San Jose Sharks General Manager Doug Wilson and Head Coach Peter DeBoer announced today that Dave Barr has been named an assistant coach with the San Jose Sharks. Barr will serve as the Sharks "eye-in-the-sky" this season. On DeBoer's staff, Barr joins Assistant Coaches Steve Spott and Rob Zettler, Assistant Coach/Goaltending Coach Johan Hedberg and Video Coach Dan Darrow.
"Dave is a veteran coach with a long history of development at all levels," said DeBoer. "We're excited we were able to add him to our staff."
"I am very excited to work for an organization that has a chance to win every year and am looking forward to working with this impressive coaching staff," said Barr.
Barr has spent the past nine seasons coaching in various capacities in the NHL, serving most recently as an associate coach of the Florida Panthers during the 2016-17 season. Prior to his time in Florida, Barr served as an NHL assistant coach for eight seasons, with stops in Buffalo (2015-16), New Jersey (2011-15), Minnesota (2009-11) and Colorado (2008-09). Barr was a member of Peter DeBoer's coaching staff during his four-year tenure with New Jersey, helping the team reach the 2012 Stanley Cup Final. The 56-year-old Barr spent four seasons as the head coach and general manager of the Guelph Storm in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) from 2004-08, where he was named the Matt Leyden Trophy winner as the OHL's Coach of the Year in 2005-06. In addition, he was selected to coach Canada's National Summer Under-18 Team at the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament in 2007. Prior to his OHL coaching tenure, Barr spent three seasons (1997-2000) as an assistant coach with the Houston Aeros and one season as the team's head coach (2000-01), helping the team set a franchise record with a league-leading 54-15-13 record en route to the IHL Turner Cup. He transitioned to the team's general manager for two seasons (2001-03), helping the team win a Calder Cup in 2003. Barr collected 332 points (128 goals, 204 assists) and 520 penalty minutes in 614 NHL games played during his 13-season NHL career with Boston, the New York Rangers, St. Louis, Hartford, Detroit, New Jersey and Dallas. He finished his playing career as a player/assistant coach in the IHL with the Orlando Solar Bears from 1995-97, his first foray into coaching. The Toronto native and his wife, Debbie, have two children, a daughter Allison and a son, Ryan.
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Sharks defenseman prospect Mario Ferraro never has to be told twice to join the rush. So after hearing coaches at development camp emphasize the importance of defensemen helping out on the offensive end, San Jose's second-round pick (No. 49) in the 2017 NHL Draft knew what to do in the prospects scrimmage on July 6 at SAP Center.
"I definitely like to get involved offensively," the 18-year-old said. "I like to use my skating to my advantage and progress the puck up ice quick."
Ferraro showed off his skating skill and boundless energy during the scrimmage. A handful of times, he actually wound up with the puck below the opposing goal line after joining the rush.
"Just a ton of energy," said San Jose Barracuda coach Roy Sommer, who ran the development camp. "He plays with a lot of juice. A guy like that looks like he loves the game. I could see why they drafted him. I think he's going to be a good one. He's big and intense and a hockey rat."
Although Sommer, coach of the Sharks' American Hockey League affiliate, believes Ferraro will have to learn to play more under control, he said he'd rather have to "tame a tiger" than have to prod a player to become more aggressive.
Ferraro is built in the mold of the modern NHL defenseman. At 5-foot-11 and 185 pounds, he depends more on his skating speed and puck-moving skill than brawn.
"I've always relied on my skating quite a bit," Ferraro said. "When I was younger, all my life really, I've been an undersized defenseman, so I've had to have good skating ability to kind of escape those bigger players out there. Skating has always been a big part of my game. It's something that I work on a lot throughout the offseason, and during the season as well. I use my skating quite a bit. I like to get involved offensively, so to have a good transition game is important. That's what I focus on a lot."
However, Ferraro doesn't shy away from physical contact on the ice. Far from it.
"He plays in your face," Sommer said.
Ferraro ranked among the top 10 in six of the 14 fitness tests at the NHL Scouting Combine in June, including the bench press and left-hand grip.
"I like to be physical in there, get in the corners, use my body a little bit," Ferraro said. "Physicality's a big part of my game, and I like to bring that every night."
Ferraro grew up in Toronto and was a huge Toronto Maple Leafs fan, but he said his favorite all-time NHL players are Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty and Hall of Fame defenseman Bobby Orr.
"I really liked Bobby Orr when I was younger, but [among] current players, Drew Doughty," Ferraro said. "He's a good offensive defenseman, but he's also very physical and gritty. I like that part of his game. He's a player I've looked up to."
Ferraro had 41 points (eight goals, 33 assists) in 60 games last season for Des Moines of the United States Hockey League. He'll continue his hockey career this season as a freshman at the University of Massachusetts and already knows one area where he wants to get better.
"I'm looking to improve on my shot," he said. "I need to have a good, quick release from the point. Watching the NHL, a lot of goals are scored from the point. That's very important. And I want to work on knowing when and when not to go up in a play, choosing my spots a little bit better."
General Manager Doug Wilson announced today that the club has re-signed forward Marcus Sorensen to a two-year contract.
"In Marcus' first year in North America, he quickly showed that he is a skilled player with the ability to contribute to the team's success," said Sharks Assistant General Manager and San Jose Barracuda General Manager Joe Will. "The time he spent with the Sharks this season, and the positive impact he had, proved that he can be an effective player at the highest level. We're excited to see him compete for a spot with the Sharks at training camp in the fall."
In his first season in North America, Sorensen, 25, recorded 34 points (17 goals, 17 assists) in 43 games with the San Jose Barracuda, the American Hockey League affiliate of the San Jose Sharks. His 17 goals was tied for 4th on the team, despite playing less than two-thirds of the season's games. He also finished the season T-2nd on the Barracuda with a plus-17 rating, 5th in shooting percentage (15.7), and 6th in points per game (0.79). In 10 playoff games with the AHL club, he collected one assist, 20 shots, and 10 penalty minutes. In 19 regular season games with the Sharks, Sorensen collected four points (one goal, three assists). He recorded his first career NHL goal, the game winner, on March 2, 2017 against the Vancouver Canucks at SAP Center at San Jose. He played in all six of the Sharks playoffs games this season, scoring one goal and one assist with plus-1 rating and five shots on goal.
Prior to playing in North America, Sorensen recorded 66 points (32 goals, 34 assists) and 64 penalty minutes in 97 career SHL games with Djurgårdens IF. He represented Sweden in the 2015 Euro Hockey Tour, posting three goals and a plus-4 rating in a first-place finish.
The five-foot-ten, 175-pound forward is a native of Södertälje, Sweden. He was originally drafted in the 4th round of the 2010 NHL Draft by the Ottawa Senators, and was signed by San Jose as a free agent on May 13, 2016.
Doug Wilson announced that the club has re-signed forward Chris Tierney to a one-year contract.
"We believe Chris has yet to hit his prime, but has already proven that he can be a key member on our penalty kill and the defensive side of the puck," said Wilson. "We are excited to watch his offensive development as he continues to use his strong two-way hockey sense to impact the youthful infusion of our roster."
Tierney, 23, recorded 23 points (11 goals, 12 assists) in 80 games with the Sharks last season. He finished tied for 5th in goals, tied for 1st in shorthanded points (2), and 2nd amongst forwards in average shorthanded time on ice per game (1:47). In 202 career NHL games, all with the Sharks, Tierney has registered 24 goals, 40 assists, two shorthanded goals, and five game-winning goals. During San Jose's run to the 2016 Stanley Cup Final, Tierney played in all 24 games and tallied five goals, four assists, and a 33.3% shooting percentage (ranked 1st on the team).
During his 31 career games with the Sharks AHL affiliates in Worcester and San Jose, Tierney scored 32 points (9 goals, 23 assists), a plus-11 rating, and 1.03 points per game.
Prior to joining the Sharks organization, Tierney spent four seasons with the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League (2010-2014), including helping the Knights to consecutive OHL Championships in 2011-12 and 2012-13. In 2013-14, his final season in the OHL, Tierney led the team in goals (40) and ranked 2nd in points (49) as the Knights' captain. That season he also paced London in playoff scoring (6-11=17) and was voted the OHL Western Conference's Smartest Player in the OHL Coaches Poll. The six-foot-one, 195-pound native of Keswick, Ontario was originally selected by San Jose in the 2nd round (55th overall) of the 2012 NHL Draft.
Soon after the Sharks drafted center Joshua Norris with the No. 19 pick of the 2017 NHL Draft, his skill set -- physical and mental -- was compared to that of Sharks center Logan Couture. Norris, 18, worked his way up the draft board with a spectacular performance at the NHL Scouting Combine, where he ranked first in five of the 14 fitness tests, including the vertical jump, standing long jump and shuttle run.
"I think you definitely have to push yourself in the weight room," said Norris (6-foot, 189 pounds). "I feel like that's a big reason why I am so athletic. A lot of legs, a lot of core. Not the most fun stuff, but definitely the things you need to be a hockey player."
Norris said he can dunk a basketball pretty easily and shoots in the low 80s in golf. He played shortstop on baseball travel teams during summers in Michigan until he was 13.
"I was pretty good," Norris said. "I wore No. 2 and I thought I was Derek Jeter. I probably could have kept playing, maybe college. I don't know. But hockey was my No. 1, and I had to give it up."
Norris showed off his speed and skill during Sharks development camp. San Jose Barracuda coach Roy Sommer described Norris as real smooth on the ice.
"One of those guys when they're first skating around, the first five minutes, you go, 'He can move,' " Sommer said. "And a lot of guys are like that, and then you put a puck on their stick and they slow down, but he skates the same way with a puck that he does without a puck. You can just tell he's like kind of above everyone else with his skill level."
Norris, who will be a freshman at the University of Michigan, said he prides himself on being a competitive, versatile, two-way player, much like Couture.
"I play all three zones," Norris said. "I play with a lot of speed, a lot of skill. I think I can give you a little bit of everything, in a power play, penalty kill, faceoffs, and I chip in offensively."
Norris, the son of former NHL forward Dwayne Norris, has been preparing for this most of his life. When he was born on May 5, 1999 in Oxford, Michigan, his father, who played for Canada at the 1994 Lillehammer Olympics and in 20 NHL games for the Quebec Nordiques and Anaheim Ducks, had just finished his third of seven seasons with Cologne of the German League. Dwayne went on to play four seasons for Frankfurt, then served three years as its general manager. Joshua spent most of his first 11 years living in Germany and learning about pro hockey.
"Obviously I spent a lot of time around him and his teammates in the locker room and things like that when I was little," said Norris, who speaks fluent German. "Just kind of getting that feel of the pro lifestyle and what it's all about. But for me, I think he just taught me how to work and how to be a leader and how to be respectful, listening to older guys, kind of what they have to say, because they've been there before you have."
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