The San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) announced today that defenseman Henry Thrun has been selected as this year's "Sharks Rookie of the Year" in a vote by Bay Area media. Thrun’s win marks the fifth time over the previous seven seasons that the award has been won by a defenseman.
Thrun, 23, has mostly spent the season with the Sharks, recording 11 points (three goals, eight assists) across 48 games to date, which is leads team rookies, and is tied for seventh among league rookie defensemen in goals. He has also appeared in 18 games for the San Jose Barracuda, scoring six points (one goal, five assists) in the American Hockey League (AHL). Thrun registered his first multi-point effort this year against the Arizona Coyotes on Apr. 7, collecting one goal and one assist, and also achieved his first multi-assist game (second career) on Apr. 11 at Seattle. He set a career high 25:41 TOI on Jan. 22, 2024 against the Los Angeles Kings along with an identical 25:41 on Apr. 9 vs. the Calgary Flames and has eclipsed the 25-minute mark four times this year. He is one of three NHL rookie blueliners to have skated in at least 25 minutes in a game four or more times this season (Brock Faber, Luke Hughes).
Thrun scored his first NHL goal this season on Jan. 9, 2024 against the Toronto Maple Leafs, and registered assists in consecutive games from Apr. 6-7, 2024.
The six-foot-two, 190-pound native of Southborough, MA was originally selected by Anaheim in the 2019 NHL Draft (third round, 101st overall). He was acquired by San Jose from Anaheim in exchange for a third-round selection in the 2024 NHL Draft on Feb. 28, 2023.
PAST WINNERS OF THE "SHARKS ROOKIE OF THE YEAR" AWARD INCLUDE:
2022-23 William Eklund
2021-22 Jonathan Dahlen
2020-21 Nikolai Knyzhov
2019-20 Mario Ferraro
2018-19 Radim Simek
2017-18 Joakim Ryan
2016-17 Kevin Labanc
2015-16 Joonas Donskoi
2014-15 Melker Karlsson
2013-14 Matt Nieto & Tomas Hertl
2012-13 Matt Irwin
2011-12 Andrew Desjardins
2010-11 Logan Couture
2009-10 Jason Demers
2008-09 Tomas Plihal
2007-08 Torrey Mitchell
2006-07 Marc-Edouard Vlasic
2005-06 Milan Michalek
2003-04 Tom Preissing
2002-03 Jim Fahey
2001-02 Matt Bradley
2000-01 Evgeni Nabokov
1999-00 Brad Stuart
1998-99 Alexander Korolyuk
1997-98 Patrick Marleau, Marco Sturm, Andrei Zyuzin
1996-97 Stephen Guolla
1995-96 Marcus Ragnarsson
1994-95 Jeff Friesen
