SAN JOSE -- The scoreline of the Sharks’ second intrasquad scrimmage of training camp favored backup goaltender Aaron Dell’s team by a three-goal margin Monday, but he may have been the biggest reason why.
After playing in the first of half of Sunday’s scrimmage, Dell manned the crease for Group B for the entirety of the two, 25-minute halves. He saw plenty of action, with his team pinned in their own end for extended stretches in a 5-2 win over Group A.
“It’s huge,” Dell said about getting reps this early in camp. “I don’t know when my first start will be, so I’ve got to get prepared now and get back into that kind of game rhythm so that I can see a little bit of work before I get my first start -- whenever that may be.”
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In his second season as the backup, Dell appeared in 29 games with the Sharks, starting 22. He made his first start of the year in the team’s fourth of five straight home games to start the campaign.
This season, San Jose will open at home before embarking on a five-game road trip through the Eastern Conference, including a back-to-back against the New York Islanders and Philadelphia Flyers on Oct. 8 and 9. Dell said the nature of his position makes his preparation in camp that much more important.
“My role’s kind of a little bit unpredictable,” Dell said. “I don’t know when I’m going to have my first start, so I have to be kind of prepared the whole way through. As well, I may have to go in [for an] injury or the games where we have a slow start. I’ve gotta be prepared to play at any time.”
Dell got plenty of work Monday, in no small part because of what is arguably the standout trio of training camp so far. Wingers Joonas Donskoi and Kevin Labanc scored both goals for Group A, and they were centered by Finnish rookie Antti Suomela.
San Jose Sharks
Trailing 1-0 early in the scrimmage, Labanc gained the zone with control before dishing to prospect defenseman Jeremy Roy. After an extended stretch of possession, Labanc’s line stole the puck on the forecheck from Group B’s top trio of Timo Meier, Logan Couture, and Tomas Hertl, and Suomela set up Donskoi for a tap-in. Labanc added another on a partial breakaway late in the second half.
“They’ve had two good scrimmages,” head coach Peter DeBoer said. “[Labanc’s] come in great shape, and is really playing well. The other two guys have some chemistry for sure.”
That line was the only one to beat Dell on Monday. The 29-year-old robbed them of a third goal, sliding over to shoulder Suomela’s wrist shot out of play after a turnover and cross-crease pass from Donskoi left his fellow Finn wide open in the slot. Dell also denied forward prospect Manuel Wiederer on a penalty shot.
The backup is entering the first of a two-year, $3.8 million deal he signed in February. He posted a .914 save percentage in his second season with the Sharks, down from .931 the year before. In nearly 300 more minutes, his five-on-five save percentage dropped from .949 to .919, according to Corsica Hockey.
DeBoer likes what he’s seen from his backup so far in camp, and said both Dell and starter Marin Jones “looked really sharp” in Monday’s scrimmage. Ahead of Dell’s third NHL season, his head coach has noticed annual improvement in the goaltender’s approach.
“I think every year he shows up here in a little better condition and a little better shape, a little quicker,” DeBoer said. “I think he’s learning, like everybody, what it takes to be successful every night up here. He’s put a lot of work in.”
That learning extends to Dell’s mental approach as well. The backup goaltender is well-aware he has to be ready at a moment’s notice in the regular season, and he said he has a better idea of when those moments because of his familiarity within the team.
“I know what to expect a little bit more,” Dell said. “In the games where we have a little bit of a slow start, I know the way he works with that, so I can kind of recognize when we’re starting to have those games like that and I can sort of mentally prepare a little bit, knowing it could go either way.”