SAN JOSE, CA – The San Jose Sharks add grit and skill to the roster by acquiring Ben Eager and Kyle Wellwood to the roster.
Ben Eager was traded from the Atlanta Thrashers to San Jose for a 5th round draft pick and Kyle Wellwood was picked up on waivers after playing 25 games in the KHL in Russia.
Wellwood has played a total of 339 games in the NHL splitting time between Toronto and Vancouver prior to this season. He is known as a decent face-off man with soft hands and can be very crafty with the puck. He will add some depth to the second power play unit and is responsible in his own zone. The biggest knock on Wellwood is he always leaves you wanting more, and not in a good way. With great hands and composure with the puck many consider him to be an under-achiever. He stands at 5’9 and a 175 pounds but has proven to be rather durable throughout his career.
Ben Eager on the other hand is a strapping 235 pounds and stands at 6’2. He was a part of the Stanley Cup winning Chicago Blackhawks from last season and plays an in your face style who is not afraid to mix things up when needed. After a poor reaction to San Jose star rookie Logan Couture’s knee on knee incident last week by the Leafs enforcer Colton Orr a need for more sand paper became alarmingly apparent.
Even more impressive about these two additions is that GM Doug Wilson parted with a 5th round draft pick for both players.
Head coach Todd McLellan spoke about the newest members of the club at practice.
“The two different players are here for two different reasons,” McLellan said. “ Ben Eager has some size and the ability to skate, has played in big games and can give a team a ton of energy. We’re looking for him to create time and space on the ice for himself and his teammates. Kyle brings a totally different skill set. He’s crafty with the puck and has a very good mind for the game. He sees things happening. He’s good in the face-off circle and has the ability to play on the power play with some poise and some vision.”
These two moves add some depth to a team that along with injuries will have to go without the services of Scott Nichol until after the All-Star break due to a 4-game suspension for a hit against Phoenix Coyotes defenseman David Shlemko. Nichol is not known as a dirty player but did leave his feet and got his elbow up in a 4-2 win over the Coyotes on Monday afternoon in Arizona.
Ryan Clowe remains sidelined after being clipped by a skate and his return is unknown. Skate injuries have become more common in the NHL and Dion Phaneuf the captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs missed the better part of two months recovering from his laceration earlier in the season.
Torrey Mitchell is another Shark forward who has been sidelined until after the All-Star break and is expected back some time in early February. With injuries adding up to the forward core of the Sharks GM Wilson needed to step and do something to bolster team teal.
John McCarthy just returned from the injured reserved list as Antero Niittymaki was put on it prior to yesterday’s game. Niittymaki is out for at least a week with a groin injury.
Jordan White from the University of British Columbia was called in on a one day try out basis to back up Antti Niemi last night against the Vancouver Canucks. The Sharks were in a tough position because they were unable to fly a goalie from Worcester to the west coast in time for the game.
After the game White was exasperated with the experience and had this to say.
“It was a great experience, all the moments exceeded everything I thought they’d be, but tomorrow I’m focused on playing for my team, and getting us into the playoffs, I didn’t get paid for the game, but the jersey, and the hat are all I need to remember this experience.”
Every year the Sharks invite the people who are most deserving to tag along on a road trip with the team, the fathers of the players who spent countless hours in rinks so their kids can enjoy the sport of hockey.
Let’s put this into perspective for a moment. These guys aren’t sitting inside a heated gym or breathing fresh air while out walking on a sunny golf course. They are up early in the morning often driving through blistering snow storms, and then they get to watch the games or practices in sub-freezing temperatures. Most of these events take place on week-ends so the adults social calendar takes a hard hit as well. No one is more deserving than dads of hockey players for such a trip.
The team’s fathers were flown in for a home game against the visiting St. Louis Blues and it couldn’t have come at a better time. The team had lost six straight games and needed something to inspire them to raise their level of play. Everyone plays better when their father is there and the Sharks came out performing like they had a breath of fresh air. After snapping their losing streak against the Blues by the score 4-2 they continued to play inspired hockey against the Coyotes in Phoenix beating their division rivals by the same score. With a couple of days off before visiting the conference leaders in Vancouver everyone enjoyed rounds of golf in the Phoenix sunshine. Who says Phoenix Arizona doesn’t have a place in the NHL.
Last night the Sharks went into the Rogers Center to take on the Canucks who have been the league’s hottest team as of late. These teams had met twice before last night’s game and the Canucks won them both. In one of the most exciting games of the season the Sharks earned their first win of the year over the conference leaders 2-1 with Joe Pavelski scoring the shootout winner. Both goalies were on top of their game in a playoff atmosphere.
The Sharks return home to battle with the Wild from Minnesota on Saturday night at the HP Pavilion.
Keep your sticks on the ice,
Contact Cam.Gore@prohockeynews.com
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