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Three San Jose Sharks prospects were named to preliminary World Junior rosters this week. Here are the updates:
THOMAS BORDELEAU NAMED TO USA’S PRELIMINARY WJC ROSTER
Bordeleau could be San Jose’s top prospect playing in the World Juniors this year. He’ll be trying to crack a competitive United States roster, which includes seven returning forwards.
SANTERI HATAKKA NAMED TO FINLAND’S PRELIMINARY WJC ROSTER
Hatakka could be set to play in his second World Junior tournament with Finland. The defenseman played in seven World Junior games last year, registering one point.
ADAM RASKA NAMED TO CZECH REPUBLIC’S PRELIMINARY WJC ROSTER
Sharks 2020 seventh-round pick has been named to Czech Republic’s preliminary roster. Raska played in the tournament last year as well but went pointless in five games.
As for this week’s poll questions, here are the results and my thoughts on how they turned out:
QUESTION: Do you think better goaltending is the Sharks’ most pressing need?
(Votes: 71)
Yes: 76%
No: 24%
The Sharks certainly have many areas that need to improve but goaltending is a key place to start. Devan Dubnyk won’t be a long-term solution but hopefully he can provide some improvement in net.
QUESTION: Will Thomas Bordeleau make USA’s final WJC roster?
(Votes: 27)
Yes: 78%
No: 22%
Bordeleau may be young but after his hot start in the NCAA, there’s a great chance he makes USA’s roster. Despite the competition and the high number of returning forwards, I predict he makes the final roster.
QUESTION: Was trading for Ryan Donato San Jose’s best move of the offseason?
(Votes: 74)
Yes: 76%
No: 24%
The Sharks didn’t really make any game-changing moves this offseason but Donato does have the potential to make the largest impact of any players added. He’ll get a larger role with the Sharks and is young enough to factor into the team’s future.
QUESTION: Does Ivan Chekhovich’s hot start in the KHL surprise you?
(Votes: 26)
Yes: 65%
No: 35%
After Chekhovich struggled to produce in the AHL, it’s definitely surprising to see him starting so well in the KHL. He’s still just 21 years old and hopefully this play translates when he returns to North America.
QUESTION: Will Santeri Hatakka make Finland’s final WJC roster?
(Votes: 16)
Yes: 69%
No: 31%
Given that Hatakka was a member of last year’s team, he’s a likely returnee for this year’s tournament. However, after some surprising omissions from Finland’s preliminary roster, we still can’t say for sure.
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OTHER SHARKS ARTICLES FROM DECEMBER:
Thomas Bordeleau named to USA’s preliminary WJC roster
Ranking all of San Jose’s offseason moves
Ivan Chekhovich is off to an impressive start in the KHL
Santeri Hatakka named to Finland’s preliminary WJC roster 
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