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2022 NHL Prospect Watch – San Jose Sharks – WHL Network

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With the 2022-23 NHL season on the horizon, we’re putting a focus on current and former WHL players looking to make their mark at the next level.

The 2022 NHL Prospect Watch series will feature some of the current and past WHL talent recently drafted or signed to NHL contracts, and having appeared in fewer than 50 NHL games.

Our series continues with a look at the prospect pool of the San Jose Sharks.

Mason Beaupit
Spokane Chiefs goaltender Mason Beaupit was selected in the fourth round of the 2022 NHL Draft by the San Jose Sharks after making 51 regular season and playoff appearances in the WHL last season. Beaupit, from Surrey, BC, won 20 games for Spokane during the regular season, recording an .893 save percentage in the process, and posting his first career WHL shutout with an 18-save performance on October 15, 2021 at Tri-City. Beaupit, who turned 19 years of age on September 23, was originally selected by the Chiefs in the fourth round of the 2018 WHL Draft.

Nick Cicek
Former Portland Winterhawks captain Nick Cicek signed with the Sharks in April after spending the 2021-22 season with the NHL Club’s AHL affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda. Cicek made 53 appearances for the Barracuda in his first professional campaign, scoring five times and totaling 25 points. The product of Winnipeg, Man. Spent parts of four seasons in the WHL with the Winterhawks, serving as captain during a shortened 2020-21 campaign that saw him chip in with 21 points in 24 games played.

Dillon Hamaliuk
A WHL Champion with the Seattle Thunderbirds in 2017, forward Dillon Hamaliuk made 44 appearances with the San Jose Barracuda in his first professional campaign last season, scoring three goals and accruing a total of nine points. Hamaliuk, a second-round selection by the San Jose Sharks in the 2019 NHL Draft, spent parts of five seasons in the WHL beginning in Seattle, for whom he scored 39 points as a 17-year-old in 2017-18. Hamaliuk matched his career best total of 15 goals with the Kelowna Rockets in 2019-10, then played in 16 games with Kelowna in his final WHL campaign of 2020-21.

Gannon Laroque
Victoria Royals captain Gannon Laroque signed an entry-level contract with San Jose earlier this year after being selected by the Sharks in the fourth round of the 2021 NHL Draft. Hailing from Edmonton, Alta., Laroque enjoyed a career year with Victoria in 2021-22, finishing third in team scoring with 10 goals and 52 points, earning a nod as the BC Division Defenseman of the Year in the process. He made his professional debut this past spring with the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda, notching an assist in three games.

Tristan Robins
Forward Tristen Robins concluded his WHL career in the spring of 2022, making all but one of his 225 regular season and playoff appearances with the Saskatoon Blades. From Clear Lake, Man., Robins matched a career best with 33 goals for Saskatoon in 2021-22 while setting a career high with 78 points. He finished the season as Blades captain. Robins was selected by the Sharks in the second round of the 2020 NHL Draft and will embark on his first full professional season this winter after making his AHL debut with the San Jose Barracuda in 2020-21.

Ozzy Wiesblatt
A WHL Champion with the Prince Albert Raiders in 2019, forward Ozzy Wiesblatt is set to begin his first full professional season after being selected in the first round of the 2020 NHL Draft by the San Jose Sharks. Wiesblatt, from Calgary, Alta., played in 43 games for the Raiders in 2021-22, scoring 10 times and amassing 41 points. He appeared in six games for the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda in 2020-21, scoring in contests against the Texas Stars and Henderson Silver Knights.