Gambrell, who will turn 21 on Aug. 26, has 89 points (30 goals, 59 assists) in 90 games for Denver, an indication of his offensive skills.
"Just a real skilled heady type player that has really good vision," said Roy Sommer, coach of the San Jose Barracuda of the American Hockey League. "They throw the term out there 'hockey sense,' but he seems to have a lot of that. What's intriguing about him to me is he's really good in traffic. He kind of darts in and out.
"Good skater, high skill set, can move a puck and he's got a good shot. He's around the net a lot. And he's a centerman. He looks like kind of a natural centerman."
During the Sharks prospect scrimmage at SAP Center on July 6, Gambrell scored two goals, including one in a 3-on-3 overtime.
Gambrell won a battle for the puck along the right boards, skated through the right circle, toe-dragged and scored from the slot for his OT goal.
"I cut back there and, just looking at the net, it looked like there was quite a bit of room," Gambrell said. " I had a guy driving back door, so I think the [defenseman] kind of went with him, so I just tried to make a move to the middle, make the goalie kind of shift over."
With a year more of schooling, the Sharks hope Gambrell might be able to teach NHL opponents a few things one day.