SAN JOSE -- Dylan Gambrell should be pretty familiar with high preseason expectations.
The rookie forward signed with the Sharks in late March after completing a three-year stint at the University of Denver. It wasn’t quite the same as what the Sharks will experience in the aftermath of acquiring two-time Norris Trophy-winning defenseman Erik Karlsson, but the Pioneers ranked no worse than fifth in preseason polls before each of his three seasons.
For those three seasons, Gambrell played for Jim Montgomery, who is about to enter his first season behind the Dallas Stars bench. Gambrell said that experience prepared him well for his adjustment to the NHL.
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“I think it helped out a ton being at Denver,” Gambrell told reporters Saturday. “We had a great team all three years I was there. Obviously with Montgomery there [and coaching] Dallas now, he’s an NHL-caliber coach. Being under him for those three years helped out a ton.”
The 22-year-old is in the somewhat unusual position of having NHL regular-season experience, but none in a professional training camp. After signing in March, Gambrell played just over 10 minutes per game in the last three contests of the 2017-18 season, and hung around as a “black ace” during the Sharks’ postseason run.
Gambrell said he felt welcome right away, getting immediate pointers from Logan Couture and captain Joe Pavelski after joining the team. He also spoke a lot with former Sharks winger Joel Ward while both players were out of the lineup down the stretch. Those conversations with his teammates gave him a foundation moving forward.
“They’ve been in the league for awhile,” Gambrell said. “They’re great players and they know the game. They made it apparent that [I can] come up, ask questions, [and] make things a little bit easier for me.”
San Jose Sharks
Following center Eric Fehr’s departure to Minnesota in free agency, as well as Chris Tierney’s move to Ottawa as part of the Karlsson trade, there are open spots down the middle behind top centers Joe Thornton and Logan Couture.
Gambrell figures to be in the mix for one of those spots. He scored over a point-per-game in all three seasons at Denver, and played in all situations. That versatility will help his case, as Gambrell said the coaching staff s looking for “someone that’s going to be responsible offensively and defensively” in those spots.
Sharks head coach Peter DeBoer added that his staff is looking for players who will make their choice obvious.
“Like any competition, you want to see someone grab that job,” DeBoer said. “We don’t want to force anybody in there. Coaches want easy decisions.”
On Saturday, DeBoer was asked about his impressions of Antti Suomela, a 23-year-old center who led the Finnish league in scoring last season. He thought the Finnish forward “looked good,” but he also mentioned Gambrell, prospects Rourke Chartier and Max Letunov, plus the team’s wingers (who can play center) in his answer.
That answer echoed the earlier thoughts of Sharks general manager Doug Wilson, who told reporters he’s as excited for this year’s camp as any since he took the reins in 2003.
“This is going to be a highly competitive training camp,” Wilson said. “Who will be on the roster opening night? I don’t know. Players will dictate with how they play. We might not know who the names are going to be [but] we know the pool of players it’s going to come from.”
Gambrell, and the rest of the pool, will get a chance to make an impression in a game situation on Sunday, when the Sharks will play the first of two intrasquad scrimmages in as many days. The preseason opener follows on Tuesday.
The rookie forward entered camp prepared for the emphasis upon competition. The coaching staff basically told him to expect as much as he entered his first offseason as a pro.
“They kind of just said, ‘keep working,’” Gambrell said. “They expected me to have a big summer. I think they want me to come in, make a good impression, and take a spot. … I think the rest of the camp is definitely going to be important for that.”