Suomela takes demotion in stride.
Suomela isn’t pouting but will use time in minors to work on his defense
SAN JOSE » The Sharks’ Antti Suomela is taking his reassignment to the Barracuda like a pro.
The last thing the Finnish rookie expected when he signed with the Sharks after being pursued by more than 12 NHL teams last spring was to be playing minor league hockey in mid-December. Still, he understands the decision and isn’t complaining.
“I’m really happy to be here with these guys, actually,” Suomela said. “It’s my first year here, and I’m really ready for this. It’s a good opportunity.”
Here’s how Suomela is approaching the situation: his confidence took a blow at the NHL level and it’s tough to get it back when you’re playing a bottom-line role. In addition, Suomela acknowledged that he still needs to fine tune the defensive side of his game. It will be easier to sharpen the details playing 20-plus minutes a night in the AHL, where he can make a mistake. In the NHL, where he has skated for an average of 11:19 per game, every mistake has heightened conse- quences.
“It’s really hard to do things right if I’m playing less and less,” Suomela said. “One mistake and I’m sitting the whole game.”
Stints in the AHL did wonders for Chris Tierney’s game in 2014-15 and 201516. In 2016-17, an extended run with the Barracuda also helped Timo Meier learn how to play a smarter game. There’s something to be said for getting playing time and the chance to be the man in the minors.
“The biggest thing is just to get his confidence going and put some points up,” Barracuda coach Roy Sommer said.
• Speaking of Sommer, the Barracuda coach isn’t at all surprised to see Radim Simek thriving in his first taste of NHL action.
Sommer could see the potential last season when Simek suited up for 67 games on his blue line. The things that Sommer noticed about Simek are the same variables that are endearing him to Sharks coach Pete DeBoer.
“He’s just efficient,” Sommer said. “He isn’t flashy. He kills plays. He moves the puck and was a warrior for us last year. He didn’t have a lot of bad games.”
Still, it isn’t surprising that Simek had to bide his time to worm his way into the Sharks’ lineup. Joakim Ryan entered the season with 62 games of NHL experience. Tim Heed brings a rocket shot to the blue line and he scored 56 points in 55 games at the AHL level in 2016-17.
The attributes that Simek brings to the game — physicality, poise and hockey IQ — don’t necessarily show up on the scoresheet or in practice. Even DeBoer said Monday that he didn’t know what he had in Simek until he penciled him into the lineup.
“You’ll hear guys go, ‘ Oh man, this guy looked really good in practice.’ You’re like, ‘Oh yeah, here we go,’ and then you get him in a game and he disappears,” Sommer said. “Simek’s not a guy that would show up in practice because he’s not going to hammer (Joe Thornton) coming down on a 2- on-2 or step into (Joe Pavelski) and rock his world. But you put him in against another team and it’s a whole other ballgame.”
• Joe Thornton was a game-time decision for the Sharks’ showdown with the Dallas Stars at SAP Center on Thursday night.
Thornton skipped the Sharks (16-11- 5) optional skate Thursday morning after missing practice Wednesday for “maintenance” purposes. DeBoer explained Thornton’s absence Wednesday by saying that he’s “dealing with something.” The Sharks’ alternate captain also sat out of the Sharks morning practice Monday but suited up for his team’s 5-2 win over the New Jersey Devils that night.