Shortly after the San Jose Sharks acquired 30-year-old forward Kiefer Sherwood from the Vancouver Canucks on Monday, he met with Vancouver media to speak about the trade.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was obviously a little caught off guard,\u201d Sherwood shared. \u201cI just was bag skating, got off and was told [about the trade].\u201d<\/p>\n
The news came through late on Monday morning, as the San Jose Sharks announced they acquired Sherwood from the Canucks in exchange for two second-round draft picks and 25-year-old defenseman Cole Clayton. Sherwood is currently in the final year of his two-year contract which carries a cap hit of $1.5 million.<\/p>\n
Although Sherwood spent many years splitting time between the NHL and the American Hockey League as a member of the Anaheim Ducks and Colorado Avalanche organizations, he didn\u2019t get his first full-time opportunity at the NHL level until the 2023-24 season with the Nashville Predators. That summer, he signed with the Canucks as an unrestricted free agent and found his game. In 122 games with the Canucks, he\u2019s scored 36 goals and tallied a total of 63 points while playing a physical brand of hockey. He set an NHL record with 462 hits in 2024-25.<\/p>\n
\u201cFirst and foremost, I\u2019m really thankful for everything that the city and this organization has given me,\u201d Sherwood said about his time in Vancouver. \u201cI know they say you earn it, but you got to have the opportunity. As a guy that has been a late bloomer, [they gave] everything I could have hoped for, and more. This is really a special place to play. They do things the right way. They really live and breathe hockey.\u201d<\/p>\n
The San Jose Sharks will be in Vancouver next week, but Sherwood, who is currently on IR with an upper-body injury, doesn\u2019t know if he\u2019ll be ready to go by then or not.<\/p>\n
\u201cI need to make sure this [injury] is right, and we\u2019ll see,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The attention then turned to Sherwood\u2019s new team, just for a moment.<\/p>\n
\u201cTheir rebuild has probably happened quicker than they thought, and I know they have some special players coming up in their system,\u201d Sherwood said of the Sharks. \u201cIt\u2019s pretty exciting, but I\u2019m just trying to be in the present right now and process everything. I\u2019m looking forward to the new start.\u201d<\/p>\n
San Jose Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky told San Jose Hockey Now that Sherwood would be arriving in San Jose on Wednesday. Warsofsky should offer a better timeline for Sherwood\u2019s return on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Sherwood, an undrafted player with a winding road to the NHL, closed out his availability by saying, \u201cI just try to put my work boots on every day. I hope that [my success] opens up some pathways for other late bloomers one day, whether it\u2019s here or other places. There are a lot of guys that are good players in the [AHL] that sometimes need some time to figure it out.\u201d<\/p>\n
“I’m really thankful for everything the city and this organization has given me\u2026 This is really a special place to play in.”<\/p>\n
\ud83d\udde3\ufe0f Kiefer Sherwood shares what this city and team has meant to him.#Canucks<\/a> | @theprovince<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/zvLotU96CE<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) January 19, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t