SAN JOSE – Gustav Nyquist had his very first practice at Sharks Ice on Thursday morning. But one of his first assessments of his new digs wasn't about the rink itself. It was of the crisp 52-degree day taking place outside.
"Weather's a little bit nicer here than back in Detroit, so that's a big positive," Nyquist said to NBC Sports California with a smile.
Of course, the temperature outside is just one thing the 29-year-old winger is adjusting to off the ice. After spending the entirety of his NHL career calling Motor City home, Nyquist has to juggle becoming a new Silicon Valley resident in addition to getting acclimated to playing on a new team.
"I haven't been through this before, so it's different," Nyquist said. "But so far it's been a great experience."
Lucky for Nyquist, his new team's schedule can help him make the adjustments more readily. The Sharks are gearing up to play at home for almost the entire month of March, giving Nyquist uninterrupted time to start settling to life in San Jose.
"A little settling in yesterday. I got settled at the hotel and picked up a car," he said. "Hopefully I can get a place here quick and get settled in."
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The Halmstad, Sweden native was very complimentary of how the Sharks have helped him wrap up his old life in Detroit. Which, of course, helps him to focus on applying his 49-point 2019 campaign to a new team. San Jose has less than 20 games left in their regular season and are actively trying to catch up to the Calgary Flames in the standings, putting more weight on Nyquist to get accustomed to playing on a new team ASAP.
The winger, however, doesn't seem daunted by the task at hand.
"Obviously the systems are a little bit different, so it'll take a little bit of time to get used to," Nyquist said. "But when you play with smart players like I am it's not that hard."
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Time permitting, Nyquist is definitely hoping to explore what the greater Bay Area has to offer outside of the hockey rink.
"We'll see here if we get any time off maybe I'll go explore a little bit," he said. "I'm sure the guys will show me around. I'm sure they'll will take care of me."
