Josh Frojelin
Thomas Bordeleau is learning a lot from Anthony Duclair, on and off the ice.
It hasn’t always been the smoothest sailing for Bordeleau in the San Jose Sharks organization.
After two standout campaigns with the University of Michigan and an impressive cup-of-coffee with the Sharks in 2021-22, the 2020 second-round pick put up 22 goals and 41 points in 65 games with the San Jose Barracuda last season. And while that earned him an AHL All-Star Game nod, there were a lot of questions about the top prospect’s two-way and inside game.
Now, Bordeleau is in the last year of his entry-level contract, with lots to prove. And he’s going to get a chance to prove it in the NHL, with star centers Logan Couture and Mikael Granlund out for indefinite periods of time.
So Bordeleau knows that he’s got to take it to another level.
“Enough learning, enough ‘I’ve got a lot to learn,'” he said over the summer. “It’s time to execute and show them what I can do.”
Enter Anthony Duclair, who’s had a rocky road to success.
A 2013 New York Rangers third-round pick, Duclair appeared to find near-instant success in the NHL. He dropped six points in his first nine games with the Rangers as a teenager in 2014-15, then after a trade to the Arizona Coyotes, scored 20 goals the very next year.
A 20-year-old with a 20-goal season under his belt, the sky looked to be the limit.
That’s when it went wrong. Over a three-year span, from 2016 to 2019, Duclair bounced between the Coyotes and their AHL affiliate, then the Chicago Blackhawks, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Ottawa Senators
Even after scoring 23 goals and an All-Star appearance with Ottawa in 2019-20, the Sens decided not to qualify the RFA.
“He’s someone who has gone through the ups and downs of being a 19-year-old and making the team out of camp in New York and then having to go back down and then getting traded and bouncing around and waivers and all these things,” San Jose Sharks GM Mike Grier noted about the experience Duclair brings. “Now he’s found his game, so he’s a good example for perseverance and what it takes in this league.”
After Ottawa, Duclair would find a home with the Panthers, scoring a career-high 31 goals in 2021-22, then helping them to the 2023 Stanley Cup Final. But up against the cap, Florida traded him to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for Steven Lorentz this summer.
Duclair and Bordeleau met over the summer, at home in Montreal. Bordeleau’s father, Nashville Predators skills coach Sébastien Bordeleau, runs summer skates there.
Duclair was quick to take to his new teammate.
“A French guy I can take under my wing,” he said. “Whatever pointers [he will] need, I can be there for him.”
And Bordeleau was quick to take to Duclair.
“He’s just really, really dialed in all over the place. Off the ice, at the rink, outside of the rink, he’s a pro,” he said. “He knows how to take care of his body. I’ve picked up a lot on that, trying to see how he recovers and stuff like that. Trying some of his methods and see how it helps me.”
And even if Bordeleau has to return to the AHL at some point, well, Duclair’s been there.
“There’s no sense [in] getting frustrated because you’re not up, you’re in the AHL, and things like that,” he noted. “I’ve been through that, it’s vital sometimes. You just gotta stay even-keeled, know that it will work out.”
“You can see that pressure doesn’t really faze him,” Bordeleau shared of his new mentor. “He’s been through a lot and he’s got that experience. He’s acting older than he is, for sure.”
But Duclair had to go through a lot to get here, facing some tough love…from himself.
“Stop pointing fingers and just look yourself in the mirror,” Duclair said. “That’s what I did early on in my career. I knew that I had the ability to be a top-six guy. I began my career, I would be up and down. When I finally told myself, ‘Just worry about what I can control,’ things started going my way.”
“We’re thinking the same way just right from the start,” Bordeleau agreed. “I’ve always been like that, focusing on myself. Not really looking at everything on the outside and just focusing on that. He’s been doing a great job [of that], I’ve been witnessing it firsthand.”
“Just staying patient, just believing in your skill, just being consistent everyday and bringing that effort everyday, things are gonna work out,” Duclair said of Bordeleau. “He’s got the skills and the talent.”
Their dynamic has continued into an off-ice friendship. They speak French to each other in the locker room. They attended the San Francisco 49ers’ home opener together — and both came back with some new threads.
“It was either Deebo [Samuel] or [Joe] Montana for me,” Bordeleau said. “He jumped on the Deebo jersey, so I had to get the Montana.”
Additionally, both share a strong passion for fashion, best seen in some of their game day fits over the last few seasons:
“We’ve got a little bit of a different style,” Bordeleau said. “He’s got good style. It’s nice to see some colorful clothes here and there. We both have our own little thing, it’s nice. I dress how I feel that day and he’s the same. It’s been fun sometimes hanging out with him. He’s got some good outfits on him.”
Duclair, showing true leadership, is making the youngster work for his praise: “I gotta see a few more fits before I give him the green light that he’s fashionable.
“Pre-season don’t count. Give me home opener. First road trip. Then I’ll give you a proper evaluation.”