World Juniors Observers on Bordeleau’s NHL Readiness

There’s no doubt that Thomas Bordeleau impressed in his brief stint with the San Jose Sharks last year.

In the last eight games of the season, Bordeleau notched five assists. He also scored one of the biggest goals in an otherwise disappointing San Jose Sharks campaign, a shootout winner over the Vegas Golden Knights that put their division rival’s playoff chances on life support. The victory snapped San Jose’s 11-game losing streak to Vegas.

So it makes sense why San Jose Sharks fans might pencil the 20-year-old center into the line-up this coming season. However, two observers who watched Bordeleau recently at World Juniors tapped the brakes on that.

Not that Bordeleau wasn’t terrific at the tournament: The centerman followed up his NHL cup of coffee with a starring turn at August’s World Junior Championships, leading Team USA with eight points in just five games.

Chris Peters of FloHockey named Bordeleau the 18^th-best player of the tourney: “Bordeleau was a jack of all trades for the U.S. His two-way play, faceoff prowess and high-end skill made him a factor in all three zones.”

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