Move to wing might be way for Gambrell to contribute

Move to wing might help him solidify roster spot

SAN JOSE >> At the time, it could have either been considered a tough spot to be in or a golden opportunity. Sharks forward Dylan Gambrell chose the latter.

With Tomas Hertl, not to mention Joe Pavelski and Erik Karlsson, injured and unable to play in Game 6 of the Western Conference finals, Gambrell was suddenly thrust into the lineup as the Sharks’ third line center in an elimination game against the St. Louis Blues.

The decimated Sharks lost 5-1 to the Blues, but Gambrell came away from the experience with a little more confidence than before. Playing alongside Evander Kane and Joonas Donskoi in just his second NHL postseason game, Gambrell scored the Sharks’ only goal, ripping a wrist shot just inside the far post past goalie Jordan Binnington midway through the second period.

“It was big for my confidence,” Gambrell said of his first NHL goal, regular season or playoffs. “Kind of get the monkey off the back there. It just gave me a lot of confidence going into this year.”

A spot on the Sharks’ roster once the regular season gets underway next month is anything but guaranteed at this point for Gambrell, a 2016 second-round draft pick. At 23 with just 11 NHL regular season games under his belt, he’s still waiversexempt and might even benefit from more time in the AHL.

But it’s clear the Sharks want to give him every chance to succeed, and just like that night at Enterprise Center four months ago, he’s hoping to take advantage of the extended look in an important role.

Gambrell played on a line with Hertl and Kane — the same spot he’s been since the start of training camp — for the Sharks’ preseason game against the Calgary Flames on Wednesday night.

It was a tough night for Gambrell, Kane and Hertl, though, as all three had a plus-minus rating of minus-3 through two periods in what became a 6-4 Flames win. Manuel Wiederer scored two goals, and Jayden Halbgewachs and Tony Sund each added two assists in the loss.

“He’s skilled, and a righty, too, which we kind of need a little bit,” said Hertl, who also started his NHL career as a winger after he was drafted as a center, of Gambrell. “You can talk to him very easily. Great guy, and hopefully we get a couple games together so we can build some chemistry and maybe start the season together.”

With Pavelski and Gus Nyquist departing via free agency, the Sharks are searching for right wingers to take steps forward and grab NHL jobs this preseason. Jonny Brodzinski, Joachim Blichfeld, Lukas Radil and Sasha Chmelevski are also in the mix.

Gambrell has mostly been a center in recent years, but it might be a tad easier for him to establish himself in the NHL on the wing.

“It’s an opportunity for him,” Sharks coach Pete DeBoer said of Gambrell playing the wing in the top six forward group. “Right now, he’s getting an opportunity to play with two real good players and get a really good look. What he does with that it is up to him.”

Gambrell spent most of 2018-19 with the Barracuda, finishing second on the team with 20 goals in 51 games. He said last season that at times with the Sharks he was maybe thinking too much on the ice, instead of just playing and being more instinctual. That’s something he wants to correct this season.

“For me, it’s just playing fast and being more assertive,” Gambrell said. “I think I have most of the tools, but for me it’s just going out there and doing it and being assertive, winning battles.”

Gambrell said he played on the wing quite a bit growing up, including his sophomore season at the University of Denver in 2016-17 when he finished with 42 points in 38 games.

“He worked in the summer a lot, and he wants to take another step,” Hertl said of Gambrell. “He wants to be here the full year. He doesn’t want to be up and down. He’s ready to step up, and I’ll try to help him on the ice. If he doesn’t know something, I will for sure try to let him know.”

DeBoer liked the way Gambrell played alongside Hertl and Kane in both of the Sharks’ scrimmages Sunday and Monday.

”He’s skating well,” DeBoer said. “I think not having the responsibility of all the details of playing center, at this level right now, has probably freed him up a little bit to create a little bit more, and that’s a good thing.”

“There’s a lot of guys that are fighting for those spots,” Gambrell said. “I’m trying to put myself in a position where they want me.”