Sheng Peng
In October, there was a symbolic passing of the San Jose Sharks’ torch in Switzerland.
Joe Thornton, who was about to suit up for National League side HC Davos, hung out twice with soon-to-be ex-teammate Timo Meier. Thornton was about to leave San Jose for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Jumbo had worn teal since 2005; Meier was nine years old then.
“He just said he wants to be close to his family in Toronto. He knows we’re going to miss him,” the 24-year-old, about to enter his fifth season with the Sharks, said today. “It’s a great chance for young guys to step up and take ownership. Be more of a leader since he’s gone.”
According to head coach Bob Boughner, Meier is doing exactly that in the first week of training camp.
“I see him as being more vocal so far in the last week. Really talking on the ice,” Boughner shared. “You can see him even at the hotel and meal rooms and things like that. He’s very engaging with everybody.”
That’s something that the bench boss was looking for from Meier.
“Timo has gotta take a step in that direction this year. He’s gotta step up and be more of a leader.”
Of course, Meier still plans to do most of his talking on the ice, and he hopes to play with the authority that he did in the second half of last season. Through 51 games, Meier had just 31 points. But he caught fire from February on, piling up 18 points in his last 19 contests.
“After the second part of the season, we pulled him aside,” Boughner revealed. “Just said, structurally, he’s gotta pay more attention to the details. I think he did that.”
Because of that hot streak, the 2015 first-round pick managed to pace the San Jose Sharks with 49 points. It was the first time since 2002-03 that someone other than Thornton, Patrick Marleau, Joe Pavelski, or Brent Burns had led the team in scoring.
“The more he dove into getting the details of his game down, I thought he got rewarded for that. We always talk about good defense creating offense. Doing the little things out there. I think that’s what turned his season around,” Boughner said. “He was taking the puck to the net harder. A lot of times, first half of the season, he was guilty of coming across the line and pulling up. Cut to the middle all the time instead of using that big body of his, [instead of being] more of that power forward, driving the net, paying the price to get some ugly goals.”
I broke down tape on this in February.
So what does Meier say that he learned from last year?
“Just be ready from the start,” Meier offered. “Don’t take time to ease in.”
If Meier has learned his lesson, there’s a lot to be excited about.
“He came in amazing shape. He’s a hard-working kid off the ice, in the summer. He looks fast, he looks powerful, he looks confident. You can tell he’s more sure of himself,” Boughner noted. “On the ice, he looks as good as he did when he finished the season.”
With Thornton and Pavelski gone, and Marleau a long way from his prime, the San Jose Sharks need a new star. Can it be Meier? It should be.
“He’s at that point of his career, where he accepts that pressure,” Boughner said. “He knows he has to be a go-to guy every night.”