SAN JOSE – It didn’t take long for San Jose Sharks defenseman Henry Thrun to make an impact in his first NHL game.
Thrun assisted on first-period goals by Mario Ferraro and Oskar Lindblom as the Sharks took a two-goal lead over the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday and later earned a 4-3 overtime win at SAP Center on a goal by Logan Couture.
Thrun finished with 18:46 of ice time, third-most among all Sharks defensemen, and also had two blocked shots and spent a bit of time on the penalty kill.
“He didn’t have to earn a lot of my trust because we have a history and I’ve known him from afar for a long time,” Sharks coach David Quinn said. “So I knew what we were getting and you know, when I watched them the after two periods, he kind of did what I thought he was going to do.
“He had a really good night.”
Thrun and Scott Hannan are the only San Jose defensemen to record two points in their respective NHL debuts. Hannan had two assists for the Sharks on Oct. 9, 1998, in Tokyo.
“The first period went pretty well for me,” Thrun said. “I was just trying to keep it simple and just enjoy the first couple of shifts, then build up from there.”
On Ferraro’s goal at the 4:16 mark of the first, Couture won a draw inside the Golden Knights zone, and Thomas Bordeleau tapped the puck back to Thrun. The defenseman then slid it over to Ferraro inside the blue line, and Ferraro’s shot went off a body in front and got past Vegas goalie Laurent Brossoit for a 1-0 Sharks lead.
Another Thrun assist 😲 pic.twitter.com/3csgQdW7py
— Sharks on NBCS (@NBCSSharks) March 31, 2023
Just over 10 minutes later, Thrun found Lindblom with a crisp diagonal pass in the neutral zone. Lindblom then carried the puck into the Vegas zone, then worked a give-and-go with Ferraro for a tap-in goal and a 2-0 Sharks lead.
“Good skater. Sees the ice well,” Couture said. “I thought he played extremely well and you really can’t really ask much more from a guy in his first game.”
In a way, Thrun, 22, has had a faster start to his NHL career than last season’s Norris Trophy winner, Cale Makar, who made his NHL debut in a Colorado Avalanche playoff game against the Calgary Flames on April 15, 2019. Makar had opted to turn pro after two years at UMass, and scored one goal in his NHL debut.
No one’s comparing Thrun to Makar right now, but it’s not a stretch to say that Thrun didn’t look out of place.
“In my first game, I had the jitters, I was a little nervous, and I got rid of the puck pretty quickly,” said Ferraro, who also went from the NCAA to the NHL in 2019 without playing in the AHL. “I thought (Thrun) had a lot of poise tonight. Made some good passes, good transition game and pretty solid defensively, too.”
The Sharks’ next game is Saturday in Arizona, and it doesn’t sound like Quinn is going to back off his usage.
“My plan is to play the crap out of him until he can’t untie his skates, so that’s my plan,” Quinn said of Thrun. “So until I’m told differently, that’ll be the plan.”
Thrun, who attended Harvard, played 5:36 in the first period as the Sharks held a 2-1 lead. He had 12:47 of ice time after two periods as the Sharks led 3-2 on a goal by Tomas Hertl.
Thrun’s parents, brother, and girlfriend all made the trip from Boston to watch the game.
“It’s really special for all of us,” Thrun said Thursday morning. “It’s something we’ve all worked for and I wouldn’t be here without those people, so it means a lot that they will make it. I think we’re all really excited for it.”
Seeing your son finally achieve his dream is a moment you never forget. 🥺
Welcome to the NHL, @HenryThrun! (And congrats on the two points already in your first game!) pic.twitter.com/YvKoMmPWjA
— NHL (@NHL) March 31, 2023
Thrun, instead of electing free agency this summer, chose to sign a two-year entry-level contract with the Sharks, who announced the deal last Saturday.
Thrun had 33 points, including 26 assists, in 33 games this season with Harvard, which advanced to the NCAA Division I Tournament and lost 8-1 to Ohio State in the first round.
In three seasons at Harvard, the 6-foot-2, 190-pound Thrun had 84 points in 99 games.
Quinn said Thursday morning that he just wanted Thrun, who he’s known for seven or eight years, to play to his strengths.
“His game transfers and it continued to transfer tonight,” Quinn said. “All of the things he was good at Harvard, he was good at here. He makes a really good play on the second goal, a quick up to the weak side, and his poise. He’s just got a real swagger to his game and he’s confident, and comfortable.
“He’s out there defending Jack Eichel and doing a good job. He got tested tonight, and he answered the bell.”
Thrun, who turned 22 on March 12, was a fourth-round draft choice by the Anaheim Ducks in 2019.
Thrun recently informed the Ducks, though, that he would not sign with them, prompting Anaheim to trade him to the Sharks on Feb. 28 for a 2024 third-round draft pick. After four years, NCAA players can become unrestricted free agents if they remain unsigned. Thrun could have become a UFA in August, free to sign with any team.
He signed with San Jose, and after one game, he looked good in teal. Under orders from Couture, Thrun came out for pregame warmups without a helmet.
“It was a pretty cool moment for me,” Thrun said. “It’s something I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”
Source: www.mercurynews.com