SAN JOSE – One of the more intriguing players at Sharks training camp is winger Marcus Sorensen, a former fourth round pick of the Ottawa Senators who signed as a free agent with San Jose in May after six years in Sweden.
The 24-year-old has been skating with Chris Tierney and Tommy Wingels since camp opened on Friday, and that line was the most dangerous throughout Sunday's intrasquad scrimmage. Sorensen finished with one pretty penalty shot goal and an empty netter in a 4-2 win for his squad, although he missed an open net on a seam pass from Tierney on an offensive rush in the second half. The teams played a pair of 25-minute periods with one intermission, and no special teams.
"He's impressive," coach Pete DeBoer said. "He's got a lot of speed, and he backs people off. He looks good. We've got six exhibition games and this is just the start, but there's a lot of guys that look good."
His linemates, and even his low jersey number suggest that Sorensen has been put in a position to potentially make the team.
"I'm going to take it one day at a time. Then we'll see," he said. "But, I'm going to do 100 percent every day."
Tierney said: "He thinks the game really well. He thinks it like I do a bit. He knows where we're going to be, making plays. He skates well. He's got a good shot. He's going to be a lot of fun to watch and play with."
Sorensen, who had 15 goals and 34 points last season in Sweden, has drawn comparisons to countryman Melker Karlsson, including from Barracuda coach Roy Sommer in rookie camp last week. "He plays a lot like him – hard, hounds pucks," Sommer said.
San Jose Sharks
DeBoer, though, wants to hold off on such proclamations for the time being. He did, though, credit the team's staff for unearthing players like Sorensen, Karlsson and Joonas Donskoi, who came out of nowhere last year to claim a spot in the lineup and who figures to play a key role this season.
"Our scouting staff has done an exceptional job, finding Melker and Donskoi and some of the guys that have come in here like that," DeBoer said. "Just because the next guy (Sorensen) comes in, you can't assume that they're going to be that.
"We hope so. He looks good, but we're a long way from making that comparison yet."
* * *
Top prospect Timo Meier did not participate in the scrimmage due to strep throat. He's expected back at camp on Monday.
Nikolay Goldobin did play, but after impressing in a prospect scrimmage last week, was not at all effective on a line with Tomas Hertl – who also struggled in the middle – and Joel Ward.
Other goal-scorers other than Sorensen were Danny O'Regan, set up on a breakaway by linemate John McCarthy; Manuel Wiederer on a penalty shot; Ryan Carpenter on a scramble in front of the net; and Jeremy Roy, who blasted home a one-timer from the top of the circle on one of several deft setups by Tierney.
* * *
Joe Pavelski and Joonas Donskoi are in San Jose but remain off the ice, enjoying some down time after the World Cup.
Neither will play in Tuesday's preseason opener at home against Vancouver.
"I'm going to meet with them early next week and come up with a timetable," DeBoer said. "I think if I'm going to make an error, it's going to be on the side of rest and caution."
No NHL team has more players left in the World Cup than the Sharks' five. Canada and Team Europe will play the first of a three-game series for the championship on Tuesday.
