In addition to the Barracuda, the San Jose Sharks have a lot of prospects playing college hockey now. With the move by Will Smith to the NHL, the college scene is a little less exciting than it was last season for Sharks fans, but it’s still something to keep an eye on. The players in the NCAA may not be with the Sharks or Barracuda next season, but they have a shot in a year or two.
Here’s a look at how the Sharks’ draftees in the NCAA are doing through October and half of November.
Eli Barnett – University of Vermont
Sophomore defenseman Eli Barnett has seen his ice time fall off this season with the Catamounts. Barnett has played just five games this season, less than half of the games the University of Vermont hockey team has played. Barnett is a plus-three but has zero points so far.
This appears to be a challenging point in the young player’s development.
Reese Laubach – Penn State
Reese Laubach is in his second season with the Penn State Nittany Lions and he just had a heck of a weekend. Laubach had five points over the weekend, elevating his stats immensely. The sophomore forward has 12 points in 11 games for his team. It’s evenly split between goals and assists, including this goal on Oct. 25.
Reese Laubach hammers this one to tie it 2-2.
— Anthony Desher (@Ranch_Deshing) October 26, 2024
š: Aiden Fink and Ben Schoen pic.twitter.com/OaCTiPJav1
Cameron Lund – Northeastern University
Cameron Lund is one of the top scorers for Northeastern this season. The junior has 10 points in 11 games, evenly split between goals and assists. He had a four game scoring streak between Oct. 18 and Oct. 26 and was named the Sharks Prospect of the Week on Oct. 24.
Joey Muldowney – University of Connecticut
2022 draft pic Joey Muldowney has had a solid start to the season with the University of Connecticut. The 20-year-old right winger shares the team lead with 10 points in 14 games for the Huskies, four goals and six assists.
Eric Pohlkamp – University of Denver
At the start of the season, Eric Pohlkamp’s appeal was his ability to make a big hit and shoot from the point. It was one of the reasons he was the best defenseman at Bemidji State last season and earned a spot on Team USA for the World Junior Championship. That said, I’ll admit I was concerned when he moved up to a top tier hockey university in the University of Denver this season.
Silly me because he appears to be thriving. Since arriving at the University of Denver, Pohlkamp has earned NCHC Defenseman of the Week honors. He’s logged 13 points in 14 games and has 51 shots on goal, including this bomb.
Eric Pohlkamp's blast from the 1st period is tonight's @Safeway Goal of the Game!#GoPios pic.twitter.com/L5wy4M13Mf
— Denver Hockey (@DU_Hockey) October 26, 2024
Pohlkamp is among the top-scoring defensemen in the NCAA, just a few points back of teammate and top 2024 draftee Zeev Buium.
Brandon Svoboda – Boston University
Brandon Svoboda joined the Macklin Celebrini-less Boston University team this fall, hoping to help fill some of the gap left by the exceptional fellow Sharks draft pick. While Svoboda hasn’t put up the same numbers as Celebrini, the freshman has been a good addition to the Terriers.
Svoboda has three goals in seven games with Boston University and is getting some buzz about a potential fourth-line role on Team USA’s World Junior Championship team.
Timofei Spitserov – University of Vermont
Timofei Spitserov is a senior at the University of Vermont, which means this is the decisive year for the young forward. He’s played ten games for the Catamounts this season and has five points in those ten games, including three goals.
One of them was this tip in on Nov. 15.
Great cycle play from Zap & Spitserov as the Catamounts equalize!
— UVM Men's Hockey (@UVMmhockey) November 16, 2024
Watch Live on @ESPNplus at https://t.co/QYdyuYCZ31#802Hockey pic.twitter.com/Kukf92wOjJ
Spitserov was drafted by 210th overall in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft.