-body injury.
SJHN’s Sheng Peng reported that the San Jose Sharks 2022 NHL Draft 2nd-rounder took a high hit and was in some pain. He tried to play another shift but left the game following the period.
McCarthy was asked on Sunday morning, after the Sharks’ 3-1 win over the Utah Mammoth, about Lund’s status.
“He was here tonight. I haven’t got a chance to talk to him. I haven’t got an update,” McCarthy said postgame on Sunday. “[The Sharks will] probably have something [to report], maybe next week. They’re still evaluating.”
McCarthy said in the morning that he may have been removed for precautionary reasons. With his injury history, the Sharks might be giving the winger extra time before the real thing begins.
SHD spoke exclusively with Lund before Saturday’s game. Lund said he did have to adjust his offseason training slightly, but felt 100% healthy heading into the tournament.
“I would say, it changed some of my training. Definitely limited in some of the things I could do early in the summer, but I feel like I got a lot of the hard stuff done while I was here, which was good,” Lund explained. “I had a good base going into summer, and just kept building as summer went on. I felt great coming back here.”
Lund was having a terrific 25-26 season for the Barracuda before his injury. After fellow San Jose Sharks prospect Filip Bystedt went down with an injury, Lund replaced him in the AHL All-Star Game.
“It was a great honor to go over there and do that,” Lund said. “It was fun to get out there, meet a lot of new people. A great experience.”
Lund would finish the season with 37 games played, nine goals, and 16 assists. He was in the mix to be a call-up to the NHL before his injury.
“My biggest thing is getting pucks back. I think that’s what I really strived on doing that last year,” Lund said. “Like you said, with close to getting the call up, getting back to where I was at that point. Just knowing what more I have to do-if that’s shooting the puck more, if I need a hit or something, just the little things like that to build on.”
Expect the Sharks to release their training camp roster sometime before Thursday.