Blichfeld adjusting properly to professional recreation | TheAHL.com

by Nick Nollenberger | AHL On The BeatThe San Jose Sharks chosen ahead Joachim Blichfeld with the second-to-last decide within the 2016 NHL draft, 210th general, within the seventh spherical.From 2006 to 2016, simply 31 gamers who’ve been chosen within the seventh spherical went on to play greater than 50 video games within the NHL. That’s simply 10 p.c over a 10-year span.However 4 of the 31 have been chosen by the Sharks (John McCarthy in 2006, Justin Braun in ’07, Jason Demers in ’08, Joakim Ryan in ’12) and so they hope Blichfeld is the following late-round steal.Final September, San Jose loaned the Denmark native again to the Western Hockey League’s Portland Winterhawks, the place he had spent the final two seasons. As a 20-year-old, Blichfeld would go on to win the 4 Broncos Trophy because the league’s Participant of the 12 months and was named to the WHL West First All-Star crew after pacing the league in factors (114) and photographs (347), rating tied for second in power-play assists (32), and tied for sixth in power-play targets (16).“He drove that offense (in Portland); if you put that many factors up and lead the Western League in scoring, the expertise is there,” mentioned Sharks scout Ryan Russell. “We’re actually excited what he may very well be down the street, particularly offensively.”When Blichfeld was initially knowledgeable that he was going again to juniors, he was pissed off. He wished to show professional. Nothing towards Portland, however he felt he was prepared for the following chapter in his profession.“I used to be disenchanted initially,” mentioned Blichfeld. “However after letting it set in, I made a decision to make the very best of it. Successful the scoring title in that league helped my confidence quite a bit.”“He knew that if he went again to Portland, he’d have a possibility to take over that crew and development-wise we thought it was greatest for him to return to juniors as an alternative of preventing for ice time within the AHL,” mentioned Sharks director of scouting Doug Wilson Jr. “To his credit score he went again to Portland with hearth and dominated the primary recreation again by the whole season.”After the conclusion of his second full season within the WHL in 2018, Blichfeld acquired a small style of the professionals when he appeared in a pair of video games with the San Jose Barracuda within the Calder Cup Playoffs.That have opened his eyes to the pace, talent, and particulars which might be required on the subsequent degree. It additionally made him need to be part of it much more.Photograph: Kavin Mistry“The sport is so quick at [the AHL] degree,” Blichfeld mentioned throughout an interview final season whereas with the Winterhawks. “You’ve acquired to be in your toes otherwise you’re going to get burned… however these two video games gave me the arrogance that I belonged.”Now in his first yr as a professional, it took the 21-year-old six video games to attain his first objective. However since then, he’s netted a team-leading seven targets over his final 11 video games and ranks second on the crew in factors (13) and tied for first in power-play targets (three).“I’m simply making an attempt to play in addition to I can each recreation, get a number of photographs and attempt to generate offense as a result of once I get a number of photographs, I have a tendency to attain,” mentioned Blichfeld. “It took some time to get that first one however as soon as I acquired it, I felt relieved and assured.”“He’s earned the chance to play massive minutes as a first-year professional with all of the work he put into his overage yr in Portland and this previous summer season,” mentioned Wilson Jr. “He has matured bodily and mentally and got here in able to take a top-six ahead function early. He performs with assured swagger and shooters mentality that makes him harmful each shift. He’s nonetheless very younger however he has a brilliant long-term future.”“After I requested (goaltender) Josef Korenar who had the very best shot in coaching camp, one of many guys he mentioned was Blichfeld, which is fairly spectacular with all of the expertise on this group,” mentioned Barracuda head coach Roy Sommer. “He’s a natural-born objective scorer with a knack for the web. It’s arduous to seek out these guys, not to mention that late within the draft.”