It's becoming more and more common for athletes to open up about their mental health struggles. Not only does it show other athletes that it’s okay to talk about it, but it also helps bring awareness to mental health as a whole.

The most recent athlete to open up is San Jose Sharks defenseman Vincent Desharnais, who shared his mental health challenges.

One of the biggest struggles for him was bouncing around from team to team last season. He started the year with the Vancouver Canucks, was dealt to the Pittsburgh Penguins, and then traded again to the Sharks, where he finished the season.

He spoke with Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now about how hard that adjustment was.

"It’s not easy—not because of the players or coaching staff here, that’s the opposite, they made it a lot easier. It’s just a lot, getting traded twice. I was in Pittsburgh for I think 34 days, and it’s hard to find some comfort. You’re all alone in all of this, and showing up here was cool to finish the season although I got hurt and that’s not ideal, but it was nice to be with the guys and coaching staff talking to you and making it feel like ‘Hey, we need you. You have a role here. Whatever happens at the end of the season, who cares, but once you show up next season, we have a role for you and we need you.’ It was a good summer for me to flush all the negative that happened and flush it all and look back to see what I can take from it and move forward to build something. I’ve made a few changes and did a lot of mental work. I think when the season ended, I was kind of in a tough place mentally. I took a lot of time off in the woods and fishing with no phones or social media, and that was very helpful. I’m back and ready. I feel good physically and mentally, and I want to help this team turn around. I want to help this team get better and be competitive. I want teams to see the San Jose Sharks and go ‘Oh, not them again,’ and not ‘Oh, San Jose Sharks, gonna be an easy one tonight.’ A lot of the first three practices and the first three days of camp, I think it’s looking really well for us to be very annoying to play against."

It’s awesome to see that Desharnais was able to overcome his personal struggles and get back to a good place mentally. But there’s also another positive that comes with him overcoming those struggles. He can now be a presence in a very young locker room, someone other players can go to, or go out in the woods and fish with.

Desharnais is the blue liner that head coach Ryan Warsofsky has chosen to pair with Sam Dickinson. The hope is that they can mesh well, become a very reliable pairing, and hopefully earn another contract with the Sharks to have more stability in his life.

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