Marcus Sorensen signs with SHL club

Forward Marcus Sorensen has signed a four-year deal with Djugardens IF of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). Sorensen’s time in San Jose was limited, considering his pending free agent status this off-season and Doug Wilon’s “reset” narrative, so it comes as little surprise that Sorensen has decided to return to Sweden for this next stage in his hockey career.

Drafted in 2010 in the fourth round (106th overall) by the Ottawa Senators, Sorensen chose to spend the first few years of his professional career playing in the Djugardens organization, letting his rights with Ottawa expire before signing an entry-level contract with the San Jose Sharks in 2016. Sorensen’s five-year NHL career saw him move between the San Jose Sharks and the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda. His career-best year with the Sharks came in the 2018-19 season, where he totaled 17 goals, 13 assists, 23 penalty minutes and a +10 over 80 games.

Sorensen’s move to the SHL makes sense after a few struggling seasons in the NHL. He’s familiar with the Djugardens IF organization, having played for them before, and he’s able to return to his native country and be closer to family and friends. Fans will miss him, but a four-year contract in the SHL is a great move for Sorensen. The winger never quite reached the top end of offensive talent Sharks management expected of him, but was a reliable depth player in the NHL and a star in the AHL.

Sorensen is a creative scorer and an exciting, physical edge to his game. In his final season with the Sharks, Sorensen played 29 games for a total of 1 goal, 4 assists, 16 PIMs and a -5 rating. It’s not the best record he’s ever had with the Sharks, which may be why the Sharks decided to not re-sign him once his contract expired.

Sorensen is currently 29 years old, and while Jaromir Jagr is re-writing the rules of hockey retirement age, it’s unlikely that Sorensen will return to the NHL, or the Sharks at the end of his SHL contract in 2025-26, which will put him in his mid-thirties. It’s possible that Sorensen may have played his last NHL game, in which case we wish him all the best in the SHL and this new stage in his career.