Worcester Sharks

Last updated
Worcester Sharks
Worcester Sharks.svg
City Worcester, Massachusetts
League American Hockey League (AHL)
ConferenceEastern Conference
DivisionAtlantic Division
Founded 1996
Operated 20062015
Home arena DCU Center
ColorsPacific teal, Black, White, Burnt Orange
    
Owner(s) San Jose Sports & Entertainment Enterprises (Hasso Plattner, Governor)
Media Worcester Telegram & Gazette
WTAG AM 580 & FM 94.9
Charter TV3
Affiliates San Jose Sharks
(2006–2015)
Franchise history
1996–2001 Kentucky Thoroughblades
2001–2006 Cleveland Barons
2006–2015Worcester Sharks
2015–present San Jose Barracuda

The Worcester Sharks were a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL) that played from 2006 to 2015. Affiliated with the National Hockey League's San Jose Sharks and located in Worcester, Massachusetts, the Sharks played their home games at the DCU Center.

Contents

History

On November 9, 2004, the St. Louis Blues announced the sale of the Worcester IceCats to the owners of their ECHL affiliate, the Peoria Rivermen. [1] The new owners moved the franchise to Peoria, Illinois, for the 2005–06 season. Shocked by the loss of the IceCats, the people of Worcester bargained with several National Hockey League (NHL) franchises, trying to bring hockey back to the city. On January 6, 2006, the San Jose Sharks announced they were moving their AHL affiliate, the Cleveland Barons, to Worcester, Massachusetts, [2] and the Worcester Sharks played their first home game on October 14, 2006, in front of a sold-out 7,230 fans in a shootout loss to the Portland Pirates. The Sharks qualified for the playoffs in their inaugural season, but were eliminated in six games by the Manchester Monarchs in the first round.

The Sharks' main rivals were the Providence Bruins, the genesis of which dates back to IceCats' days.[ citation needed ]

The Sharks were well represented in the 2010 Winter Olympics held in Vancouver, with former Sharks Joe Pavelski (played for the United States), Douglas Murray (represented Sweden) along with the goaltending tandem from the franchise's first two years with Thomas Greiss and Dimitri Patzold played for Germany.

On November 1, 2009, head coach Roy Sommer became only the fourth coach in AHL history to record 400 wins. On January 14, 2011, Sommer was behind the Sharks bench for his 1,000th regular-season game as an AHL head coach, becoming just the fourth man in AHL history to reach that milestone.[ citation needed ] On February 11, 2012, Sommer became the fourth coach in AHL history to record 500 wins with a 3–2 shootout win over the Hershey Bears.

Relocation to San Jose

On January 26, 2015, it was reported that the Sharks would move to San Jose and share SAP Center at San Jose with their parent club, the San Jose Sharks. These reports were confirmed with the Sharks' official announcement on January 29. [3] On April 2, 2015, the team was announced as the San Jose Barracuda.

Worcester did not initially receive an ECHL team to replace the relocated AHL team, unlike the other markets with relocated AHL teams in 2015, such as Manchester, New Hampshire, Norfolk, Virginia, and Glens Falls, New York. On February 8, 2016, the ECHL announced Worcester would be home to an expansion team, set to begin play for the 2017–18 season. The team is owned by Cliff Rucker, with Toby O'Brien serving as president and general manager. The team name was revealed on April 3 to be the Worcester Railers. [4]

This market was previously served by:

Broadcasters

Radio
Television

Season-by-season results

Calder Cup Champions Conference ChampionsDivision ChampionsLeague Leader

Records as of April 21, 2015. [5]

Regular SeasonPlayoffs
SeasonGamesWonLostOTLSOLPointsPCTGoals
for
Goals
against
StandingYear1st
round
2nd
round
3rd
round
Finals
2006–07 8041283893.5812472444th, Atlantic 2007 L, 2–4, MCH
2007–08 8032375675.4692162586th, Atlantic 2008 Out of playoffs
2008–09 8042351287.5442232234th, Atlantic 2009 W, 4–2, HFD L, 2–4, PRO
2009–10 80492533104.6502752391st, Atlantic 2010 W, 4–1, LOW L, 2–4, MCH
2010–11 8036314985.5312102454th, Atlantic 2011 Out of playoffs
2011–12 7631334874.4871992185th, Atlantic 2012 Out of playoffs
2012–13 7631344773.4801912284th, Atlantic 2013 Out of playoffs
2013–14 7636344278.5131892264th, Atlantic 2014 Out of playoffs
2014–15 7641294291.5792241983rd, Atlantic 2015 L, 1-3, HER
Totals7043392863247760.537197420794 Playoff Appearances

Players

Team captains

All-Star Classic representatives

Notable alumni

List of Worcester Sharks alumni who played in the National Hockey League:

Player records

All-time regular season leaders

Individual regular season

All-time playoff leaders

Franchise firsts

Franchise lasts

Franchise scoring leaders

These are the top-ten point-scorers in franchise history. Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points;

PlayerPosGPGAPts
John McCarthy LW2776388151
Dan DaSilva RW2396084144
Tom Cavanagh C2024692138
Steven Zalewski C2104187128
Lukas Kaspar LW2164679125
Mike Iggulden C1515964123
Graham Mink RW1325563118
Riley Armstrong RW2085953112
Brandon Mashinter LW2365454108
Benn Ferriero C1214459103

Head coaches

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hamilton Bulldogs (AHL)</span> Ice hockey team in the American Hockey League

The Hamilton Bulldogs were a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in Hamilton, Ontario, at FirstOntario Centre, nicknamed 'The Dog Pound'. They were the AHL affiliate of the NHL's Edmonton Oilers and Montreal Canadiens as two separate franchises over 19 seasons of continuous participation in the AHL. The team won the Calder Cup once in its history, in 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manchester Monarchs (AHL)</span> Former American Hockey League team in Manchester, New Hampshire

The Manchester Monarchs were a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL). They played in Manchester, New Hampshire, at the Verizon Wireless Arena. They were the AHL affiliate of the National Hockey League (NHL) Los Angeles Kings during the team's entire existence. The Monarchs won their only Calder Cup in their final AHL season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antero Niittymäki</span> Finnish ice hockey goaltender

Antero Pertti Elias Niittymäki is a Finnish former professional ice hockey goaltender who last played for TPS of the SM-liiga. He additionally played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Philadelphia Flyers, Tampa Bay Lightning and San Jose Sharks. At the 2006 Winter Olympics, while playing for Team Finland, he was voted the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the entire ice hockey tournament.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mathieu Darche</span> Canadian ice hockey player

Mathieu Darche is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played for several AHL and NHL clubs. Mathieu is the younger brother of long snapper J. P. Darche. After attending the New Jersey Devils training camp in January 2013, he was asked to stay with the team but ultimately chose to retire.

The 2006–07 AHL season was the 71st season of the American Hockey League. Twenty-seven teams played 80 games each in the schedule. The Hamilton Bulldogs won their first Calder Cup, defeating the defending champions, the Hershey Bears in the finals.

The San Jose Sharks 2006–07 season was the 16th season played by the franchise.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Greiss</span> German ice hockey player (born 1986)

Thomas Greiss is a German former professional ice hockey goaltender. Selected 94th overall in the third round of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft by the San Jose Sharks, he played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Sharks, Phoenix Coyotes, Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Islanders, Detroit Red Wings and St. Louis Blues.

The 1991–92 Winnipeg Jets season was the Jets' 20th season, their 13th in the National Hockey League (NHL). The Jets placed fourth in the Smythe Division and qualified for the 1992 Stanley Cup playoffs, where they lost the Division Semi-final to the Vancouver Canucks, four games to three.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alex Stalock</span> American ice hockey player (born 1987)

Alexander Stalock is an American professional ice hockey goaltender for the San Diego Gulls in the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Anaheim Ducks of the National Hockey League (NHL). Stalock was originally drafted 112th overall in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft by the San Jose Sharks, and has also played for the Minnesota Wild and Chicago Blackhawks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martin Jones (ice hockey)</span> Canadian ice hockey player (born 1990)

Martin Jones is a Canadian ice hockey goaltender for the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League. He previously played for the Los Angeles Kings, San Jose Sharks, Philadelphia Flyers, and Seattle Kraken. A standout goaltender in junior with the Calgary Hitmen, Jones was named the Western Hockey League's goaltender of the year in 2009–10 and won a silver medal with Team Canada at the 2010 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ben Smith (ice hockey, born 1988)</span> American professional ice hockey player (born 1988)

Benjamin Alexander Smith is an American professional ice hockey player currently playing for EHC Red Bull München in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL). He previously played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Chicago Blackhawks, San Jose Sharks, Toronto Maple Leafs and the Colorado Avalanche.

The 2011–12 AHL season was the 76th season of the American Hockey League. The regular season began on October 7, 2011, and concluded on April 15, 2012. The 2012 Calder Cup playoffs follows the conclusion of the regular season.

The 2011–12 San Jose Sharks season was the team's 21st season in the National Hockey League (NHL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aaron Dell</span> Canadian ice hockey player (born 1989)

Aaron Dell is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender who is currently under contract with the Ontario Reign of the National Hockey League (NHL). Undrafted, Dell has previously played for the San Jose Sharks, New Jersey Devils and Buffalo Sabres.

The 2013–14 AHL season was the 78th season of the American Hockey League. The regular season began on October 4, 2013, and ended on April 19, 2014. The 2014 Calder Cup playoffs followed the conclusion of the regular season. The Calder Cup was won by the Texas Stars for their first Calder Cup in franchise history.

The 2015–16 AHL season was the 80th season of the American Hockey League. The regular season began on October 9, 2015, and ended on April 17, 2016. The 2016 Calder Cup playoffs follow the conclusion of the regular season. An attendance record was set with a league average of 5,982 spectators per game, surpassing the record set in 2004–05.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Jose Barracuda</span> American Hockey League team in San Jose, California

The San Jose Barracuda are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL) that began play in the 2015–16 season. The team plays at Tech CU Arena beginning with the 2022–23 season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015 Calder Cup playoffs</span>

The 2015 Calder Cup playoffs of the American Hockey League began on April 22, 2015, with the playoff format that was introduced in 2012. The sixteen teams that qualified, eight from each conference, will play best-of-five series in the conference quarterfinals, with the playoffs to continue with best-of-seven series for the conference semi-finals, conference finals, and Calder Cup finals. The Manchester Monarchs defeated the Utica Comets in five games to win the Calder Cup for the first time in franchise history, and the last prior to their relocation as the Ontario Reign.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Worcester Railers</span> American minor league hockey team

The Worcester Railers are a professional ice hockey team based in Worcester, Massachusetts. The team began play in the 2017–18 ECHL season, and is a member of the North Division of the Eastern Conference of the ECHL. The team plays their home games at the DCU Center and are the ECHL affiliate of the New York Islanders. The team filled the void left by the AHL's Worcester Sharks, who relocated to San Jose, California, in 2015 to become the San Jose Barracuda.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vítek Vaněček</span> Czech ice hockey player (born 1996)

Vítek Vaněček is a Czech professional ice hockey goaltender for the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League (NHL).

References

  1. "Worcester IceCats sold to Rivermen owners". OurSports Central. November 9, 2014. Retrieved February 3, 2010.
  2. "Minor league Barons moving to Worcester, Mass". ESPN . Associated Press. January 9, 2006. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  3. "Sharks Moving AHL Franchise to SAP Center". San Jose Sharks . January 29, 2015. Retrieved January 29, 2015.
  4. "Introducing the Worcester Railers professional hockey team". Worcester Magazine . April 3, 2016. Retrieved April 3, 2016.
  5. "Worcester Sharks season statistics and records". HockeyDB.