Eric Pohlkamp makes NHL debut for Sharks vs. Kings

The Sharks called him up Monday, the first recall of his career. By Wednesday's morning skate the lineup was set, and he was in it.

Sheng Peng

@Sheng_Peng

Pohlkamp will make his NHL debut. Allan out. Dellandrea in for Gaudette

So Allan comes out, Dellandrea goes in for Gaudette, and the kid from Brainerd, Minnesota, gets the sweater. Pohlkamp is 22 and only 10 games into his pro career with the Barracuda. He had 7 assists in those 10 games, tied for the team lead, with at least 1 point in 7 of them. That's not a guy who got called up because somebody had to. He's been one of the best rookie defensemen in the AHL right out of the gate.

Where he was picked makes this better. Pohlkamp went in the 5th round in 2023, the kind of pick that usually turns into a name on a prospect list and nothing else. He's beating those odds by a mile.

Curtis Pashelka

@CurtisPashelka

Pohlkamp becomes the third player from the Sharks’ 2023 draft class to play an NHL game, following Will Smith and Luca Cagnoni. Pohlkamp was drafted 132nd overall, and only three players who were drafted after him have played an NHL game

Max Miller

@Real_Max_Miller

Pohlkamp says his parents are flying in today and will make it to his NHL debut. #SJSharks

Following Will Smith and Luca Cagnoni out of that class is a big deal, and the second half of that stat is wild: only 3 guys picked after him have played an NHL game. He earned it at Denver, too. Last season he put up 18 goals and 39 points in 43 games, led every college defenseman in goals and points, made the AHCA First All-America Team and was a top-3 finalist for the Hobey Baker. San Jose signed him to a 2-year entry-level deal in April, and it took him about a month of pro hockey to force the issue.

Then there's the part that'll get you a little bit. His family is making the trip.

Sheng Peng

@Sheng_Peng

Pohlkamp’s parents will make it tonight for his NHL debut. Joe and Mary have never been to LA

Joe and Mary picked a pretty good reason for their first trip to LA. The setting won't be easy on their son, though. Yaroslav Askarov gets the Sharks' net, and the Kings look like they're going with their veteran.

Zach Dooley

@DooleyLAK

Darcy Kuemper the first goaltender off this morning, projecting he will get the start tonight against San Jose.

Askarov vs. Darcy Kuemper is a fun goalie matchup on its own, but the reason to watch tonight is a 5th-round defenseman playing his first NHL shifts on the road with his parents in the stands. San Jose's rebuild keeps paying off with young guys getting real minutes, and if Pohlkamp moves the puck like he did in Denver and in his first 10 AHL games, this probably won't be a one-game visit.