To 25 San Jose Sharks under 25: No. 4 Chris Tierney

Chris Tierney has been in the Sharks organization since he was drafted 55th overall in 2012. He played two seasons with the OHL’s London Knights after he was drafted. In 2014, he had a short stint with the Worcester Sharks (where he scored 29 points in 29 games) before being called up to the Sharks, where he has played all but two games since.

Tierney spent time centering both the third and fourth lines for the Sharks this season, and unsurprisingly had more success with his linemates (Joel Ward and Patrick Marleau) on the former. We did a post about his production with various linemates a couple months ago that you can read here.

There’s certainly reason to have hope for the future with Chris Tierney. From Hockey’s Future:

Tierney is an intelligent hockey player with a high-end playmaker skill set. He is strong defensively with an active stick and strong skating that allows him to change directions quickly. He is a sound two-way center man with puck skills, competitiveness, and hockey sense. HIs combination of hockey IQ and defensive awareness make him valuable on the penalty kill. He has vision and a knack for scoring big goals. Tierney’s team-first style of play is reminiscent of a young Ryan Callahan — though he is not as vocal. Tierney continues to work on his technical skills, including improving his shot, but the potential is there for an NHL caliber difference maker.

With solid teammates to work with, Tierney should have success as a third line center in the NHL.

Name: Chris Tierney

Age (as of 10/12/16): 22

Position: Center

2015-16 Team: San Jose Sharks and San Jose Barracuda (but only for two games)

Where he’ll (probably) be next year: San Jose Sharks

What we like: He’s got a strong defensive game and he’s a good skater.

What to improve on: His goal scoring abilities, and specifically his shot.

Highlight:

How could it NOT be Tierney’s goal in the series clinching game against the Kings?