Sharks bring up centerman as final post-trade deadline recall
NHL: San Jose Sharks bring up forward Jack Studnicka from AHL's San Jose Barracuda on Monday
SAN JOSE — The San Jose Sharks brought up forward Jack Studnicka from their AHL affiliate on Monday, meaning they’ve now used up all four of their available post-trade deadline recalls from the San Jose Barracuda.
The other three recalls were goalie Devin Cooley, forward Thomas Bordeleau, and forward/defenseman Jacob MacDonald.
Studnicka, 25, will not play Monday night when the Sharks host the Seattle Kraken, as he flew from Calgary to San Diego with the Barracuda earlier in the day. He is expected to join the Sharks for their practice on Tuesday.
Studnicka played in nine games for the Sharks after he was acquired from the Vancouver Canucks on Dec. 15. He did not score but averaged 11:05 in ice time as the Sharks at the time were dealing with injuries to Logan Couture, Nico Sturm, and Ryan Carpenter.
The Sharks are also short centermen now.
Couture is out for the season with a groin injury and Luke Kunin, more of a natural winger, has been playing as the team’s second-line center in recent games after William Eklund was moved back to the wing. Former Sharks No. 1 center Tomas Hertl was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights on March 8.
Studnicka, a pending restricted free agent with arbitration rights, had 14 points in 27 games with the Barracuda since he was assigned back to the AHL on Jan. 5. For his NHL career, Studnicka has 16 points in 99 games.
The Sharks can still make emergency recalls from the Barracuda if injuries or illnesses drop the club below 12 available forwards, six available defensemen, or two goalies.
Earlier Monday, the Sharks announced that 2022 first-round draft pick Filip Bystedt, a center, is being reassigned to the Barracuda from Linkoping of the Swedish Hockey League. Bystedt was expected to join the Barracuda on Monday.
The Sharks right now have four players on their roster who are 23 years old or younger. Asked if other younger players in the organization might get a look at the NHL level, Sharks coach David Quinn said, “We’re limited with our call-ups. So we’re going to be a little bit challenged from that end of it. But we’ve got young guys here, and if we could, I’m sure there’d be more. But we are limited to what we can do.”
After Monday, the Sharks (17-48-8) have eight games left, as their current homestand continues with games against Los Angeles on Thursday, St. Louis on Saturday, Arizona on Sunday and Calgary on April 9.