San Jose Sharks add another high-scoring prospect to Barracuda’s roster
SAN JOSE – San Jose Sharks forward prospect Igor Chernyshov has officially been added to the roster of the team’s AHL affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda.
Chernyshov, selected 33rd overall by the Sharks last year, just finished an impressive first season with the Saginaw Spirit, who lost their opening round Ontario Hockey League playoff series against the Erie Otters four games to one.
In his first season in North America, the Russian-born Chernyshov, a powerful skater at 6-3 and 225 pounds, tore up the OHL with 55 points in 23 regular-season games and six points in five playoff games.
Showing his deft puck-handling skills, Chernyshov scored his first goal on his first shift for Saginaw on Jan. 30, when he first touched the puck. Between the regular season and playoffs, Chernyshov had 21 goals.
Chernyshov began the season on the Sharks’ injured non-roster list after he underwent shoulder surgery in August, causing him to miss training camp. Once fully healthy, he was assigned to the Barracuda on Jan. 10, spending time on the ice with the team before being sent to Saginaw on Jan. 18.
Chernyshov is the second recent Sharks draft pick to join the Barracuda this week after Quentin Musty, selected 26th overall in 2023, was added to the team’s roster on Monday. Musty is slated to make his professional debut either Friday or Saturday night when the Barracuda hosts the Ontario Reign at Tech CU Arena.
Musty had four points in three playoff games after he had 59 points in 33 regular-season games with the Wolves.
In 189 regular-season games with Sudbury over four seasons, Musty had 270 points, including a 102-point season in 2023-24.
Like Musty, Chernyshov is eligible to compete in the AHL playoffs. On Wednesday, the Barracuda moved to within a point of clinching a postseason spot with a 1-0 overtime win over Coachella Valley.
Filip Bystedt, the Sharks’ first-round draft pick in 2022, scored the winning goal at the 53-second mark of overtime for the Barracuda, and goalie Yaroslav Askarov made 24 saves for his fourth AHL shutout of the season.
The top seven teams in the AHL’s Pacific Division make the postseason, and the Barracuda (34-25-5-4) are now in fifth place with 77 points, nine more points than eighth-place Bakersfield, which has five games remaining.
San Jose can clinch a playoff spot if it earns a point in any of its four remaining games, or if Bakersfield does not win all five of its remaining games.
The Pacific Division winner earns a bye for the first round of the playoffs, and the teams that finish second through fourth will each host a best-of-three first-round series. The Barracuda are three points behind Coachella Valley for fourth place. Both teams have four games left.