NHL Prospect Signings: San Jose Sharks Add Three Players For Future

On Tuesday, the San Jose Sharks signed three players who shined in the YoungStars Tournament last week in Penticton, British Columbia to entry level contracts.

All are 18 years old, so none of them were signed to make an immediate impact on the team like off-season acquisitions Antti Niemi, Jamal Mayers, or even the latest player brought to camp, Andreas Lilja. However, one reason the Sharks are always among the league's best teams is their ability to find young talent.

Among players taken later than the fifth round who have been impact players are Ryane Clowe (sixth), Joe Pavelski (seventh), Jason Demers (seventh), Evgeni Nabokov (seventh), and Douglas Murray (eighth). Even in the ninth round or among undrafted free agents, they found such role players as Mark Smith and Patrick Rissmiller.

Perhaps the brightest of these YoungStars is forward Michael Sgarbossa, who played in two of the three games in the tournament. He was second in the tourney in points with three goals (on a hat trick) and an assist, and part of Canada's 2010 silver-medal winning Under-18 World Junior Championship team.

Another forward signed is enforcer Curt Gogol, who recorded 18 penalty minutes (PIM) in the three games and 149 PIM in 43 games with the Kalowna Rockets and Sasketoon Blades last season. However, he contributed offensively in the playoffs with the Blades, recording four points (one goal) and 23 PIM in 10 games.

The third player the team signed was goaltender J.P. Anderson, who appeared in two games at the tourney and registered a 2-0 record, 2.00 goals against average, and .920 save percentage.

Last season, in the Ontario Hockey League, he posted a 23-10-1 record with a 2.60 GAA and two shutouts in 36 games. He also has a short track record of stepping up in the playoffs: In 2010, he went 4-5-1 with a 2.78 GAA and .923 save percentage, and in his 2009 rookie season, his 2.50 GAA was the best in the league.