Mukhamadullin Details ‘Painful’ Injury Which Caused Slow Start This Season (+)

“I’m playing again. It’s already good news.”

What Shakir Mukhamadullin said, in Russian, to San Jose Hockey Now last week explains the 22-year-old’s slow start to this season.

This past summer, the top San Jose Sharks defenseman prospect did everything to capitalize on the momentum he gained last season when he played his first NHL games. The AHL All-Star was also one of the leading forces of the Barracuda.

“I came [to training camp] in a very good shape,” Mukhamadullin told SJHN. “I felt great, I had good numbers in all the tests.”

The 6-foot-4 defenseman even gained ten pounds to compete in the bigger, stronger, faster NHL.

“I sometimes ate almost 5-6 times a day, worked out a lot,” Mukhamadullin added. “This weight was gained by muscles, which was my goal. When we measured the weight and the percentage of fat, my percentage of fat remained the same as last season.”

But all those efforts were shattered by an injury Mukhamadullin got in a Captain’s Skate with the San Jose Sharks before their training camp even started.