Thomas Bordeleau looked good, but he didn’t look great when he slotted into a handful of games for the San Jose Sharks at the tail end of last season. He hadn’t taken the massive step forward that Sharks fans had seen other prospects take, such as William Eklund and Filip Bystedt. However, if Bordeleau’s play during the rookie camp is any indication, he’s ready to compete for a spot on the opening night roster.
Bordeleau scored a pair of goals and had an assist during last night’s game against the rookies for the Vegas Golden Knights, helping San Jose to a 5-1 victory. Bordeleau’s second of the night stood up as the game winner.
The 21-year-old’s competitive edge shone through at several points in the night, especially on the first goal. The Sharks had sustained pressure in the Golden Knights’ zone.
Thomas Bordeleau scoring on the Knights?
— San Jose Barracuda (@sjbarracuda) September 17, 2023
Oh yeah, hockey is back 🏒 https://t.co/cXKCuOMRDd pic.twitter.com/NtBS5L36dK
Bordeleau was knocked down or pushed out from the front of the net a few times but kept getting back up and going back. As the play developed, Jake Furlong had the puck at the point and Bordeleau was once again knocked down. But he kept his head up and as Furlong let the point shot fly, Bordeleau got just enough of his stick on it to redirect it past the goaltender.
In case you didn’t get a good enough look at it.
Still not over the Bordeleau goal, slowed down & zoomed in. #SJSharks https://t.co/no80oRTYHE pic.twitter.com/KdB0SggBtb
— SnipeCity420  (@SnipeCity420) September 17, 2023
On his second of the night, it was a different way to show off his hands and his moves. Bordeleau shot the puck from almost at the goal line and found the far side of the net.
Which was better, Bordeleau's first of the night where he tipped the shot while sitting down or his second? Discuss… pic.twitter.com/WjqBQgdrFy
— Fear the Fin (@fearthefin) September 17, 2023
The hands were incredible.
Bordeleau added on an assist toward the end of the game, feeding Ozzy Wiesblatt for an easy one-timer.
Ozzy Wiesblatt on a great feed from Bordeleau
— JD Young (@MyFryHole) September 17, 2023
5-0 #SJSharks pic.twitter.com/qAmekyW4wt
Other Sharks rookies of note
All in all, it was a sound thrashing of Vegas. San Jose controlled the play for most of the game. When the Golden Knights did get an opportunity, Magnus Chrona was there to stop the puck. Chrona played the entire game and stopped 23 pucks before that first one got by him. The goal was scored by Mason Primeau, son of former Shark Wayne Primeau, after a giveaway by the San Jose in its own zone. It was a quick shot in close that beat Chrona. He would not allow another goal in all night.
Kasper Halttunen scored the third goal of the night by simply putting the puck toward the net. After receiving a feed from Bradley Marek, Halttunen skated the puck into the Vegas zone and shot from the left dot. A Vegas played tried to bat the puck away, but ended up redirecting it past his own goaltender instead.
Ethan Cardwell scored the fourth goal of the night in the third period when he simply turned and shot the puck from near the blueline, catching everyone off guard.
Anthony Vincent, who played with the Barracuda last season, made his physical presence known. He delivered a clean hit along the boards that knocked a Vegas player to the ice and forced a retaliation penalty that put San Jose on the power play.
Furlong also did well in his first game of this rookie tournament. The 19-year-old contributed to the offense while not sacrificing his defense for the chance to make a play. Furlong played for the Halifax Mooseheads in the QMJHL last season and had 50 points (7 G, 43 A) in 67 games. He added 11 points (1 G, 10 A) in 21 playoff games.
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