My Ballot for the San Jose Sharks 2023-24 Team Awards

Of course, Blackwood had some very bad games, but that’s been the case for everyone on the Sharks. Given how reliant a goaltender is on the players in front of him, it’s hard to expect him to bail out his teammates regularly. Facing 35-plus shots on an almost nightly basis isn’t easy, but Blackwood made sure the Sharks at least had a chance most nights with the occasional exception where things got very bad. His .899 save percentage and 3.45 goals-against average aren’t great, but without his stellar play on most nights, they could’ve been much, much worse and nobody would’ve really faulted him.

3 – Fabian Zetterlund

Being a 20-goal scorer in the NHL is a much more difficult task than many people give credit for. Doing so on a team that only scores 180 goals in 82 games is much harder. Roughly 13 percent of all Sharks goals were scored by Fabian Zetterlund this season, who found the back of the net 24 times. For reference, if the Sharks had scored 298 goals, which is the amount the Toronto Maple Leafs scored this season, Zetterlund would’ve had to score 39 goals to reach the same goal percentage he had on the Sharks. He was also the team’s lone Ironman, playing in every single game this season.

Every night you knew that if Zetterlund had the puck on his stick, he had a chance to keep the Sharks in the game, even if his teammates were struggling to find the back of the net. He may not have been the flashiest of players, but he was consistently a scoring threat on a team that had very few. At only 24 years of age, I’d be surprised if Zetterlund doesn’t end up near the top of this list quite a few times over his career. 

Media Good Guy (Winner: Mario Ferraro)

1 – Mario Ferraro

It’s always difficult to step up and face the media when a team is doing poorly, but it’s even more difficult when there have always been others willing to do so. In the past, Logan Couture and Tomas Hertl were the players who would come out and answer the difficult questions, often when they’d much rather not have that responsibility. As leaders though, they had no choice but to go and tough it out.

With Couture out of the lineup due to injury, and Hertl traded to the Vegas Golden Knights at the trade deadline and out with injury himself for parts of the season, the responsibility fell to Mario Ferraro who embraced it with a toothless smile. He answered questions thoughtfully and truthfully, never hesitating or playing off the difficult questions. He struggled on the ice on occasion this season, but he always took his off-the-ice responsibilities seriously. 

2 – Justin Bailey

I only spoke to Justin Bailey a couple of times during the season, specifically early in the season, but he always brought positivity to his post-game media availabilities. He has had a difficult career so far, and as a result, it would be completely understandable if he approached interviews and even his on-the-ice accomplishments a bit cynically. Instead, he remained upbeat and gave thoughtful answers on a regular basis. He’s a true professional on and off the ice, and despite a small sample size of interactions with him, I felt he deserved a spot on the ballot.

3 – Devin Cooley

Originally, I had Ty Emberson slotted into this spot. After Devin Cooley’s media availability following his win over the St. Louis Blues though, I quickly changed my vote before submitting the ballot. He’s relatable in a way most NHL players aren’t. He brought humor, wit, and fun into his post-game availabilities even when things went badly for him. He’s honest and thoughtful with his answers, however, the only reason he ranked third rather than higher on the list is simply because he hadn’t been with the organization long enough to show whether or not he’d act the same way for a full season. He had a couple of the most memorable quotes on the Sharks, whether it be him repeating “there is no future” in the aforementioned game, or his viral quote from after his second career win which can be seen below. He brings personality to a league that desperately needs it and many of his interviews are Ilya Bryzgalov-esque which makes him a very interesting person to talk to. 

Rookie of the Year (Winner: Henry Thrun)

1 – Ty Emberson

Ty Emberson only played in 30 games during his rookie year due to a few injuries over the course of the season. Despite this, he played very well and was given quite a bit of ice time when he was in the lineup. Primarily regarded as a defensive defenseman, there weren’t many expectations for the 23-year-old Wisconsin native. He was claimed off of waivers just before the start of the preseason after being cut by the New York Rangers, joining the Sharks immediately afterward and he made an instant impact. He worked his way into the top four on the blue line and spent the majority of his time there. His offensive production was unexpected, but certainly made him much more valuable to the team as well, recording 10 points in his 30 games. In his short stint with the team this season, he was undoubtedly the most impactful rookie.

2 – Henry Thrun

Despite making the Sharks out of training camp, Henry Thrun spent much of the beginning of the season in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the San Jose Barracuda. When he was recalled by the Sharks in December, that marked the end of his time in the AHL for the season. He spent the remainder of the season in the NHL, playing 51 games in his first full season at the top level of North American hockey. Although he ended the season on a strong note, I felt like he wasn’t as impactful as Emberson in a majority of games. Following his performance in preseason, I had high expectations for Thrun, but many nights I didn’t see enough from him to constitute a Rookie of the Year performance, even on the worst team in the NHL. Given the lack of other options though, he came second in my voting. 

The Sharks had a difficult season on an organizational level, but individually, some players had seasons to be proud of. Now we’ll have to see if these players can follow up their strong performances with an equally impressive one during the 2024-25 season.