In the AHL or NHL, White will play an important role for the Sharks TheAHL.com

Patrick WilliamsTheAHL.com Features Writer

The San Jose Sharks open practice camp Thursday with a lot to show and a lot to see. That comes with a bottom finish in the NHL last season.

Change swept the organization this summer. It starts with a new coach on Ryan Warsofskywinner of Calder Cups with the Carolina Hurricanes organization as an assistant coach in Charlotte (2019) and as head coach in Chicago (2022). The Sharks are looking for internal competition, and signing free agents like Andrew Poturalski, Jimmy Schultt again Lucas Carlsson fighting for jobs this pre-season.

The Sharks AHL affiliate will also be out of the final. The San Jose Barracuda went 24-34-10-4 in 2023-24, finishing last in the Pacific Division and 30th in the 32-team league. They have given up 260 goals, the most in the AHL, and rank 31st in penalty kill. So in addition to Poturalski, Schuldt and Carlsson, the organization signed the center Colin White on an American Hockey League contract this summer. White, 27, will help drive that ice-time battle and arrives in San Jose looking to make his own break.

An eight-year pro out of Boston College, White spent most of last season in the NHL, covering 28 games between Pittsburgh and Montreal. He also spent 21 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, contributing 10 points (five goals, five assists). He played 320 NHL games in all and reached the Stanley Cup Finals with Florida in 2023, but it was a challenging job market this season.

An experience like White’s will push every camper. He’s also a center, a must-have for any contending team. White was a first round pick (21st overall) by the Ottawa Senators in 2015. He collected 41 points (14 goals, 27 assists) in 71 games with Ottawa back in 2018-19, his first full NHL season, and not his last. A season assignment with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and one game with Belleville in 2019-20, White was another NHL regular.

White is on an AHL contract, but wants to get an NHL contract. So if that NHL job doesn’t pan out soon, he at least wants to leave an impression as he participates in Sharks training camp. And with the Barracuda, White will be taking on a leadership role among what should be a new lineup around him. Consistency can be very difficult to master, and White has been through the process. He can provide a strong presence in the Barracuda lineup while bringing in his younger teammates during those uneventful moments.

White wore the letter as a co-captain while with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, and this Barracuda turn will provide another opportunity to mentor. Somehow, White still wants to be the same again. The struggle is real for many players, indeed.

“I think the biggest thing is confidence,” White said. “It’s easy to lose confidence in any league. You will make mistakes, so the main thing is to be able to learn from your mistakes but keep your confidence. It’s something I’m still trying to do. But it’s definitely something I can help (others) with.

“A lot of guys are used to being ‘the guy’ growing up, and as you grow up in different places and in different leagues, sometimes it’s hard to figure out what your role is right away. And that can hurt your self-esteem. He’s afraid to make a play.”

With no Calder Cup Playoff appearances since 2019, the feeling is that it’s time for the Barracuda to win games and bring the hopes of the organization. After all, the success of the Sharks rebuilding plan will depend heavily on the Barracuda being able to develop talent. And part of that development process is having a successful environment.

White put it down.

“I don’t think they want to keep losing.”

In the American Hockey League for two decades, TheAHL.com features writer Patrick Williams and currently covers the league for NHL.com and FloSports and is a regular contributor to SiriusXM NHL Network Radio. He was the recipient of the AHL’s James H. Ellery Memorial Award for the league’s top scorer in 2016.