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San Jose Sharks Youngster is Ready to Make an Impact in the NHL

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While the pre-season slate was just six games, the Sharks were able to get a look at some of their young talent. Players like Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith, and William Eklund secured their spots with the NHL club. One player, however, jumped into the spotlight and claimed an opening night roster spot, and that player was Daniil Gushchin. He made his mark with a strong preseason and will look to continue strong play throughout the regular season. Let’s take a deeper dive into the Sharks youngster.

 

Sharks Youngster Showing Steady Improvement

Gushchin was drafted in the third round of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. He spent his draft year and draft-plus-one campaign in the USHL with the Muskegon Lumberjacks. In those two years, he jumped from 47 to 64 points. After a 71-point 2021-22 as a member of the Niagara Ice Dogs, Gushchin made the jump to the San Jose Barracuda. In 2022-23, he scored 45 points in 67 games, while appearing in two NHL games.

In 2023-24, Gushchin had a major leap in production. He played in only 56 games but had 54 points. The Sharks also featured Gushchin in four games, in which he had one goal and one assist. This campaign was a breakout one for Gushchin, as he had his first point-per-game season as a professional. Coming into the 2024-25 training camp, Gushchin was looking to make a name for himself on a team that had spots available for the taking.

An Impressive Preseason

Of San Jose’s six pre-season contests, Gushchin appeared in four of them. He played well in the first three and showed flashes of being an everyday NHLer. He contributed four points and looked comfortable playing among NHL veterans like Tyler Toffoli and Fabian Zetterlund. His fourth and final game, however, was Gushchin’s most impressive.

He finished with five more assists and helped orchestrate a three-goal comeback against the rival Vegas Golden Knights. With that performance, Gushchin brought his pre-season assist total to a league-leading eight and tied Mathew Barzal with nine points. Gushchin not only showcased his playmaking potential but also all but guaranteed himself a roster spot.

Predicting Gushchin’s Point Totals

With Gushchin being named to the roster, San Jose has kept true to giving their young players ice time in the NHL. We talked about Celebrini, Smith and Eklund, but this extends to other players like Gushchin, Ty Dellandrea, and Henry Thrun. Each of them secured their spots throughout training camp, but Gushchin emerged in pre-season games. He brings an interesting skillset to the Sharks for this season. Gushchin has a great offensive skill set that allows him to fit in with most players. With all of the talent on San Jose’s forward core, it’s not hard to imagine him finding success and racking up point totals.

Early reports from Sharks practice have indicated that Gushchin will play in the bottom six to start the year. At even strength, the supporting cast that Gushchin will play with does not put up staggering point totals. That being said, his offensive creativity and skill set may be enough to elevate the play of his defensively-minded linemates. One other area that may serve Gushchin well is his powerplay ice time. He has spent time with Eklund, Smith, Thrun and Alexander Wennberg on the second unit in practice. When that group finds ice time with the man advantage, they pose a legitimate threat to the opposition. Anticipate Gushchin to find some success with this unit.

Prediction: Five powerplay points, 30 total

Future Outlook

While we haven’t officially seen where Gushchin will play in a game, he’ll be in a spot to utilize his offensive skillset. Since he is just 22 years old, he is also a prime candidate to grow alongside all of the other core players and establish himself moving forward. There is an opportunity for Gushchin to cement himself among the elite players on this roster and become a key piece when the team is ready to compete for the Stanley Cup.

For now, however, the focus for Gushchin is to continue to build on his preseason with a strong regular campaign. He has to continue to run with the opportunity that has been given to him by Ryan Warsofsky and the Sharks brass.

Main Photo: Stan Szeto-Imagn Images

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