Sharks Scouting Staff is Among the NHL's Best 

Sharks Scouting Staff is Among the NHL's Best

The San Jose Sharks have one of the best scouting staffs in the NHL. Since the organization entered the league, its scouts have been successful in finding players that match up well with the style of play that the coaches want to see on the ice. The scouts, for the most part, have spent much of their time evaluating players in the draft, but they also look at available free agents that might best fill the team's needs. The Sharks originally drafted sixteen of the twenty-five players on the current roster. The remaining nine players were acquired via free agency or trades.

Since the March trade deadline they have acquired six players, four through trades and two from the free agent market. The four players from trades are Nils Ekman, Alyn McCauley, Wayne Primeau, and Kyle McLaren. Scott Parker and Tom Preissing are the two free agents. Parker, Preissing, and Ekman were obtained during the off-season. The rest were picked up at last's year trade deadline.

Ekman, McCauley, and Preissing have been pleasant surprises so far this season. Preissing is an un-drafted rookie out of the University of Colorado who earned a spot on the roster during training camp. Ekman and McCauley have been in the league for a number of years, but they were not given much ice time.

Prior to joining the Sharks, Ekman was in the New York Rangers franchise and struggling to make it to the NHL. He never got an opportunity to play in a regular season game for the Rangers. He finally got a chance to make a NHL starting roster when the Sharks traded a minor league prospect named Chad Wiseman to get him. It was a move that has paid off well for the team as he has out performed expectations on the ice. His eleven goals this season are a career high for him.

McCauley, on the other hand, was on the Toronto Maple Leafs' starting roster before being traded for Owen Nolan. In Toronto, he was always a third or fourth line player with minimal ice time. As a Shark, he has played on the first and second lines. He has also been one of their best penalty killers.