GAMEDAY: BARRACUDA VS. WRANGLERS
Apr 17, 2025SAN JOSE BARRACUDA (35-26-5-4, 79 pts.) vs. ONTARIO REIGN (36-27-4-3, 79 pts.)
FRI, APR. 18, 2025 | 12:00 PM PT | SCOTIABANK SADDLEDOME | CALGARY, AB
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Wranglers Wrap: The Barracuda close out the regular season with a pair of games against the Calgary Wranglers at the Scotiabank Saddledome, beginning on Friday at noon PT. The Barracuda split the only two prior games on Nov. 16 (2-5 L) and 17 (5-4 OTW) at Tech CU Arena. Entering Friday, the Barracuda and Wranglers are tied at 79 points in the Pacific Division. All-time in Calgary, the Barracuda are 2-4, winning the last meeting on Mar. 31, 2024 (4-1 W).
Calgary Clutch: The Wranglers snapped Abbotsford’s 13-game winning streak with a 5-4 shootout victory on Friday, then followed it up with a 3-1 win on Saturday. Calgary has won four of its last five after losing four straight. From October through the end of January, the Wranglers posted a record of 29-13-2-0 (.682%), but have since gone just 7-14-2-3 (.365).
Playoff Punch: With last Friday’s win, the Barracuda punched their first playoff ticket since 2020-21 and their first Calder Cup Playoff berth since 2018-19. Entering Friday, the Barracuda could play Abbotsford, Ontario or Coachella Valley in round one.
Do the Cagn Cagn: On Wednesday, Barracuda blueliner Luca Cagnoni was named to the AHL’s All-Rookie Team, joining Danny O’Regan (2016-17) as the only players in team history to earn All-Rookie Team honors—and becomes the first defenseman to do so. The Twenty-year-old is the highest-scoring rookie reargaurd in the AHL in the last seven years, racking up 49 points (14+35=49) in 62 games. The Burnaby, B.C. native ranks first in the AHL in power-play points (32), second in power-play assists (22), and tied for fourth in power-play goals (10).
Hot Pot: Barracuda forward Andrew Poturalski was named a First Team AHL All-Star on Thursday, the fourth postseason AHL All-Star selection of his career (2018-19, 2020-21, 2021-22). Closing in on what would be a league record-tying third career AHL scoring title, Poturalski has recorded a career-best 30 goals to go along with 43 assists for 73 points in 59 games with the Barracuda, including 22 points in 12 games during March to earn AHL Player of the Month honors. The two-time Calder Cup champion is tied for the league lead with 13 power-play goals, helping San Jose to a league-best 24.2 percent efficiency with the man advantage, and also skated in three games with the Sharks this season, registering one assist. The 31-year-old has missed the last seven games with a lower-body injury. Poturalski joins Troy Grosenick (2016-17) as the only players in team history to earn First Team All-Star honors—and becomes the first forward to do so.
It’s a Must(y): Sharks 2023 first-round pick Quentin Musty made his pro debut on Saturday in the Barracuda’s 4-0 loss to the Ontario Reign. The 19-year-old tallied 59 points (30+29=59) in 33 games this season with the OHL’s Sudbury Wolves. A year ago, he recorded 102 points (43+59=102) in 53 games and was named an OHL First Team All-Star.
Gears Cherning: The Sharks assigned 2024 second-rounder Igor Chernyshov to the Barracuda last week after a stellar first season in the OHL, in which he recorded 55 points (19+36=55) in 23 games with the Saginaw Spirit. The 19-year-old missed the first three months of the season while recovering from shoulder surgery.
Powering Up: The Barracuda went two-for-five on the power play in their playoff clinching win last Friday and rank first in the AHL with a 24.2% conversion rate. Danil Gushchin and Andrew Poturalski are tied for the league lead with 13 power-play goals each, while Luca Cagnoni leads the AHL in power-play points (32). The Barracuda also rank first in drawn power plays (277) and total power-play goals (67)—a single-season franchise record.
Dan the Man: Danil Gushchin’s 27 goals are tied for the second-most in a single season in franchise history, and his 13 power-play goals match teammate Andrew Poturalski for the most in a season. From March 7 to March 28, he recorded points in nine consecutive games—the second-longest streak in team history. During that span, he also scored in five straight games (March 16–26), tying John McCarthy’s franchise record. Gushchin also ranks fifth in the league in shots (213) and second in shootout game-winners (3). The Yekaterinburg, Russia native was recalled to the Sharks earlier this week, playing in their final two games of the regular season.
Regenda Revival: Pavol Regenda scored twice on Friday—his first multi-goal game of his Barracuda career—and now has nine goals in 34 games after notching four in 36 contests with the Gulls. The Slovakian forward is two points shy of 100 in the AHL and has set new career highs this season with 39 points and 26 assists. Regenda was dealt to the Sharks from the Ducks for forward Justin Bailey on Jan. 22.