Take a dive into the final Next Wave report of the 2023-2024 season, presented by Kaiser Permanente.
BARRACUDA
- Danil Gushchin finished the season with a four-game point streak (4g, 3a), including 16 points (6g, 10a) in his final 12 games of the campaign. Gushchin finished with 54 points (20g, 34a) in 56 games in his second campaign with the Barracuda. He was named the AHL Player of the Week on Apr. 15.
- Ethan Cardwell led the club in goals (23) and games played (71) this year in his rookie campaign. The 23 markers tied a franchise record for goals by a rookie, tying Danny O’Regan (2016-17) and Rudolfs Balcers (2017-18). Cardwell won the Barracuda Man of the Year (Apr. 11) and Rookie of the Year (Apr. 15) awards.
- Shakir Mukhamadullin led all Cuda’ defensemen in scoring with 34 points (7g, 27a) and in assists. Mukhamadullin made his NHL debut on Jan. 27 against Buffalo and collected his first NHL point, an assist, on Jan. 31 at Anaheim. He participated at the 2024 AHL All-Star Classic where he scored a goal against Joel Blomqvist in the eighth round of the Upper Deck Breakaway Relay on Feb 4-5 at Tech CU Arena.
- Georgi Romanov led all Barracuda netminders in the 2023-24 campaign in wins (9) and save percentage (.904). Romanov made his NHL debut on Apr. 15 at Edmonton and made 15 saves out of 16 shots faced (.938 SV%) in a no decision.
PROSPECT NOTABLES – NORTH AMERICA
- Ozzy Wiesblatt (Milwaukee, AHL) was loaned to the Milwaukee Admirals from the San Jose Barracuda (Mar. 16) and posted six points (1g, 5a) in 16 regular season games. In the playoffs, he put together a three-game point streak (1g, 2a) in games 2-4 of the AHL Western Conference Finals against the Coachella Valley Firebirds. The Admirals fell to the Firebirds on June 8. Wiesblatt finished his playoff run with nine points (2g, 7a) in 15 games played.
- Mitchell Russell (Wichita, ECHL) posted seven points (4g, 3a) in his final six games with the Thunder, including potting a goal in three consecutive games (4g, 1a) from Apr. 7-12. He finished the season tied for second in points (22) among Canadian-born forward skaters on the club.
- Bradley Marek (Wichita, ECHL) collected 37 points (13g, 18a) in his first 63 pro games split between the San Jose Barracuda (AHL) and the Wichita Thunder (ECHL). He logged 31 points (13g, 18a) in 37 games played with the Thunder, which ranked sixth on the club.
- Will Smith (Boston College, NCAA) set the freshman scoring record at Boston College and led the NCAA in scoring with 71 points (25g, 46a) in 41 games. He was the first skater for BC to reach 70 points since Johnny Gaudreau (80) in the 2013-14 season. He helped Team USA capture gold at the 2024 World Junior Championship, helped Boston College capture the Hockey East Conference Championship, and earned the All-Tournament MVP. Throughout the season, he was awarded the Sharks Prospect of the Week, Presented by Kaiser Permanente four times.
- Cam Lund (Northeastern, NCAA) set career highs at the NCAA level in both goals (11) and assists (19) in his sophomore campaign with Northeastern University, surpassing his previous collegiate best (7g, 16a) in his 2022-23 rookie campaign. Lund helped the Huskies claim their fifth Beanpot title on Feb. 12 against No. 3 ranked Boston University by recording an assist in the 4-3 overtime thriller.
- Eric Pohlkamp (Bemidji State, NCAA) had a standout freshman season at Bemidji State, putting up 24 points (11g, 13a) in 32 games. His scoring ranked ninth-best among U-20 NCAA defensemen in the 2023-24 campaign. He was named to the All-CCHA First Team, All-CCHA Rookie Team and was a finalist for the CCHA Defenseman of the Year and CCHA Rookie of the Year.
- Reese Laubach (Penn State, Big 10) posted 10 goals and 12 assists in his first season at the collegiate level with Penn State University. The San Jose native helped Penn State reach the Big Ten Quarterfinal but fell to Minnesota on Mar. 9.
- Quentin Musty (Sudbury, OHL) lit up the OHL league this year by putting up a career-high 102 points (23g, 59a) during the regular season with the Sudbury Wolves. His scoring ranked tied for fourth among OHL skaters on the year. He was one of five skaters in the league to achieve the 100-point mark. He led the league in points-per-scoring clip (1.92) and finished tied for fifth in the league in markers (43). He earned a spot on the OHL First All-Star Team and was named Player of the Month after compiling 30 points (15g, 15a) in March.
- Luca Cagnoni (Portland, WHL) finished with 90 points (18g, 72a) in his third full regular season with the Portland Winterhawks. He helped Portland capture the Western Conference Championship on May 7 against the Prince George Cougars. His scoring during the regular season was the most by a blueliner in over 30 years. His awards this season include WHL U.S. Division First All-Star Team and CHL Third All-Star Team.
- Kasper Halttunen (London, OHL) in his first year with the London Knights helped capture the 2024 OHL Championship (May 15). He became the first player in OHL history to record a hat trick in back-to-back games in the final and finished with 11 points and eight goals in the four-game sweep. He finished the Memorial Cup with five points (4g, 1a) in four games, including notching a goal in each contest. He tallied 26 points (17g, 9a) in 18 playoff games and finished among Knights’ skaters ranked fourth in goals (32) during the regular season.
- Brandon Svoboda (Youngstown & Fargo, USHL) completed his 2023-24 season in the USHL where he skated in a 40-game regular season split between the Youngstown Phantoms and the Fargo Force, collecting a total of 20 points (12g, 8a). He helped Fargo capture the Clark Cup on May 18, his second consecutive Clark Cup (Previous: Youngstown Phantoms).
- David Klee (Muskegon, USHL) finished with his best points production at the USHL level, hitting the 40-point (15g, 25) mark in his 2023-24 regular season campaign with the Muskegon Lumberjacks. Klee helped the Lumberjacks secure the second seed in the 2024 Clark Cup playoffs but were eliminated by the Dubuque Fighting Saints. He finished his playoff push with Muskegon with two goals and three assists in eight games.
PROSPECT NOTABLES – INTERNATIONAL
- David Edstrom (Frölunda HC, SHL) finished the regular season with Frölunda HC tied for first in assists (12), second in points (19), and third in goals (7) among U-19 SHL skaters. He captured the silver medal with Sweden in the U-20 World Junior Championship where he collected three assists in seven games played.
- Filip Bystedt (Linköping, SHL) logged eight goals and nine assists in 47 games played with Linköping HC on the year. Bystedt made his pro debut on Mar. 4 with the San Jose Barracuda at San Diego Gulls. He finished the contest by finding the back of the net twice and recorded one assist. In eight games with the Barracuda, Bystedt scored seven points (4g, 3a), tallying a point in four of his last five games. He also helped Sweden capture the silver medal at the U-20 World Junior Championship.
- Mattias Hävelid (Linköping, SHL) captured the silver medal alongside fellow Sharks prospect Filip Bystedt at the U-20 WJC. He ranked tied for second among Sweden's U-20 blueliners with six points (1g, 5a) in the tournament. In the regular season, he finished second among U-20 defensemen in points (12) in 43 games played with Linköping HC (SHL).
