The San Jose Sharks' first day of development camp was one of intensity and learning. Prospects Will Smith and Quentin Musty experienced NHL coaching for the first time. On the other hand, Filip Bystedt has returned to development camp with an entry-level contract signed. "It's a lot of emotions. Happiness and obviously proud of myself that I've gotten this far, but it's just going forward from this," Bystedt said. San Jose Barracuda coach John McCarthy was leading the on-ice drills today. Many of the drills were battle drills in corners or along the boards. With Bystedt's size and reach, he seemed to have easy success. San Jose Sharks 2022 first-round pick does a battle drill in the corner during development camp. Although he is going against a coach, the ability to easily create space in the corner is obvious from Bystedt. "Yeah, it's a bit of everything," Bystedt said regarding what he wants to improve. "I would say I want to get faster, [I've been] working a lot this summer to get faster. More of the small details around the boards and everything like that." With all the intensity of on-ice work, the prospects are also there to enjoy their time getting to know other parts of the organization. This includes the social media team getting content. As for the "older guys" in camp, they were separated and did not have a goalie. This group consisted of Thomas Bordeleau, Henry Thrun, Shakir Mukhamadullin, Danil Gushchin, and more Barracuda/Sharks players from last season. Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MTk5MTI5MjkwNDg5NDcyOTgw/img_5535.jpg] This group was focusing on puck skills. Separated between forwards and defensemen, each coach was working on shot release. San Jose Sharks defensemen prospects work on their shot release at development camp. It makes sense to separate these groups as this drill focuses on getting the puck off the blade as fast as possible. It may seem repetitive, but getting a puck through to the net from the point is crucial to offensive zone work as a D-man. San Jose Sharks forward prospects work on their release at development camp. Changing the angle of the release has become a crucial skill to have in the NHL. In this drill, we see multiple forwards working on changing the angle of their shot just before the release. Players like Bordeleau can utilize this skill to take their game to the next level. "I think for me, it's time to take the next step and really bear down on what I can do and what I can bring to this team and just be able to play, be able to perform," Bordeleau said. "I think it's my first full summer, I think, in five years. It's good to have time to work out, get bigger, and get faster. I'm really taking advantage of the summer. I've been grinding hard, so I'm excited for camp." The San Jose Sharks will need the older players to take that next step in their development to help continue building the team.
