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Bordeleau on Being SportsCenter’s Top Play, What Sharks Remind Him to Work On

Published

3 years ago

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At first, even Thomas Bordeleau didn’t realize how spectacular his overtime goal last Friday was.

“I for sure didn’t think it looked as good as when I saw it on video after the game,” the San Jose Sharks’ second-round pick told San Jose Hockey Now this morning. “It was a little weird seeing it after and everyone congratulating me.”

Everyone, including one of the country’s most-watched television programs.

“It was definitely nice, with the guys after going back to the hotel, just seeing it on TVs on SportsCenter,” Bordeleau said. “It was just funny, I guess.”

But lest Bordeleau gets a swelled head from his new-found national celebrity, he has his dad, former NHL’er Sebastian Bordeleau, to center him.

“It wasn’t my best game of the year, so he was like, that’s an alright way to finish the game,” Bordeleau shared.

Now that’s an understatement from the senior Bordeleau.

“He knows what I’m capable of doing and he wasn’t really too surprised about it,” the younger said.

The 18-year-old also has the San Jose Sharks staff around to keep his eyes on the prize. The 5-foot-9 centerman speaks regularly with director of scouting Doug Wilson Jr. and area scout Rob Grillo: “I talk to them basically every week or get a text, just saying what they think about the game or just little tips to work on at practice or stuff they want to see from me in the future.”

As impressive as seven points in your first four NCAA games is, the Michigan freshman still has a long way to go to make the NHL. He noted that he’s been reminded about the importance of “staying on the right side of the puck, just working on always re-loading and getting on the good side of the puck.”

So while it’s the splash plays that will make your Twitter feed, here are some areas of improvements that San Jose Sharks fans can target throughout Bordeleau’s NCAA debut campaign.

“Making takeaways in the neutral zone and just trying to translate to offense as quick as I can after reloading over the puck,” he offered. “There’s definitely some stuff that I need to keep doing, keep working on, I can be more explosive as I go.”

The young pivot, famed for his ambidexterity at the faceoff dot, is also hoping to raise his 48.3 winning percentage.

“My dad was really good at it when he played in the NHL and Switzerland. It was one of the reasons why he stayed in the NHL,” Bordeleau said. “It’s free ice time. If you got an important faceoff in the o-zone or in the d-zone that you got to win and coach puts you in, that’s just free ice time. I really try to take advantage of that.”

But for a second, let’s leave the details to the pros. Last Friday’s overtime winner isn’t the only reason why San Jose Sharks Nation is buzzing over Bordeleau.

“They drafted me for a reason. They love my game, they love how I play. So obviously, they don’t want me to change too much from that,” Bordeleau said. “They just want me to keep being creative, being fast, strong on the puck. Create plays and create offense every time I can.”

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