Sheng Peng
Have the San Jose Sharks unearthed a hidden gem in Ty Emberson?
I spoke with multiple league sources about Emberson, a couple who believe that he’s indeed NHL-caliber.
On Saturday, the Sharks claimed the defenseman off waivers, from the New York Rangers.
Emberson, 23, enjoyed a breakout campaign with the Hartford Wolfpack last season.
“I think he was our top-pairing defenseman, a lot of big minutes,” Hartford teammate Ryan Carpenter, now with the San Jose Sharks, told San Jose Hockey Now.
The 6-foot-1 right-hander was also voted by the PHPA as the best defensive defenseman in the Eastern Conference.
Carpenter was especially impressed with that accomplishment: “[The players] know who’s hard to go against and maybe things that don’t show up on scoresheets all the time.”
The 2018 Arizona Coyotes third-round pick has yet to make his NHL debut and was caught in a numbers game in the Rangers system.
“Like his game. Solid,” an NHL executive from outside the San Jose Sharks organization said. “If he goes back on waivers, I think the New York Rangers would re-claim him.”
“Just a real strong defenseman. He skates well, plays physical for maybe not as tall of a guy or as heavy as a guy. He plays really hard,” Carpenter said. “Makes a good first pass and jumps up in the play.”
“Good claim. He’s a really rock-solid kid,” an NHL scout said. “Never had the height or offense but a very solid defender, can PK, and is okay enough with puck. Can skate. Strong. High character.”
Emberson captained Wisconsin during the 2020-21 campaign, before turning pro. Arizona traded him to New York last summer.
“He made strides as a pro last season in Hartford,” another executive said. “[He] has a chance to stick if he continues to improve.”
At 23, that’s certainly possible.
Carpenter, who joined the Wolfpack mid-season last year, would surely not put it past Emberson: “The time I was down there, he just seemed he got better and better, and he was a huge part of the playoff success we had there.”
So what’s Emberson’s ceiling?
“Bottom-pairing guy max,” Executive #1 said.
The scout agreed: “Could be a No. 6.”
That’s not remarkable, but if Emberson can carve out a real NHL career, that’s pretty good for a waiver claim.
“I definitely saw him as an NHL player,” Carpenter, veteran of 330 NHL games, said. “He’s a pro. He comes to play every night. No nights off.”
Not that it’s unanimous that Emberson will pan out.
“He’s a bit vanilla,” another scout said, “he doesn’t have a real standout quality.”
But on the flip side, Executive #1 thinks that Emberson will break camp with the San Jose Sharks, even with their blueline logjam.
Veterans Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Mario Ferraro, Jan Rutta, Radim Simek, Matt Benning, Nikolai Knyzhov, Kyle Burroughs, and Jacob MacDonald, along with prospects Nikita Okhotiuk and Leon Gawanke, are not waiver-exempt. Waiver-exempt prospect Henry Thrun is also in the mix. Emberson makes it a dirty dozen defenders.
“They wouldn’t claim him if they weren’t going to give him a shot,” the exec said. “I would think he sticks.”