We are just 45 days away from the San Jose Sharks kicking off their season at the SAP Center against the Vegas Golden Knights.

Because of that, let’s take a look at the players in franchise history who have worn the number 45. Surprisingly, there have been five players to wear the number 45 in franchise history, with the first time coming back in 1992-93.

Claudio Scremin was the first to wear number 45 in 1992, but not the only one. The right-handed defenseman only played in 17 games over two seasons. In his first season, he played in 13 games but failed to record a point. In the second season, he skated in four games and picked up a lone assist.

Neil Wilkinson also wore number 45 in 1992. However, after the 1991-92 season he switched to number five. Over two seasons with the club, he played in 119 games and scored five goals and 22 assists for 27 points. He also suited up for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Minnesota North Stars, Winnipeg Jets, and Chicago Blackhawks over his 10-year NHL career.

Dody Wood wore number 45 in the 1992-93 season, before switching to number 16 for the next four seasons. Over his five years with the organization, he played in 106 games and scored eight goals and 10 assists for 18 points.

Next up, the most notable player to wear number 45 is Jody Shelley. He wore it over three seasons from 2007 to 2010. In that time, he skated in 137 games, scoring three goals and 11 assists for 14 points, while racking up 285 penalty minutes. Shelley was more known for his physical play than his scoring, but he quickly became a fan favorite in nearly every city he played. He also suited up for the Columbus Blue Jackets, Philadelphia Flyers, and New York Rangers.

The most recent player to don number 45 was Lean Bergmann in 2020-21. The native of Germany played in 13 games over two seasons with the organization and recorded one assist. Unfortunately, he hasn’t returned to the NHL since the 2020-21 season.

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