San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) General Manager Mike Grier announced today that the club has signed defenseman Eric Pohlkamp to a two-year, entry-level contract.
Pohlkamp, 22, recorded 39 points (18 goals, 21 assists) in 43 games this season for the University of Denver. He led all collegiate defensemen in points and goals, and led his team in points, shots (188), blocked shots (83), and finished tied for second in game-winning goals (3). His 18 goals by a defenseman tied for third all-time in program history, the most such goals by a blueliner since the 1975-76 season. He registered 11 multi-point games, including three separate three-point games, and scored his first career collegiate hat trick on Nov. 10 against Bentley University. He also recorded a four-game point streak from Nov. 1-14, scoring six points (four goals, two assists).
By the end of the season, he helped Denver capture the National Championship, along with being named the HCA National Defenseman of the Month and the NCHC Defenseman of the Month in November after helping the Pioneers to a 6-2-0 record, scoring seven goals across the calendar month. He ranked tied for first in goals among all NCHC skaters, and led all defensemen in the category, along with shots (48), points (tied), and was second in blocked shots (11), and plus/minus (+10). He was also a Top-3 Finalist for the 2026 Hobey Baker Award, was selected to the AHCA First All-America Team, and earned the Sharks Prospect of the Year Award.
Over the course of his career in the NCAA, he has appeared in 119 games, scoring 98 points (40 goals, 58 assists). He’s earned several awards and accolades during his tenure in college, including the NCHC Third All-Star Team (2024-25), the CCHA All-Rookie Team, First All-Star Team, and was the regular season champion in the CCHA.
Prior to his time in college, he spent two seasons in the USHL with the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders, scoring 69 points (23 goals, 46 assists) in 120 career games. In the 2022-23 season, he was named the USHL Defenseman of the Year and First All-Star team after scoring 51 points in 59 games, co-leading defensemen in the category. He was tied for third in assists and was second in goals.
Internationally, he represented Team USA in the 2024 World Junior Championships, scoring three points in seven games.
The five-foot-eleven, 205-pound native of Brainerd, MN was selected by San Jose in the 2023 NHL Draft (fifth round, 132nd overall).
