SAN JOSE — The San Jose Sharks on Thursday recalled Shakir Mukhamadullin from their AHL affiliate, opening the door for the team’s top defensive prospect to make his NHL debut this weekend.
Mukhamadullin, 22, in his first year of North American professional hockey, has played in 39 games for the Barracuda this season and has 26 points (five goals, 21 assists). Among AHL defensemen, he ranked tied for sixth in assists and 10th in points.
In his AHL career, the Russian-born Mukhamadullin has appeared in 51 regular season games, all with the Barracuda, scoring 36 points (six goals, 30 assists) and 24 penalty minutes, along with three postseason games with the Utica Comets.
The Sharks’ next game is Saturday at home against the Buffalo Sabres.
More of No. 85 pic.twitter.com/vG7BQfrsIQ
— Curtis Pashelka (@CurtisPashelka) January 25, 2024
The Sharks acquired Mukhamadulin as part of their trade with New Jersey on Feb. 26, 2023, which sent winger Timo Meier to the Devils. In the deal, San Jose also received forward Fabian Zetterlund and defenseman Nikita Okhotiuk, who have become mainstays in the Sharks’ lineup.
The Sharks also received the Devils’ 2023 first-round pick, which became center Quentin Musty, and a conditional 2024 second-round selection that will become a first-rounder if New Jersey makes the playoffs and reaches Eastern Conference finals this season.
Those are all key pieces to have as general manager Mije Grier and the Sharks try to lay the foundation for the team’s future.
Mukhamadullin, though, was considered the centerpiece of the blockbuster deal, and he has gained valuable experience in North American professional hockey with the Barracuda over the last four months.
Mukhamadullin was third of New Jersey’s first-round draft picks in 2020, and was the fifth defenseman taken as he went 20th overall to New Jersey. The Devils that year also took forward Alexander Holtz seventh overall and Dawson Mercer 18th overall.
The Sharks now have eight defensemen on their active roster, including Mario Ferraro, who is out with an upper-body injury with no timeline for a return. Other blueliners on the Sharks roster right now are Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Jan Rutta, Kyle Burroughs, Henry Thrun, Calen Addison, and Okhotiuk.
Related Articles
What would the Sharks’ record be if they had healthy centers all season?
Hertl’s OT goal gives Sharks an improbable win over Rangers
Why Sharks’ Quinn doesn’t see the point in rushing injured center back
Sharks defenseman ‘out for a little bit’ with lower body injury
Couture, Zetterlund score shootout goals as Sharks beat Kings; Ferraro exits with injury
Three Sharks defensemen are on injured reserve, including forward/defenseman Jacob MacDonald, who is nearing a return from a lower-body ailment. Ty Emberson (upper body) is also on the mend but his return is not imminent. Matt Benning is expected to miss the rest of the season after he had hip surgery in December.
Mukhamadullin, Thrun, Addison, Okhotiuk, and Emberson were all born in 2000 or earlier.
After Saturday, the Sharks host the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday and play in Anaheim against the Ducks on Wednesday before the NHL All-Star break begins.
Before he joined the Sharks, Mukhamadullin played in parts of four seasons in the Kontinental Hockey League with Salavat Yulaev Ufa, appearing in 167 games, and scoring recording 43 points (12 goals, 31 assists). He also played in the MHL, Russia’s major junior league, recording 13 points (three goals, 10 assists) in 18 total games, holding a career .72 points-per-game.
Please check back for updates on this story.
