Depth: Young Talent on Defense Noticeable after Several Key Additions

When Nick Cicek surveys the dressing room at Sharks development camp this week he sees a lot of new faces, particularly among the guys who are putting on black practice jerseys.

Cicek, who described himself as the grandpa of the defense corps because of his age and relative experience level, has graduated from an unknown, undrafted kid trying to find his way to the guy who led all Sharks rookies in games played in 2022-23, following up a season where he was the Barracuda's rookie of the year.

He's seen some things, and has found a new role during this period of transition for the San Jose organization.

"It's interesting. It's definitely a different feeling," Cicek said. "I don't mind it. I sort of like being a leader in the group and in the dressing room. I like taking younger players under my wing and sort of showing them how they expect us to act on the ice and off it. It's been really fun so far."

The long-term defensive depth chart has been constantly changing around Cicek since Mike Grier was named general manager one year ago Wednesday. Starting with the 2022 NHL draft and following through trades, free agency and the 2023 draft, the Sharks have overhauled the future of their defense corps.

Cicek, who turned 23 years old in May, has played 90 games for the Barracuda across the past two AHL seasons. There are only three other defensemen signed to an NHL contract in the organization who have played games for the Barracuda over the past two seasons - Nikolai Knyzhov (19 last year), Shakir Mukhamadullin (12 last year) and Gannon Laroque (three two seasons ago).

Grier and his staff have revamped the defense portion of the prospect pool through every avenue - seven draft picks in the past two classes, trades for a quartet of U-25 players and another undrafted free agent signing like Cicek in Valtteri Pulli. Add in Cicek and three 2021 draft picks (Laroque, Artem Guryev and Yevgeni Kashnikov), and the group doesn't look the same even compared to development camp from a year or two ago.

"It's very different," Sharks coach David Quinn said. "It probably jumps out even more to (the media) because you guys were here last year with the depth and the size of the prospects that we have. We just have a much deeper prospect pool right now. Mike and (Assistant General Managers) Joe (Will) and Tom (Holy) and the rest of our staff have done a heck of a job in a short period of time increasing our prospect pool."

Mukhamadullin's addition came with the highest profile. He's a first-round pick, and was seen as the top prospect in a blockbuster deal for former Sharks star Timo Meier.

He's also been one of the most debated prospects in hockey since the New Jersey Devils surprised everyone by selecting him at No. 20 in the 2020 draft, so being part of such a significant trade only added to the discourse. Mukhamadullin is tall and lean. He looks unorthodox at times, but also skates well and uses his long reach to disrupt plays. He's made significant strides in his development since being drafted, and still remains a bit of a mystery with what type of player he will eventually grow up to be.

"We were watching film on him and (Sharks assistant coach) Scotty Gordon was really impressed with what he saw," Quinn said. "The abilities and capabilities of a prospect with that size, that skating, his puck decisions. There's an awful lot to like there.

"He's still very young, and we've got to keep that in check and not put too much pressure on him. Just let his career evolve and let his play dictate when's the right time to give him an opportunity to play in the National Hockey League."

Another guy in the Meier blockbuster, Nikita Okhotiuk, could play for the Sharks before Mukhamadullin. Two phrases get used frequently with Okhotiuk - he's going to be a fan favorite and coaches love him.

Why? Because while he doesn't have great size like Mukhamadullin, he enjoys creating collisions at high speeds with opposing players, and is fearless when it comes to blocking shots, and engaging in physical activity in the corners and around the net. Okhotiuk can be a culture-setting type of player, if the rest of his game develops well enough to earn regular playing time.

The other high-profile addition after Mukhamadullin was Henry Thrun, one of the best players in college hockey a year ago. Thrun was a senior at Harvard, and the Sharks acquired his rights from the Ducks for a third-round pick in 2024.

Thrun reportedly wasn't sure if he was going to sign with Anaheim, and could have become an unrestricted free agent at the end of this summer. Instead, he quickly signed with San Jose after the trade and had a chance to play in the NHL at the end of last season.

He's a favorite to earn a regular role this season, and could be a significant player on the defense corps immediately.

"As I grew more comfortable with the staff, going to play in Finland at the (IIHF world championships) with the whole (Sharks) group there, I started to get more feedback on just with how they want me to play in regards to just being solid out there and not trying to do too much," Thrun said. "If you look around the NHL, teams usually have one pretty offensive guy, and we've got one (Erik Karlsson) that's pretty good himself. I think he takes care of that, and the rest of us I think it's just being responsible and someone who can move the puck to the forwards and play in all situations."

The infusion of new talent on defense has included a variety of players, both in size and playing style. Draft picks Mattias Havelid and Luca Cagnoni are diminutive compared to their peers, but possess exciting offensive upside. Pulli is huge, and said he aims to be the type of defenseman that foes hate playing against. Michael Fisher and Axel Landen seem likely to have longer development paths, but have high ceilings if it works out.

The Sharks currently have seven defensemen on one-way contracts, plus Thrun, Okhotiouk and Jacob MacDonald as players who earned NHL playing time a year ago. There could still be changes - Grier has spoken openly about his willingness to find a trade for Karlsson to a contending team if the right deal can be struck - but it also looks like there will be plenty of competition at training camp, both for spots on the roster and roles in the lineup.

"I think it's great. It's healthy competition," Thrun said. "There are some older guys coming in along with the young prospects. That's what every organization wants, and it is what will make us a successful playoff team. It's a long process and I think we're just getting started. We want to turn around this organization."

There's also a new wave of prospects queueing up behind them, led by Mukhamdullin and Havelid. One of Grier's first directives as GM was expanding the club's player development department, and the deep collection of recent draft picks could benefit from that decision.

And then there's the "grandpa" of the bunch. Given what Cicek has accomplished the past two seasons, betting against him, regardless of who is lining up against him, seems like a perilous decision.

"I know exactly what they expect of me and what I expect of myself," Cicek said. "I know that this is one of the biggest years I've had so far in my career, but it just excites me. I'm trying to come into this year with a lot of confidence and show them what I'm really about and prove that I'm what they want and what they need in their lineup."