BARRACUDA INK DEFENSEMAN MONTANA ONYEBUCHI
Jun 21, 2022
San Jose, CA – The San Jose Barracuda (@SJBarracuda), the top development affiliate of the San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks), and general manager Joe Will announced today that the team has signed defenseman Montana Onyebuchi (@MontanaOny2) for the 2022-23 season. Per club policy, terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
“Montana made big strides in his overall game as the season continued last year and became a regular in the team’s lineup,” said Will. “We’re excited to have him back and to see where his development goes.”
In his first pro campaign, Onyebuchi, 22, skated in 46 games with the Barracuda, notching seven points (one goal, six assists). Additionally, he appeared in eight games with the Orlando Solar Bears (@OrlandoHockey) of the ECHL (@ECHL), collecting three assists.
In 2020-21, his final season in the WHL (@TheWHL), the six-foot-three, 210-pound native of Dugald, Manitoba picked up 12 points (two goals, 10 assists), 38 penalty minutes and a plus-four rating in 20 games with the Kamloops Blazers.
In his five-year junior career, the right-shot blueliner skated in 257 games with Kamloops and the Everett Silvertips, racking up 75 points (19 goals, 56 assists), 440 penalty minutes and a plus-38 rating.
About the Barracuda:
In 2022-23, the Barracuda will enter their eighth season playing in San Jose, following the American Hockey League’s creation of a Pacific Division, now consisting of nine teams – all of whom serve as the primary development affiliations for the National Hockey League teams: San Jose (Sharks), Abbotsford (Vancouver Canucks), Bakersfield (Edmonton Oilers), Coachella Valley (Seattle Kraken), Colorado (Colorado Avalanche), Ontario (Los Angeles Kings), San Diego (Anaheim Ducks), Calgary (Calgary Flames) and Tucson (Arizona Coyotes).
Many of the players on the Sharks roster have made their journey to the National Hockey League by playing and developing in the AHL, including Logan Couture, Alex Barabanov, Brent Burns, Sasha Chmelevski, Jonathan Dahlen, Jonah Gadjovich, Noah Gregor, Kevin Labanc, John Leonard, Timo Meier, Matt Nieto, Nikolai Knyzhov, Nicolas Meloche, Ryan Merkley, Radim Simek, and Scott Reedy.
About Tech CU Arena:
Tech CU Arena is a state-of-the-art, 4,200-seat arena located in San Jose. It is the home of San Jose Barracuda. Tech CU Arena is a partnership between Sharks Sports & Entertainment and Technology Credit Union, a full-service, federally insured not-for-profit credit union headquartered in the heart of San Jose. With more than 155,000 members, Tech CU provides a wide array of financial products and services, including personal banking, financial management, private banking, commercial lending, and business banking. Learn more at www.techcu.com.