In this edition of Next Wave, discover what our prospects have been working on and the progress they've made.
PROSPECT OF THE WEEK:
- Igor Chernyshov (San Jose, NHL) was named Sharks Prospect of the Week on Dec. 22. He was recalled to the Sharks on Dec. 15 and has tallied an assist in each of his first three NHL games since making his debut on Dec. 16 against Calgary. He becomes the ninth player in Sharks history to record a point in each of his first three NHL games.
- Noah Beck (Wichita, ECHL) was named Sharks Prospect of the Week on Dec. 15. He posted a five-game assist streak (1g, 8a), the longest such streak in the ECHL before his recall to the ‘Cuda on Dec. 19, and was second in points (25), tied for second in goals (6), and tied for third in points (19) among league blueliners on the year.
- Carson Wetsch (Kelowna, WHL) was named Sharks Prospect of the Week on Dec. 12. He posted a career-high four-point game at the WHL level, tallying one goal and three assists in the 8-5 win at Regina on Dec. 13. He is the only skater among his club to reach the 20-assist mark on the year.
BARRACUDA
- The San Jose Barracuda are 6-4-0-0 in their past 10 games and sit in second place in the AHL Pacific Division. The ‘Cuda rank first in power-play goals for (32), and seventh in total goals for (93) in the league.
- Ethan Cardwell was also recalled to the Sharks on Dec. 15 for his second stint with the club on the year. Cardwell posted nine points (3g, 6a) in 14 games played with the ‘Cuda this season, including tied for 10th in scoring with the club before his recall.
- Jakub Skarek reached double digits in wins after making 28 saves on 31 shots faced in the 4-3 win at Ontario in a shootout. Skarek has earned a win in each of his past two appearances, including wins in four of his past five appearances.
- Filip Bystedt posted a season-high three-point game, matching a career high, tallying two goals and one assist in the 4-3 overtime win at Texas on Dec. 13. He has tallied nine points (4g, 5a) in his past 10 games played.
- Quentin Musty is riding a season-long three-game assist streak since Dec. 13. He ranks tied for third in assists (15) and tied for sixth in points (22) among AHL rookie skaters this year.
- Luca Cagnoni found the scoresheet in consecutive games played on the road from Dec. 17-20, tallying an assist in each contest. He ranks tied for fifth in points (19), goals (5), and tied for 10th in assists (14) among AHL blueliners this season.
- Kasper Halttunen tallied a point (1g, 1a) in each of the Barracuda’s wins in a doubleheader weekend at Ontario from Dec. 20-21. He ranks sixth in goals (6) among his team this year.
PROSPECT NOTABLES – NORTH AMERICA
- Donavan Houle (Wichita, ECHL) was also recalled to the Barracuda on Dec. 19. He posted three multi-point efforts in his past six games before his recall, tallying four goals and four assists in that span.
- Jack Bar (Wichita, ECHL) tallied his seventh assist of the season with the Thunder on Dec. 17 in the 6-3 victory at Lake Tahoe. Bar ranks second in points (8) and assists (7) among Wichita blueliners this season.
- Eric Pohlkamp (Denver, NCHC) has reached the 20-point mark for the third consecutive season in the NCAA. He leads NCAA blueliners in goals (12) and is tied for second in points (20), becoming one of four NCAA defensemen to reach the 20-point mark.
- Joey Muldowney (UConn, HE) has tied his season-long with points in three consecutive games played since Nov. 22, tallying four assists in that span. He is tied for first among his club in goals (6), tied for second in points (11), and tied for eighth in assists (5).
- Zack Sharp (Western Michigan, NCHC) netted his third goal of the season on Dec. 12 in the 3-2 win in overtime against the Univ. of Minnesota-Duluth. He is now two goals away from matching his career best at the NCAA level with Western Michigan Univ.
- Reese Laubach (Penn State, Big 10) became one of five forwards among his club to reach double digits in points this year. Laubach has notched three goals in his past three games played with Penn State.
- David Klee (North Dakota, NCHC) posted a season-long three-game point streak (2g, 1a) from Dec. 5-12, including registering his first goal with North Dakota on Dec. 12 in the 4-3 victory at St. Cloud State Univ.
- Eli Barnett (New Brunswick, AUS) ranks 4th in plus-minus rating (+6), and fifth in points (5) and assists (5) among New Brunswick defensemen.
- Teddy Mutryn (Moncton, QMJHL) has registered 12 points (8g, 4a) in his past 10 games played with Moncton (QMJHL). He ranks seventh in goals (16) and tied for seventh in points (34) among QMJHL U19 skaters this season.
- Joshua Ravensbergen (Prince George, WHL) was named to Team Canada’s training camp roster on Dec. 8 for the 2026 World Junior Championship. He posted a win in eight-straight appearances for Prince George since Nov. 11 before being named to Canada’s roster. In that span, Ravensbergen has recorded a .913 or better in seven of his eight appearances.
- Max Heise (Prince Albert, WHL) posted multi-point efforts in three-straight contests from Dec. 6-12, tallying three goals and four assists in that span. Prince Albert’s alternate captain ranks tied for first in goals (14), fifth in points (24), and tied for seventh in assists (10) among his team this season.
- Haoxi (Simon) Wang (Oshawa, OHL) tallied his 11th assist of the season on Dec. 19 at London. Wang became the first defenseman among Oshawa defensemen to reach double digits in assists and points on the year.
- Christian Kirsch (Kitchener, OHL) ranks tied for sixth in wins (12), tied for seventh in shutouts (1), and eighth in goals against average (2.61) among OHL U20 goaltenders this season. He was named to Switzerland’s World Junior Championship preliminary roster Dec. 5
PROSPECT NOTABLES – INTERNATIONAL
- Axel Landén (TPS, Liiga) netted his second goal of the season, his first since Oct. 17, in the 4-3 overtime win at HIFK on Dec. 19. He has now matched his career best goal total at the professional level, matching his total from last season with IK Oskarshamn.
- Leo Sahlin Wallenius (Växjö Lakers HC, SHL) has skated in both of Team Sweden’s pre-tournament competitions on Dec. 17 and Dec. 20 against Team Canada. He posted a +2 rating in the 4-2 win against Team Canada on Dec. 20. Sahlin Wallenius was named to Team Sweden’s roster on Dec. 5.
- Yegor Rimashevsky (SKA-1946, MHL) notched his third goal of the season on Dec. 7 at Traktor Chelyabinsk in the 8-4 win. He is now four goals shy from matching his 2024-25 season total (7) with Dynamo Moskva in 58 games played
