San Jose Sharks
Thrun Will Make NHL Debut Tomorrow or Thursday
Henry Thrun has arrived in San Jose.
Just one day after getting eliminated from the NCAA tournament, former Harvard captain Henry Thrun quickly signed a two-year entry-level contract with the San Jose Sharks on Saturday.
“It was a disappointing loss for a hard season. Obviously, I wanted to do a little bit better and a little bit deeper in the tournament,” Thrun said on Monday during his introductory press conference. “I couldn’t be more excited to be here. Great staff. Great organization. Everyone’s been so welcoming so far. So I’m really excited.”
The San Jose Sharks acquired the left-handed defenseman’s rights on Feb. 28 from the Anaheim Ducks. In exchange, the Sharks sent a 2024 third-round pick to the Ducks.
The 22-year-old wasn’t going to sign in Anaheim — the Ducks drafted him in the fourth round in the 2019 Draft — but San Jose became an attractive place for him, in part, due to his familiarity with Sharks management and coaching staff.
“The people are probably the reason that I ended up here. Mike [Grier] and [David Quinn]. Just the different people that are from Boston,” Thrun explained. “In short, the people I have connections with. It’s nice knowing that there are a lot of people that I know and a lot of good people I can trust.”
The local media contingent also saw Thrun and Sharks goaltending coach Thomas Speer exchange very warm greetings during today’s media availability. Speer was the goaltending coach at USNTDP Juniors when Thrun played there from 2017 to 2019.
Thrun continued on why he decided to sign now instead of waiting until his Aug. 15 free agency deadline.
“I had met with the staff here, over Zoom, and talked to them a little bit and then sort of realized that this was a pretty unique opportunity. So for me, it was something that, being able to be out here in the spring, I think there’s a lot of value to it,” he shared. “Something that obviously, just walking around and seeing the NHL and the day-to-day life is something that I think you can learn a lot from.”
According to head coach David Quinn, Thrun will make his San Jose Sharks debut either tomorrow against the Winnipeg Jets or Thursday against the Vegas Golden Knights.
Quinn says plan was to debut Thrun tomorrow, but his late arrival today might change that plan. But if not tomorrow, Thrun will make his #SJSharks debut on Thursday
— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) March 27, 2023
Harvard, by the way, has had some prolific NHL defensemen come from their program in recent history, like former Norris Trophy winner Adam Fox and the New Jersey Devils’ John Marino.
“They are guys that I’ll see around the rink a couple of times here and there,” he mentioned. “I never played with Fox or Marino. They were a big reason I committed to Harvard. Just seeing those types of defensemen was obviously really intriguing, and I was just trying to emulate some of the things that they did while they were at school.”
Thrun also shared that he’s studying Econ and Psychology as a double major and expects to graduate and walk in May.
Thrun also noted that he felt he was a good two-way defenseman who liked to chip in offensively when he could, emphasizing that the start of his game is to be responsible in the defensive zone.
The San Jose Sharks are in the midst of an organizational reset, and Thrun looks to be one of the pieces that Team Teal will look to build around.
