The San Jose Sharks have an abundance of prospects who will be battling for spots in the NHL and the American Hockey League [http://thn.com/ahl] this coming season. While there will be other prospects playing in a variety of leagues, today we’re going to focus on prospects who are expected to start the season with the San Jose Barracuda. Let’s take a look at some first-year professionals (in North America) whom head coach John McCarthy will be able to count on to push the Barracuda forward and further their development. Quentin Musty had a strange 2024-25 season. It started with a holdout, as he refused to report to the Sudbury Wolves of the Ontario Hockey League [http://thn.com/ohl] to start the season. Eventually, he’d return to the team, but it did prevent him from participating in the Wolves’ first 12 games. Less than a month after reporting to Sudbury, Musty broke his hand against the Oshawa Generals. Not only did that knock him out of OHL action, but it also prevented him from participating in the IIHF World Junior Championship. All things considered, he had a pretty strong season for the Wolves but did take a step backward production-wise. During the 2023-24 season, he averaged 1.92 points-per-game, a number that dropped to 1.79 in his most recent outing. While there are many factors that contributed to that occurring, it wasn’t ideal to see from one of the Sharks’ top young prospects. Musty made his debut with the Barracuda after the Wolves’ season came to an end. He played three games in the AHL, but failed to record a point. Once he gets a full professional training camp, though, things will likely be different for the 20-year-old winger. The Sharks’ second-round selection in the 2023 NHL Draft, Kasper Halttunen, has been successful at any level he’s played. He’s played at essentially every level of Finnish hockey, including a 27-game stint with HIFK in Liiga. Although he only recorded a single assist during that stretch, playing at that level as a teenager was an impressive feat in its own right. Halttunen made the jump to North America immediately after being drafted, joining the OHL’s London Knights, where he’d play alongside fellow Sharks prospect Sam Dickinson. Under head coach Dale Hunter, Halttunen made an instant impact for the Knights. In his first year, he scored 32 goals and totaled 61 points in 57 games while learning to adapt to the North American style of play. After training camp last season, general manager Mike Grier faced a decision regarding Halttunen. As a European, Halttunen was eligible for the American Hockey League as a 19-year-old, but they also had the option to send him back to London alongside Dickinson and allow them to develop together. Ultimately, Halttunen was given a stint in the AHL to start the season, but it didn’t last long. In six games, he scored two goals and added two assists before Grier decided to send him north of the border to rejoin the Knights in London. From there, Halttunen had a decent showing with the Knights; however, he didn’t take the jump forward that the Sharks were likely hoping for during the regular season. He finished with 21 goals and 41 points in 38 games for the Knights, but he truly found his game in the playoffs. During the postseason, Halttunen was a key contributor to the Knights’ run to the Memorial Cup. He scored 15 goals in 17 games, while adding six more assists for a total of 21 points. When all was said and done, Halttunen would end the season as a Memorial Cup champion and was named MVP of the OHL playoffs. Now, he gets the opportunity to show what he can do as a full-time professional. The 2025-26 season will undoubtedly be crucial for Halttunen’s development, and if he’s not a key player for the Barracuda, that could indicate some issues ahead. Like Halttunen, Igor Chernyshov does have a decent amount of professional experience. He played a total of 39 games in the Russian Kontinental Hockey League before making the jump to North America for the 2024-25 season. However, he has only played three professional games on North American soil. He made his debut for the Barracuda late last season and scored his first goal in May against the Colorado Eagles in his only postseason appearance under McCarthy. The Sharks’ second-round pick in 2024, Chernyshov, brings size and powerful skating to the team, but also much more. According to Elite Prospects’ 2024 Draft Guide [https://www.eliteprospects.com/nhl-draft-guide/2024], “Chernyshov excels at anticipating openings and exploiting them. He beats defenders consistently by properly setting up his dekes, building up speed below the puck, and then attacking with a speed advantage and working give-and-goes.” Although the Sharks will have an abundance of high-end talent at the AHL level, the Barracuda’s rookies should be some of McCarthy’s most dominant players. If that's not the case, it could be cause for some concern. Photo Credit: David Reginek-Imagn Images
