Apr 26, 2022
That’s a wrap. The 2021-22 season officially came to a close in Henderson on Saturday night as the Barracuda were dealt a 5-2 loss to the Silver Knights.
I can remember looking at our roster back in October and thinking we were going to have a really strong team, one that could compete for the division. That was dashed relatively quickly as the club never quite found its footing. Injuries, COVID/taxi squad, trades, recalls, were all factors. In total, 19 different players appeared in games with the both the Sharks and the Barracuda, and 52 players were used (franchise record) at various points by head coach Roy Sommer. Of the 52, 29 were considered AHL rookies (franchise record) as the Barracuda averaged the youngest roster in the league (23.65). Of the 19 players who appeared in the first game of the year at Bakersfield on Oct. 17, just six were still on the Barracuda roster at the end of the year, and none of the club’s leadership group remained (Jaycob Megna – Sharks, Mark Alt – Rochester Americans, and Dylan Gambrell – Ottawa Senators).
Although the season ended with the team dropping its final 15 games, we saw a glimpse into a bright future with the pro debuts of Thomas Bordeleau, Daniil Gushchin and Gannon Laroque down the final stretch of the year. Bordeleau has already endeared himself to Sharks fans forever with his shootout theatrics in Vegas on Sunday.
Gushchin, should begin next year in the AHL, although technically he still has a year of junior eligibility remaining. Laroque is too young to play in the American League next season, so he will go back to the Western Hockey League (WHL), where he should be one of the league’s top players. The teenager was just named the BC Division Defenseman of the Year last week and was also named a First-Team BC Division All-Star.
Although the Barracuda will not be participating, all seven Pacific Division playoff spots have been secured, with Stockton…
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