Patrick WilliamsTheAHL.com Features Writer
Maybe the San Jose Barracuda is really real.
Coming into this season, the Barracuda had reason for high hopes following a last-place finish in the Pacific Division in 2023-24. They added two Calder Cup champions Andrew Poturalski and the protector Jimmy Schultt from the Coachella Valley. Another former Calder Cup winner, Joey Keanehe joined the organization after two seasons in Russia. An NHL veteran Colin White inked an AHL deal with the Barracuda. And a summer blockbuster trade with Nashville brought in a two-time AHL All-Star Yaroslav Askarov in San Jose.
Throw in a deep pool of young Sharks prospects, and on paper at least, the Barracuda looked solid. Maybe even more than that.
The head coach John McCarthyThe club have gone out and won six of their first seven games. They closed out November by winning six of their last eight. At 12-6-0-0, they sit in second place in the Pacific a quarter of the way through their 72-game schedule.
Askarov, who served a shutout in one of his first two starts, has a .937 save percentage in 10 games. And four of the Barracuda's top five scorers are rookies, leading the way Collin Graf by 22 points. The protector Luca Cagnoni he has 18 points in his first 18 games outside the Western Hockey League. Philip Bystedta first-round pick in 2022, started his first full pro season in North America with 11 points in 15 outings.
In early November, the Barracuda faced some turmoil in a team still working to strengthen the foundation. They headed to Iowa on November 2-3 and took on the Wild, losing at home 9-3 in the loss. Another loss followed on November 9, a 3-2 home loss to Colorado. After a good start, the Barracuda found themselves on a three game losing streak and facing a rematch against a strong Eagles team.
But San Jose came out on Nov. 10 and took the lead six minutes into the game with a rookie goal. Donavan Houle. Another part of the Barracuda goaltending tandem, George Romanovhe did 31 save and Tristen Robins scored two goals in a 5-3 win.
Two weeks ago, San Jose showed determination in a two-game sweep against first-place Calgary. The Wranglers suffered a 6-2 loss to the Barracuda in the opener and took a 2-0 first period lead in the rematch. But this is a strong San Jose team, and they tied the game 2-2, 3-3 and 4-4 before Cagnoni gave them the victory in extra time.
The Barracuda lost Askarov to recall before a trip east to Toronto, and were shut out by the Marlies on November 23. Gabriel Carriererecently promoted from the ECHL team's affiliate in Wichita, he came on for San Jose in the second game and earned first-star honors with 31 saves in a 2-1 victory.
So yes, this group seems real. The Barracuda have three more home games next week, then eight of the next nine on the road. If October served as San Jose's notice to the rest of the AHL that they are no longer a last-place team, then November showed that the Barracuda also have some fight left in them. The success of the Sharks' rebuilding program depends largely on what the Barracuda can accomplish, both in terms of developing the organization's growing base of young talent and winning hockey games.
In the American Hockey League for two decades, TheAHL.com features writer Patrick Williams and currently covers the league for NHL.com and FloSports and is a regular contributor to SiriusXM NHL Network Radio. He was the recipient of the AHL's James H. Ellery Memorial Award for the league's top scorer in 2016.
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