Jack Studnicka certainly isn’t lacking incentive as his tenure with the San Jose Sharks gets underway.
Studnicka, acquired by the Sharks on Friday from Vancouver, is not only in a contract year, but also wants to prove he can again be a full-time NHL player after he was placed on waivers by the Canucks last month.
Studnicka, now with his third NHL team after he was drafted by Boston in 2017, will get that chance tonight as the Sharks finish a brief road trip against the Colorado Avalanche at Ball Arena in Denver. It appears Studnicka will begin the game as the Sharks’ third-line center, replacing Nico Sturm, who was injured last week.
“Extremely motivated,” Studnicka said Sunday morning. “It was a tough experience to clear (waivers) there but continue to try to prove people wrong and hopefully prove the Sharks right.”
Sturm was injured last Tuesday in the Sharks’ game against the Winnipeg Jets and is considered week-to-week with what’s been described as a mid-body injury, although his hand or wrist appeared to be hurt in the third period. Coach David Quinn said Sturm will be re-evaluated next week.
With Sturm and fellow center Ryan Carpenter both injured, the Sharks had Luke Kunin and Filip Zadina, normally used on the wing, move to the middle for their game Friday against the Arizona Coyotes. The Sharks lacked energy and had trouble generating momentum from one shift to the next in what became a 1-0 loss at Mullett Arena.
Studnicka, 24, joined the Sharks on Friday night and practiced with the team on Saturday in Denver.
“Just trying to keep an open head, play my game, and learn the system stuff and the X’s and O’s as we go,” Studnicka said. “But just looking forward to getting out there and showing my compete level and playing my game.”
Studnicka said he was shocked by the trade at first, but also figured he’d have to move on to another organization if he wanted to become an NHL regular again.
Studnicka was waived by the Canucks in October before the start of the regular season but was recalled shortly afterward on an emergency basis. He had one goal in five games with the Canucks and before he was placed on waivers a second time, Studnicka had been a healthy scratch for nine of 10 games. When Teddy Blueger returned for Vancouver, Studnicka was the odd man out.
Studnicka called it a “humbling” experience.
“I think that was a kind of a look in the mirror moment,” Studnicka said. “Just try to continue to get better and know that there were some teams out there that would be watching that can maybe use me. So I just put my head down, kept grinding and I’m excited this opportunity came.”
Quinn said the Sharks have been watching.
“This was a guy that was highly thought of in the Bruins organization,” Quinn said. “He’s a high second-round pick who’s got talent and skill, and sometimes it takes a second or third stop before you really become the player you’re capable of being.
“We thought this was an opportunity for him that he hasn’t had before to the fault of nobody. Certainly, a player that we’ve had our eye on for a while. He’s been talked about, from our end of it, since I’ve been here, for the last year and a half.”
Studnicka is set to become a restricted free agent with arbitration rights next summer, and the next few months will help determine whether there is interest in continuing the relationship past this year.
“The support and communication have been really good so far,” Studnicka said. “There are some days where it tough to keep going, but you just got to remember that there’s people out there watching and I’m glad that (the Sharks) given me an opportunity here.”
