Andrew Poturalski is determined to make the San Jose Sharks roster.
The 30-year-old forward signed a two-year, two-way contract with the Sharks this summer after spending time with the Seattle Kraken. Despite only scoring two points in six NHL games from 2016-2023, Poturalski remains hopeful about his chances. With San Jose in a rebuilding phase, he sees this as his best opportunity yet.
Poturalski had an impressive AHL career, scoring 77 goals and 226 points in his first 299 regular season games with the Charlotte Checkers and San Diego Gulls. His standout moment came during the 2019 Calder Cup Playoffs when he scored 12 goals and 23 points, helping the Checkers win their first Calder Cup .
Poturalski’s Journey:
In the 2021-22 season, under coach Ryan Warsofsky with the Chicago Wolves, Poturalski won his second John B. Sollenberger Trophy thanks to a stellar performance of 28 goals and 101 points in just 71 games. He continued to shine in the playoffs with eight goals and 23 points over 18 games, earning another Calder Cup ring.
Warsofsky later moved to San Jose as an assistant coach while Poturalski joined Coachella Valley Firebirds under Seattle Kraken’s umbrella. Over two years there, he scored an impressive tally of 26 goals and racked up 93 points across regular seasons but couldn’t clinch another team trophy due to back-to-back losses against Hershey Bears in Calder Cup Finals.
Fans might wonder if this could finally be Poturalski’s big break.
Rejoining Warsofsky at San Jose brings hope for more NHL minutes but it’s still uncertain if he’ll secure consistent playtime even on a rebuilding team like Sharks which prefers giving top-six roles to high-end prospects pushing him into competing for bottom-six slots instead.
There are potential openings on Shark’s roster post-training camp though they may not be glamorous roles. Players like Barclay Goodrow and Luke Kunin are expected to average less than fifteen minutes per game which gives Poturalski a chance to grab one of those spots if Warsofsky still believes in him despite nearing age thirty-one.
Poturalski might not be valuable long-term for San Jose but could help them win some nights this season. What do you think?
