Sharks Locker Room: Thrun Shares His ‘I’m in NHL’ Moment, Quinn Has Jokes

For the first time this season, the San Jose Sharks have won two home games in a row.

Depending on how you look at it, it’s the best or worst thing, their 4-3 OT victory over the Vegas Golden Knights.

Logan Couture, Mario Ferraro, Henry Thrun, and David Quinn addressed both sides of the coin.

Couture dropped great insight on his OT goal, Ferraro discussed how his NHL debut was different than Thrun’s, Thrun talked about trying to share a moment with his family during warm-ups, and Quinn joked about Thrun and tanking.

Logan Couture, on his steal and OT goal:

[Pietrangelo] was looking [Eichel] the whole way. I was able to read it, fortunately, he didn’t see me. Put it right on my tape. Pre-scouted five-hole on [Brossoit] from [Sharks goaltending coach Thomas Speer]. Was looking there the entire way and was able to shoot it where I wanted.

Couture, on Thrun and Bordeleau’s games:

I thought Thrun was very good on the back-end. Good skater, sees the ice well. I thought he played extremely well and can’t really ask much more for a guy his first game.

I thought Bords was good tonight. He sees the ice well, he made some good passes. He was really good in the defensive zone. You can tell that he’s a center.

If he [was] the first guy back, he played low, and broke up a lot of plays. He’s got a really good stick for a smaller guy and he defends really well for a guy of his size. He made it easy for us to break the puck out of our own end.

Couture, on the thought that the San Jose Sharks are hurting their Draft lottery odds by winning games:

There’s gonna be people that say a zillion things. In this room, we want to win hockey games. We’re all competitors, we all show up at the rink everyday to try and get better. When you win a game, you’re a lot happier. You go home happier. You’re around your family a lot happier. It’s a lot better coming to the rink when you win.

Mario Ferraro, on Thrun’s NHL debut:

I thought he was great. I said on the radio there that my first game, I had the jitters. I was a little nervous. Got rid of the puck pretty quickly.

I thought he had a lot of poise. Made some good passes. Good transition game. Pretty solid defensively too.

I’m impressed. I’m sure other guys in this room are impressed. He obviously got on the stat sheet and I’m excited to see what he can do moving forward.

Henry Thrun, on if he was able to share a moment during warm-ups with his family:

I think I looked over. But I don’t think my mom saw me. She missed out on that one.

I said it earlier, so special to share this moment. They’ve done so much for me in my career. and all my family are my role models. So it’s just really awesome to have them here. They’ve done so much for me. I just feel so grateful.

Thrun, on the difference between the NHL and college:

Guys are a lot stronger. Play moves a little bit quicker. There was a moment Eichel was sort of backing me down. Just trying to learn how to manage situations like that.

Thrun, on his “I’m in NHL” moment:

I think for me, it was probably warm-ups. Playing the game, it’s a lot of instinct.

So for me, going out, Logan Couture telling me [to do my solo lap] without a helmet on was a pretty cool moment, something I’ll never forget for the rest of my life.

GOTTA SEE IT: Thrun Nets 2 Assists in NHL Debut, Mom Emotional

David Quinn, on Thrun’s NHL debut:

Like I said, his game transfers and it continued to transfer tonight. I mean, all the things that he was good at in Harvard, he was good at here. Makes a really good play on the second goal, quick-up to the weakside. His poise and he’s just got a real swagger to his game. He’s confident, comfortable, he’s out there defending Jack Eichel, doing a good job. He got tested tonight.

Quinn, on the plan for Thrun going forward:

My plan is to play the crap out of him. Until he can’t untie his skates. Until I’m told differently, that’ll be the plan.

Quinn, on thought that the San Jose Sharks, by winning games…

Screwed up? I heard a couple people saying “Damn!” in the hallway as we were walking off the bench.

Listen, you got to keep playing. I went through when I was in New York, we beat Pittsburgh in the last game this season. First year. People going what are you doing? I think we finished seventh or eighth in the lottery [odds]. We ended up getting a second pick.

You get rewarded for doing the right thing. We’re gonna keep playing our asses off and we want to win hockey games. I get the narrative and the big picture, but you get rewarded for doing the right thing.