San Jose Sharks Off-Season Notebook

While free agent frenzy is essentially over and the Sharks work on Plan B, it’s time to crack open the offseason notebook for some key dates and speculation.

Sharks Key Dates

• On July 1 – Logan Couture signs 8 year extension at $8M AAV
• On July 2 – Joe Thornton signs 1 year extension at $5M, Tomas Hertl signs 4 year extension at $5.625M AAV
• Beginning July 3 – 2018 Prospects Development Camp starts with 47 players scheduled to attend. The camp will take place primarily at Solar4America Ice at San Jose. Fans and media will have the opportunity to watch the Sharks prospects in action on Thurs., July 5 and Fri., July 6.
• July 5 – The prospects will take part in a scrimmage game on the South Rink of Solar4America Ice at 2 p.m. Fans will be permitted to watch the scrimmage and seating is first come, first served.
• July 6 – The Sharks will hold their sixth annual Sharks Prospect Scrimmage at SAP Center in San Jose. Many of the organization’s top prospects are expected to participate. Players include 2017 first round pick Josh Norris, 2018 first round pick Ryan Merkley, 2017 second round pick Mario Ferraro, and 2016 second round pick Dylan Gambrell. Rudolfs Balcers, Max Letunov, Sasha Chmelevski, Ivan Chekhovich, Jake McGrew, Jayden Halbgewachs, Josef Korenar, and many others will be included. Because Barracuda Networks are no longer a sponsor, fans can also expect to see a new, updated Barracuda logo unveiled. Will new jerseys be available?

Speculation

I can’t imagine general manager Doug Wilson is done for this off-season. The GM did everything he could to lure John Tavares to team teal. However, the Sharks still have a lot of cap room to make moves which should make for an eventful summer.

Between now and the beginning of the 2018-2019 San Jose Sharks season, we know the Sharks will unveil their fourth alternate jersey in franchise history. Because of the popularity of the previous alternate jersey, the smart money is on a new black jersey for team teal. For those wanting a release date, we can look at recent history. The Sharks debuted their heritage jersey in early September OF 2015. I would guess the Sharks would announce both the new alternate jersey and Fan Fest details at the same time.

Speaking of Fan Fest, nothing has been announced so far. However, based on past history, I’d mark down the weekend of September 22-23 as a safe bet for the event. I also expect another Tank Tailgate.

Promotions

Promotion dates announced so far:

• Oct 20 – Los Tiburones Jersey giveaway – It was has become an annual promo, the Sharks will be giving a jersey to all fans in attendance. Kudos for taking Mark Purdy’s hated descriptor and making it positive.
• Nov 3 – Star Wars Night – all fans in attendance receive a Sharks/Star Wars shirt. SJ Shark should also be debuting a new costume for the occasion.
• Jan 5 – Owen Nolan “calls his shot” bobblehead – In honor of San Jose hosting the 2019 All-Star Game, all fans in attendance will receive a Owen Nolan “calls his shot” bobblehead marking when Owen Nolan called his shot at the 1997 All-Star Game in San Jose. Because this game starts at 8pm rather than the usual 7:30, there was rampant speculation that the Sharks might also retire Nolan’s number during this evening. However, the game starts a half hour late due to SAP hosting Media Day for the College Football Playoff National Championship at Levi’s Stadium.
• Apr 6 – Game of Jones bobblehead – All fans in attendance will receive a Game of Jones bobblehead.

I expect there will also be some new promotions announced after single game tickets go on-sale too. Now that Gordon Biersch is no longer producing Chum beer, perhaps the Sharks will come up with some new offerings to replace it.

25 Years at The Tank

We saw the Sharks mark their 25th anniversary in the league a couple seasons ago with a lot of success. However, this season will be the Sharks’ 25th in San Jose. Will the Sharks do anything to mark the silver anniversary of what has been called San Jose Arena, Compaq Center, HP Pavillion, and SAP Center? How about a retro night promotion? The Sharks could use old graphics too. What about heritage jerseys and 90’s concession prices? Give me some 90’s music and zamboni races. Create that retro vibe for a night and take everyone back to the 90’s for one evening.