San Jose Sharks
Preview/Lines #66: What’s Giles Improved Most? Thrun & Rutta Injury Updates
What’s Patrick Giles improved to get on the San Jose Sharks?
It hasn’t been the easiest path: Despite being the 47th-ranked North American skater by NHL Central Scouting before the 2018 Draft, the 6-foot-5 center-winger went undrafted. Then, after four years at Boston College, he earned a tryout with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers in 2022. He played well enough to earn a contract for the 2022-23 season with the Checkers, and ultimately impressed the Florida Panthers enough to be awarded an NHL entry-level contract.
Giles had a strong training camp this past fall and made the Panthers’ opening night roster.
“He has good hands around the net for a big guy. He is making a case for himself,” Paul Maurice told the Miami Herald. “He has done what he needs to do in this camp and has moved himself up the depth chart.”
Earning a job out of training camp is difficult for any rookie, but for an undrafted player to make the reigning Stanley Cup champion is even tougher, yet Giles pulled it off and made his NHL debut.
Giles played nine games for the Panthers, averaging 7:23 a night with no points.
“Everyone tries to work on their skating, and that’s something I’ve really honed in on the past couple years,” Giles, acquired by the Sharks for Vitek Vanecek before the Trade Deadline, told San Jose Hockey Now on Saturday. “That was the biggest difference maker for me, was picking up my speed just through the neutral zone and being first in on the forecheck. That’s a big part of my game, so I want to continue to do that here.”
Giles had a solid start to his San Jose Sharks’ career on Saturday night, adding two shots and three hits in 9:42 against the New York Islanders, showing off both his size and skating.
“A guy who can, hopefully, win a job at 4C with his size. Smart player, so he’s gonna get a good opportunity here,” head coach Ryan Warsofsky said.
Role players, even on rebuilding teams, are important assets. Giles isn’t known for being a tremendous offensive talent, but he can help in other ways, while chipping in some offense.
“I’m just gonna play hard, stick to my game, not try and do anything crazy,” said Giles. “I know what I’m bringing to the table, just getting in on the forecheck [and] playing hard.”
Giles also brings versatility to the San Jose Sharks’ lineup, as he can play any forward position.
“I’ve played them all. I think it just helps, because you never know where you’re gonna get thrown into the lineup.”
Trades always bring new beginnings. Now, Giles gets a fresh start to carve out a place for himself in the NHL.
“It’s always hard to leave a team that you’re on. Now that I’m here, I’m super-excited to be part of the San Jose Sharks organization.”
San Jose Sharks (17-39-9)
Alexandar Georgiev will start.
Tyler Toffoli (lower-body) and Noah Gregor (immigration) are both game-time decisions.
#SJSharks morning skate lines, Toffoli on the ice:
Eklund-Wennberg-Toffoli
Kostin-Celebrini-Smith
Kovalenko-Dellandrea-Graf
Gregor-Giles-GoodrowFerraro-Mukhamadullin
Vlasic-Liljegren
Schuldt-Desharnais— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) March 11, 2025
Warsofsky noted that Henry Thrun has a week-to-week upper-body injury and there’s no timetable for Jan Rutta to return. Rutta has been out since Jan. 23 with a lower-body injury, while Thrun last appeared on Mar. 8.
Nashville Predators (24-32-7)
This is how the Preds lined up in their last game, a Mar. 8 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks.
NSH lines vs CHI
Stamkos – O’Reilly – Evangelista
Forsberg – Sissons – Marchessault
Smith – Svechkov – Vrana
Bellows – McCarronSkjei – Blankenburg
Del Gaizo – Stastney
Englund – Barron
OesterleAnnunen 🥅
Saros— Nick Kieser🏒 (@KieserNick) March 9, 2025
Michael Bunting (IR) and Zach L'Heureux (IR) are both on the ice for the #Preds morning skate in San Jose. This is the first time Bunting has skated with the team since being acquired by Nashville from Pittsburgh last week. pic.twitter.com/zVz017oTid
— Brooks Bratten (@brooksbratten) March 11, 2025
Where To Watch
Puck drop between the San Jose Sharks and Nashville Predators is 7:30 PM PT at SAP Center. Watch it live on NBC Sports California. Listen to it on the Sharks Audio Network.
Am I reading this right? Elon and Trump are conspiring to keep Gregor out of the lineup?
Well, that’ll be the first good thing they’ve done ever in their lives
Gregor is to scoring on breakaways as a cyber truck is to getting through an inch deep mud puddle.
🤣🤣🤣
Say what you want, I love my Y and Cybertruck. I save tons of money.
Sure. But there are other options that don’t feed the bank account of a maniacal literal Nazi.
Let’s talk hockey here, not politics.
When the idiots in charge act so recklessly that it permeates ever aspect of life you’re going to have to suck it up and deal with it spilling over into everything.
😂
Anyone know why Romanov is not in goal? Nice to get the youngster between the pipes.
I’m guessing they’re trying to let him prove he can regain his form and serve as a consistent NHL contributor, allowing them to either: Keep him as a mentor for Ask OR trade him something in the off season.
Are you talking about Georgiev or Romanov? Romanov was never an NHL contributor and Georgiev is a UFA this summer.
The possibility of trading Georgiev expired last Friday.
You’re mixing up George w/ Romanov.
He’s explaining why he thinks Georgiev keeps playing, just didn’t properly identify that’s who he was talking about and how he was approaching the question of why Romanov is not playing.
finally got around to watching the Scouching video on Dickinson. Eke. Not sure he’s even AHL ready. He’s years away. Apparently he had a hat trick in that game. 2 came on the PP, but they only showed the 5v5 shifts. Tghe one 5v5 goal he had came with the goalie literally facing the back wall. Not just the head turned, the whole body. This was my 3rd look at him. Not impressed in any of them. And the look that most people saw (and I didn’t) was the WJ tourney and he didn’t seem to impress anyone there —… Read more »
I’m not down on Dickinson but also doubt he is ready for the NHL next season. And I think, in general, picking him and not Zeev is the Grier move most likely to look really bad in five years.