Colton Pankiw
As a whole, the 2022-23 season has been a frustrating one for the San Jose Sharks, as they have struggled to muster together many wins. With that said, one exciting thing that comes with this territory is seeing the team’s young prospects tested by the NHL.
One such player who serves as an example is Danil Gushchin, who suited up for the first game of his NHL career on Saturday night. The 21-year-old, who was recalled from the San Jose Barracuda of the American Hockey League earlier in the day, spoke earlier about how excited he was to be able to suit up with his dad – who he credits most for getting him to this level – mom, sister, and grandfather watching from back home in Russia.
Gushchin says his mom, dad, sister, grandfather will be watching his NHL debut from home.
Grateful to his dad in particular, who took him as a kid to the US for hockey camps: "My dad did everything for me."
— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) April 1, 2023
His dad also planned a special surprise for the rest of the family.
Gushchin told @sharkvoice an incredible story.
Gushchin told his dad in Russia, 12 hours ahead, that he was about to make his NHL debut: "His father was going to put the game on, but he wasn't going to tell his mother and the rest of the family that Danil was playing."
— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) April 2, 2023
While being able to see their family member get in his first NHL game would have been exciting enough on its own, he was able to make it even better, as early into the second period he was able to fire home a beautiful shot over the shoulder of Ivan Prosvetov to give the San Jose Sharks a 4-1 lead.
DANIIL GUSHCHIN SCORES HIS FIRST CAREER GOAL!
4-1 #SJSharks pic.twitter.com/v3RyZS8KOM
— JD Young (@MyFryHole) April 2, 2023
Gushchin is also just the fourth player to make his NHL debut at Mullett Arena, following Milos Kelemen, Michael Kesselring, and Wyatt Kaiser.
As mentioned, it has been a long season for the San Jose Sharks as well as the fan base, but moments like these certainly help improve the overall morale. It also gives fans a glimpse of what may be to come, as the 2020 third-round pick has shown promise during his first professional season with the Barracuda, having scored 16 goals and 36 points in 61 games prior to being called up.