Cut during Sharks’ training camp, Sasha Chmelevski now has a point to prove

Sasha Chmelevski played in five games for the Sharks during the shortened 2020-2021 season, collecting two assists and some valuable NHL experience in what was his second full year as a professional.

That didn’t count for much at the Sharks’ training camp last fall. Chmelevski played in three preseason games but was among a large group of players sent down to the Barracuda a few days before the end of the preseason.

Meanwhile, William Eklund, Jasper Weatherby, and Adam Raska all remained, with Eklund and Weatherby making the Sharks’ roster out of camp.

“I think he was a little bit crushed that he didn’t get a better opportunity and maybe didn’t have a better camp that he wanted to have,” Sharks coach Bob Boughner said of Chmelevski.

Chmelevski looks like a different player now.

With forwards Jonathan Dahlen and Matt Nieto both out with injuries, Chmelevski was recalled to the Sharks on Monday and had a point in his first game back, assisting on Logan Couture’s game-winning goal in the Sharks’ 4-3 victory over the Calgary Flames on Tuesday.

Chmelevski, 22, was moved up from the fourth line to the second line and played right wing on Couture’s line in the third period, and will be back in that same spot for the start of Thursday’s game with the Edmonton Oilers.

On the game-winner against the Flames, Blake Coleman was looking to feed Calle Jarnkrok with a pass to start a breakout. But Chmelevski got in the way and redirected Coleman’s pass to Noah Gregor, whose first shot was stopped by goalie Jacob Markstrom. Couture, though, collected the rebound and his shot slid under Markstrom and just over the goal line.

“I thought Sasha played really well,” Couture said. “He hasn’t played in the NHL in a long time and he stepped in and gave us good minutes. Smart player. I enjoyed playing with him in that third period.”

“I thought I did awesome. It was a lot of fun,” Chmelevski said. “I thought I made all the right simple plays and just played with a lot of energy.”

Chmelevski had just one goal and four assists in his first 13 games with the Barracuda this season before things began to click. Instead of worrying about why he wasn’t getting another shot with the big club, and others were, he just decided to simply play the game that was in front of him.

Since late November, Chmelevski has had 11 goals and 21 assists in 34 games. He was especially effective the last two weeks before his recall, with three goals and 10 assists in eight games.

“Just not thinking about anything too much,” Chmelevski said of the turnaround in his season. “Not worrying about what’s going on. Who’s going up, who’s going down. Having fun. Those last seven games with the ‘Cuda, we built a lot of chemistry.”

“I’ve watched a lot of their games and I saw the difference in him now compared to before Christmas,” Boughner said. “He’s had a really good second half. I think guys struggle when they get sent down a little bit. They don’t get a great shot or they don’t think they had a good camp and I think it took him a while to dust himself off a little bit.”

With the majority of the Sharks’ projected salary cap space for next season looks to be tied up in just six players – Couture, Tomas Hertl, Timo Meier, Erik Karlsson, Brent Burns, and Marc-Edouard Vlasic – the Sharks are going to need players on economical contracts to contribute and make a difference on the NHL roster.

Maybe Chmelevski can be one of those players. He will be a restricted free agent in the offseason but it would be a surprise to see the Sharks not extend a qualifying offer to him given his production in the AHL.

Right now, he just wants to show he can play in the NHL.

“It’s an opportunity to stake your claim on the team,” Chmelevski said. “Anytime you get called up, it’s an opportunity to show what you’ve got and I feel like I’m making the most of it.”

HOMECOMING: Thursday’s game will be the first for Noah Gregor in his hometown of Edmonton. Gregor has played against the Oilers twice but both have come in San Jose. Gregor was born in Beaumont, a suburb just south of the city.

“Kind of a long time coming with COVID and all that, a couple of missed opportunities where I didn’t get to come here so it’s really exciting,” Gregor said. “Got lots of family and friends here so it’s going be fun.”

Gregor has been among the Sharks’ better forwards in recent games, as he had a goal and an assist against Arizona on Sunday and the primary assist on Couture’s goal Tuesday. He came into Thursday with 14 points in in 107 shots in 44 games.

“He’s had some ups and downs like every young guy in the league,” Boughner said of Gregor. “Just trying to find what he needs to do on a nightly basis to be effective and that consistency and as of late, he’s been one of our better players.”