Sharks take two forwards in second round
The San Jose Sharks selected two forwards with pro hockey bloodlines in the second round of the NHL Draft on Wednesday, taking center Thomas Bordeleau with the 38th overall pick and winger Tristen
Robins at No. 56.
Right before they were set to pick at No. 34, the Sharks traded that selection to the Buffalo Sabres for the 38th and 100th overall picks. The Sabres used the No. 34 pick to select winger John-Jason Peterka from Germany.
Bordeleau, 18, played 48 games with the U.S. national under-18 team last season and had 16 goals and 30 assists and a plus-17 rating. Bordeleau will be a freshman at the University of Michigan this year.
Robins, 18, had 33 goals and 40 assists with Saskatoon of the WHL last season with a plus-16 rating.
Both are about the same size. Robins is listed at 5-foot-10 and 176 pounds, and Bordeleau is 5-foot-10 and 179 pounds.
The Sharks traded the 100th and 126th overall picks to Edmonton to move up into the third round and select Russian winger Daniil Gushchin, who played the last two seasons with Muskegon of the USHL. Listed at 5-foot8, Gushchin had a combined 38 goals and 45 assists in 93 games for the Lumberjacks.
Bordeleau was the 29thranked North American skater by NHL Central Scouting, and 51st overall by TSN’s Bob McKenzie.
“I think my biggest strength is my hockey IQ,” Bordeleau said. “I’m strong on my edges, strong on faceoffs. It’s easy for me to find guys on the ice and just be able to create plays.”
Thomas’ father, Sebastien Bordeleau, played in the NHL for seven seasons as a centerman from 19952002 and his father, Paulin Bordeleau, played in the NHL as a forward from 1973-1979.
Naturally, Bordeleau’s father and grandfather played a big role in his development.
“With my dad, working on my game, basically just every day since I was young,” he said. “My grandpa being my coach (six years ago) and teaching me some stuff also on the way to where I am right now. They’ve both been a big influence for me and I owe them a lot.”
Although he’s a native of Houston, Bordeleau almost considers himself an international citizen. His family moved to Switzerland when he was five months old, and stayed there until he was 10 as he watched his father play in the Swiss League. In 2012, the family moved back to Montreal.
Thomas Bordeleau continued to play in Quebec before he moved to Michigan to join the U. S. development program. He played for the under-17 national team during the 2018-19 season and the under-18 team this past year. He was in Montreal on Wednesday, but is coming back to the U.S. Thursday to start evaluation camp for the U. S. World Junior hockey team.
“It’s not really a normal journey, but it was awesome,” Bordeleau said.
Robins is the son of former pro goalie Trevor, who also played for Saskatoon and signed a contract with the Sharks in the early 1990s. Tristen Robins wore an old-school Sharks jacket as he met with reporters over Zoom.