Thomas Greiss has had success as a backup this year. Alex Stalock turned heads when he shut out the Phoenix Coyotes in relief of Antti Niemi after a strong rookie season in Worcester. JP Anderson made a name for himself in the Penticton Rookie Tournament.

But what about Tyson Sexsmith?

Of all the talk about the strength of San Jose's stable of minor league goalies, you hardly ever heard Tyson Sexsmith's name mentioned the last couple of years. True, he had a few poor seasons recovering from injury. True, he hasn't exactly lit up the minor leagues.

Well, that is, before this year. The 22 year old Sexsmith is currently fourth in the AHL in save percentage (.931) and third in goals against (1.80) after starting 12 games for San Jose's top developmental affiliate. He's lighting up the AHL as one of the up and coming goalies in the league, even though at one point it was questioned if he would ever be a successful netminder.

It's a question he's faced before.

"My parents always wanted me to be a player, and they said that focusing on your skating was the most important thing," said Sexsmith, who's parents thought he would be better suited as a forward or defenseman. But at seven years old, the young man made a choice, "I'd practice half as a player and half as a goalie."

The lifelong comittment to goaltending, with an emphasis on practice, practice, practice, seems to be paying off for Sexsmith. After a rough 2010-2011 campaign, he has become more of what the Sharks organization thought he would be when they drafted him 91st overall in the 2007 NHL entry draft. This quick rise didn't come without a few bumps on the way, though.

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Traditionally, the San Jose Sharks weakness has been on the blue-line. To quell that concern, General Manager Doug Wilson supplemented his defensive corps with All-Star Brent Burns, the consistent and experienced Colin White, and the physical Jim Vandermeer.

Now that the problem of defense has been solved, at least on paper, the discerning eye of the fan will find another area on which to focus.

The magnifying glass, for the time being, has settled on the third line.

Aside from Burns, it could be said that Michael Handzus  was Wilson's biggest offseason addition. Handzus is an established NHL player who's skill revolves around the defensive aspects of the game. He was brought in to bring stability to a third line which was anchored by Joe Pavelski last year. With Pavelski headed to the first line, Handzus gets the nod.

Lining up to the right of Handzus is Torrey Mitchell. Mitchell, who has shown flashes of being a dependable forward between his many injuries, finally had a rehab-free offseason and will look to build on the foundation he laid next to Wellwood and Pavelski on the productive third line last season.

Wellwood, however, will not return to San Jose after waiting for a contract from the team for most of the offseason before eventually giving into his conservative instincts and signing with Winnipeg just a few weeks ago. Many fans were surprised by the move, feeling that not signing Wellwood left a hole on the third line before training camp began.

There are many players who could fit the bill; Benn Ferriero has shown flashes of high-level talent, while young prospects such as Cam MacIntyre and Brandon Mashinter are competing hard for a shot at the big time. 

However, when the coach put out his lineup card at the start of training camp, it was Jamie McGinn whose name appeared next to Handzus and Mitchell. If the magnifying glass is focused on the third line, many players in McGinn's spot would be sweating.

As of this moment, he couldn't be more confident. 

"I don't think I've ever been more excited for a season to get started," stated McGinn after his first day of camp. "I hope I get the opportunity. I'm ready, the body is in good shape and I feel fast out there. I feel like I'm going to have a lot better season than last year."

If the Sharks are going to be able to roll three lines with the same effect as last season, that feeling will have to become a reality.

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Doug Wilson has always had a keen eye for talent.

Consistent and effective, Wilson and his scouting department have identified plenty of players flying under the radar. Last offseason, when the Sharks signed Cam MacIntyre from Princeton University, many thought this was just the latest excavation of a diamond in the rough.

The prize of the undrafted free agent market, MacIntyre was expected to compete heavily for a roster spot. However, a groin injury prevented him from starting camp. The injury was expected to sideline him just a few days, but the problem proved to be much more persistent, and much more serious. MacIntyre, who worked so hard to get a contract, didn't even get a chance to skate.

"The injuries were dissapointing," said MacIntyre, in a recent interview with Fear the Fin. "They put a damper on things... and prevented me from making the impression that I wanted to last season."

It was a rough start for MacIntyre, who has battled injuries for much of his career as a hockey player. During his time at Princeton, he was limited to just twenty-four games in his junior and senior seasons, which was the main reason the six-foot tall, two-hundred-twenty pound forward went undrafted. Still, San Jose saw promise, promise which MacIntyre is hoping to fulfill.

To start down that road to redemption, MacIntyre was one of the first to begin practicing in the informal Captain's Ice sessions held by members of the team. At Captain's Ice, there are no coaches to impress, no roster spots to be earned.  It's a laxed environment, but MacIntyre sees it as another step in his development.

His dedication to his career is evident in his presence.

"It's good to be on the ice early," states MacIntyre. "There are always things I can be working on."

He's learned that lesson the hard way.

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Every year Dobber Hockey puts together a Fantasy Hockey Guide chock full of information on players across the NHL. Included within the guide is a projection for each organization, columns about potential sleepers, players to avoid, goaltenders to watch, and prospects who may emerge. It is an excellent opportunity for the casual fantasy player to get their feet wet, the hardcore fantasy player to locate some bargains, and the non-fantasy playing fan to learn more about clubs throughout the League.

With their 2011-2012 guide now available we figured it would be a good idea to get one of their analysts on Fear The Fin to talk about Sharks players from a fantasy point of view. Jeff Angus, senior writer and manager at Dobber Hockey, joins us today to talk about Joe Thornton, Logan Couture, Brent Burns, Martin Havlat, and much much more.

Enjoy.

How did you get into fantasy hockey and how long have you been putting out your Fantasy Pool Guide?

I have been writing for DobberHockey, owned by Darryl Dobbs, since 2007. The 2011 edition of our Pool Guide is our sixth. I got in to fantasy the same way most other people did – watching and enjoying the game. Playing fantasy hockey allows us as fans to get a lot closer to the players and teams around the league.

Last season was the first time Joe Thornton didn't score at a point per game pace since joining the Sharks in 2005, in no small part due to the fact that he began to focus more and more on becoming a better defensive centerman. Does this make Thornton a less valuable fantasy hockey pick, or can owners expect him to hit the 85-95 point mark again next season?

I’ll say yes to both questions, but for different reasons. I think Thornton can definitely hit 85-95 points next season, especially with the Heatley-Havlat trade (more on that in the next answer). I don’t think he carries the value he used to, as the Sharks have two young centers in Pavelski and Couture who may eat up some of the power play time he used to have a stranglehold on.

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On draft day 2008, Jason Demers wasn't expecting a call from Sharks General Manager Doug Wilson. He wasn't expecting a call from any NHL team in fact.

A career in the Queber Major Junior League with the Moncton Wildcats and Victoriaville Tigers had produced some notable numbers, but scouts and agents hadn't shown the overwhelming interest usually associated with a league leading point scorer. Demers had doubled his point production from 2007 to 2008 in the QMHL, scoring 9 goals and 64 points with the Tigers, and yet the bites weren't there on the big stage. Coupled with a stint at the Sharks Rookie Tournament in 2007 that didn't result in a professional contract, Demers was looking to go the school route as the next logical step in his life.

Unbeknownst to him, the Sharks were so impressed with his abilities that they had considered offering him a free agent deal a year before his draft day.

Unbeknownst to him, Tim Burke and Doug Wilson were set on taking him in the late rounds, an area of the draft where the organization has made a killing in recent years.

"Making the pros was always my goal, but I was actually leaning more towards the school route before I got drafted," Demers said following a practice at Sharks Ice. "The year before I got drafted my Junior career was going well but there was no talk of going to play pro. I was really interested in science and math, going to a Canadian University."

"It's been a whirlwind since then. It seems just like yesterday I got drafted."

Demers, a 186th pick in 2008, has joined the likes of Joe Pavelski (207th pick, 7th round) and Ryane Clowe (176th pick, 6th round) as late draft selections who are currently making a considerable impact on the team's quest to bring a Stanley Cup to the city of San Jose. Despite an average selection that is 24th in the NHL from 1996-2006, San Jose ranks third in players who have reached the 200 game threshold, first in picks who have played over 50 games, and fourth in average points per pick in that time span [link].

The masterminds behind it all? Director of Scouting Tim Burke and General Manager Doug Wilson.

In tune with the vibrant technological scene in Silicon Valley, the organization has been known to reach out to various firms in the area in order to land the most cutting edge data analysis that analyzes the worth of an individual player. The Sharks currently use propriety statistical measures that give certain weight to occurrences throughout the game-- for example, a goal in the last minute that ties or wins the game will count more towards a player's value than one that was scored with the team leading 6-1. Furthermore, the location of these events, as well as the opponents they were scored against, is also included in the analysis.

It may take a career in math, like the one Demers was considering, to truly understand these formulas and how they have been able to generate successful late round picks.

But it doesn't take any sort of advanced analysis of pre-draft methodology to see the impact Demers has made in the NHL.

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Mickey Rhodes is the current Captain of the San Jose State Spartans hockey team, which finished 10th (3-2-0 overall) at the American College Hockey Association Division II National Championships in Connecticut last season. Although they were the lowest Western seed in the tournament, they took top ranked Ohio State to overtime in the first round, losing 4-5. They also played well in a 3-5 loss to the two seed Michigan State, and defeated last year's National runner up Central Connecticut State by a score of 4-2 in their final game.

Fear The Fin had an opportunity yesterday to talk to the senior winger over the phone. Rhodes was a standout offensive performer last year for the Spartans, scoring 32 goals (2nd on the team), 26 assists (6th), and 58 points (3rd) in 38 regular season games. He also holds the University's record for most all-time penalty minutes, with 388.

The San Jose State Spartans play their home games at Logitech Ice in San Jose, and open up their season this Friday at 7:45. They are a club team, and donations of any size are always welcome. You can visit their website at SJSUHockey.net and make donations here. The team will be hosting the 2011 Nationals at Logitech Ice from March 15th-19th.

Growing up in the Bay Area, who was your biggest influence in starting to play the game?

I would definitely say my dad-- he really pushed me to be the player I am today. He's still a huge influence on me. He grew up playing sports and I definitely got all of my competitiveness from him. My dad was the quintessential hockey father-- took me to all the games, went on all the road trips, and still goes to every game I play in.

Did you start off playing roller hockey? That seems to be a pretty common transition for kids in California before they start to play on ice.

I never played organized roller hockey, but I learned how to skate on rollers before I moved to ice. My dad worked for Budweiser in the mid-90's and did some jobs for HP Pavilion for events and things like that. He met Owen Nolan through that, became good friends with him, and that offered me a way to move onto the ice scene.

Who was your favorite NHL player growing?

Growing up it was definitely Sergei Federov and Owen Nolan.

How about your favorite current Shark?

Jamie McGinn.

(laughs) You and me both, I love McGinn. It's probably unhealthy. We did an interview with him last season and he seems like a real nice down to Earth guy. Apparently he's been looking great with Couture and Mitchell on the third line during training camp.

I'm really excited for him this season, I think he's going to have a big year. I actually went up to Canada with him this summer and consider him a pretty good friend of mine. We went back to BC and hung out with him and Julian Talbot at Jamie's cabin. It was a lot of fun.

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Nick Petrecki was chosen by the San Jose Sharks with their second first round selection (28th overall) in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. Before starting his professional career this season with the Worcester Sharks, he played with the Boston College Eagles, who he helped to win the NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship title in his Freshman year.

In Worcester, Petrecki played 65 games, posting 2 goals and 14 assists. More Worcester Sharks information can be found at their official site.

Plank and TCY would like to thank Nick Petrecki and Worcester Sharks Director of Public Relations Eric Lindquist for making this interview happen. Enjoy.

How did you first learn the game of hockey? Who got you into the game at a young age?

I'd definitely say my father. He played Division III hockey at Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts. I picked it up at a young, young age, and he started building me rinks to skate in the backyard. He'd give me sticks and make nets, he really taught me everything I know about the game. 

Any favorite players or teams growing up?

I was always a fan, being from New York, of the New York Rangers. Mark Messier was definitely my favorite player.

Tell us about your championship with Boston College in 2008, and why you decided to go pro with two years of eligibility left.

Well, 2008 was my Freshman year. It was a great year; we had alot of talent on the team and overall just had a great group of guys who got along together both on and off the ice. We had great leadership in our captain Mike Brennan; he's still one of the best guys I've played with leadership wise. We were so close and so talented it was almost, like, our destiny to win that year. The previous years, BC lost to Wisconsin and Michigan State in the finals, so we felt like we were due.

Pertaining to the decision to go pro, I just felt that the reason you play hockey is to play at the highest level possible. I felt that after two years, what I had accomplished not only team wise but personally as well, I was pretty satisfied. I wanted to take my game to the next level and not only move on, but also face the challenges of professional hockey. 

For you, what was the hardest part about transitioning from the college to professional game? 

I think the hardest part... it's just a totally different lifestyle. In college, your days are so full; you have classes, tutoring sessions, study hall, practice, work outs with the team... the lifestyle in the pros is so different. You get up, you get some breakfast in you, you go skate in the morning, you get a workout in if you want and then you're pretty much home at one o'clock with a ton of free time. It's about finding stuff to do.

You know, last year I didn't continue taking any classes at BC...but this year, going through once and knowing how much free time I'll have, I'm going to start taking some online classes and working towards my degree.

The easiest thing?

The easiest part was probably the ability to be at the rink every day. You know, in college, you can only practice a certain amount per week according to NCAA rules, and workout a certain amount per week, but now it's hockey, hockey, hockey all the time. It's pretty nice.

Like I said, there's alot of free time, but if you want to stay at the rink all day and work on stuff you can. So I think that was really nice to have as an option. If I want to stay on the ice for four hours and work on my stuff, I'm allowed to do that. 

You played all season in Worcester, but because of injuries and call ups, had varying defensive partners. Is this something that Roy Sommer likes to do, and is it something you're familiar with?

I can't speak for Roy, so I can't say if that's something he likes to do. I think that's just the circumstances we were in last year. We had Joe Callahan miss almost half the season because of a neck surgery. We had Derek Joslin up a ton. We had Jason Demers up a ton. We also had a ton of injuries. We had Mike Wilson get his finger broken late in the season. I think it was just the cards we were dealt.

When you play that many games, alot more negative things and positive things can happen than in college. We faced a bit of an injury bug there for a while. But that's just the hand we were dealt and I thought we handled it pretty well with not only guys that got called up but also the guys who got sent down. We just had to roll with the punches.

Your minutes decreased pretty significantly at the tail end of the regular season, and you were scratched during the playoffs. Why would you say that happened, and how did you deal with that adversity?

I dealt with it as a learning experience. I was pretty happy with my year; I'm glad I left school and I'm glad I got one year of professional hockey underneath my belt. It was definitely a learning year.

But at the same time, I want to be in the lineup every night. I obviously wasn't doing something right, you know, for the coaches to keep me out of the game. 

I think it came down to consistency. You know, not always having an A game, but I shouldn't be having a D game either. I think you find that equilibrium and everything, I have to be solid at both ends of the rink and be a reliable guy in pressure situations. I think that this year my main goal is consistency. But again, at the same time, it was a great learning experience. It wasn't an easy thing to deal with, but I thought I handled it really well. At the same time, it's definitely a learning factor and something I want to work towards. 

I want to make it harder for the coach to take me out of the lineup.

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Bret Hedican is a 17 year NHL veteran and is currently an analyst for CSN-California. The two time Olympian and former Stanley Cup winner (with Carolina in 2006) has held that position for the 2009-2010 NHL season. Mr. Hedican also contributed to Vanity Fair during the 2010 Olympics.

Mr. Hedican was kind enough to talk with Plank and TCY about the Sharks' first round playoff series with Colorado and their pending matchup against the Detroit Red Wings. You can read more of his thoughts on the Sharks at CSNBayArea.com, his website BretHedican.com, and by following him during the playoffs on CSN-CA.

Fear The Fin would like to thank Bret Hedican and Comcast for making this interview happen.

San Jose had to handle some adversity in the first round, falling victim to a pair of bad bounces that resulted in Avalanche wins. How does a locker room take that experience and apply it to the next series?

Well I think if you have the wrong guys in the locker room, those things will affect you in ways that are negative. But I think if anything, the Dan Boyle shot that went off O'Reilly's stick and went in the net, I think it actually galvanized the team. It brought them closer together and I think that says a lot about the group that is the San Jose Sharks.

Who in the locker room do you see as one of the leaders who takes the reigns after a loss like that?

Well I think it's changing. You take a look at this series and there are some players who are coming to the forefront, obviously Joe Pavelski and Ryane Clowe. For me, they are the two guys who come to mind automatically because they have done more than just score goals and make things happen. What they've done is they've carried the team in the playoffs. Obviously you can't say enough about Patrick Marleau, Joe Thornton and Dany Heatley and what they did in the regular season, but the Pavelski line won that series. They were the one pivotal group that made a difference on the nightly basis, and they took the series for the Sharks.

You mention the second line and the impact they had in the Colorado series. What other players impressed you during the series against the Avalanche?

There are some players who got better as the series went on. The defensive corps got better. Even Huskins and Demers, to some degree, got better. Demers-- I always thought was a really good player. But he still had a lot to learn in the regular season, and I didn't know how he would fare in the playoffs. However, he and Huskins solidified as a pair as the series progressed. Vlasic got healthier and in turn was effective. He also makes Blake better because they feed off each other, they know what the other is going to do and that's important, especially in the playoffs.

On the forward side, Torrey Mitchell is finally starting to skate. He's starting to turn his brain off and just play the game, use his legs. He's been a noticeable factor. Scott Nichol was noticeable because he was doing what he does best, being physical and using the body. Nobody was doing that the first two games, and consequently they weren't doing too well in those games. Scott Nichol has been physical the whole series, but as we saw, it took more than one guy.

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