One of San Jose’s more intriguing prospects is heading home to get in some playing time before the 2020-21 NHL season begins. Frederikshavn of the Metal Ligaen in Denmark announced that they’ve added winger Joachim Blichfeld on a short-term loan agreement until training camps in North America get underway.
The 22-year-old was a seventh-round pick (210th overall) by San Jose back in 2016 and he looks like he’ll outperform that selection. In 2018-19, Blichfeld was the top scorer in the WHL, putting up 53 goals and 61 assists with Portland in just 68 games.
He made his professional debut last season and spent most of it with the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda where he acquitted himself well, tallying 16 goals and 16 assists in just 44 games. That helped earn him four separate recalls to the Sharks between December and January while he was able to get into his first three NHL contests.
As things stand, with San Jose largely standing pat this offseason, Blichfeld will be among the young players that will have a chance of carving out a regular spot in the lineup. Accordingly, this loan takes on a bit more importance as unlike most prospects getting sent out for some development time, a good showing in his hometown could be the difference between breaking camp with the Sharks or going back to the minors.