SAN JOSE -- Rookie Tomas Hertl took two big steps Tuesday night toward a spot on the Sharks roster when the NHL season begins Oct. 3.

Hertl scored twice in San Jose's 5-0 exhibition rout of the Vancouver Canucks, part of an overall solid effort that coach Todd McLellan said he was looking for before declaring the 19-year-old from the Czech Republic a lock.

Still, McLellan wasn't ready to punch Hertl's ticket to the NHL just yet. Asked about his play, the coach said "he did a very good job again," before going on to praise others also trying to earn a spot in San Jose.

Then, when asked directly if he liked what he saw from Hertl, McLellan gave a one-word answer -- "Yes" -- and didn't elaborate.

The Sharks' other goals against Vancouver came from the usual suspects -- Dan Boyle at even strength, Joe Thornton and Logan Couture on the power play -- while Antti Niemi was perfect in making 24 saves for the shutout win.

But all of them already know they have a spot in the lineup when the same two teams open the regular season. Not Hertl, who was credited with three shots, two hits, two give-aways and one take-away in his 16:48 ice time.

Earlier in the day, McLellan was asked if the knee injury to Raffi Torres made it a certainty that Hertl, the Sharks' first-round draft pick in 2012, would go straight to the NHL without a stint with the Worcester development team.



The game against a Vancouver lineup that featured top players such as the Sedin twins and Ryan Kesler would provide a better test, the coach suggested.

Hertl's first goal did come with Kesler on the ice, but it wasn't a thing of beauty. Defenseman Scott Hannan fired a shot from the side boards that deflected off someone before beating Canucks goalie Eddie Lack at 10:37 of the first period.

But the 6-foot-2, 210-pound Hertl had worked his way to just outside the crease to create the traffic. His willingness to go into that punishing territory did not go unnoticed.

"He's very competitive," Joe Thornton said of Hertl, who again skated on a line with the Sharks captain and Brent Burns. "He just goes to the net. He's not afraid of that area."


Hertl, who speaks limited English, did indicate he was happy with his performance. And made it clear he definitely is aiming to be in San Jose when the regular season starts.

  • McLellan praised his makeshift fourth line of prospects John McCarthy, Bracken Kearns and Matt Pelech for both limiting Vancouver's scoring chances and generating several of their own.

    The coach also said he liked what he saw from Matt Nieto, who took Torres' place on the third line with Joe Pavelski and Tommy Wingels.

  • The only fight of the night was between Pelech and Canucks forward Tom Sestito. They both earned an extra minor penalty for taking off their own helmets under a new rule designed to protect player safety.

  • The victory came in the final home exhibition game for the Sharks, who are 3-0-1 overall.


    friday's exhibition
    Sharks at Phoenix, 7 p.m.