The Sharks have sent Mattias Havelid back to the San Jose Barracuda, moving the defenseman to their AHL affiliate now that he’s ready to return from an upper-body injury.
Havelid’s injury dates back to the beginning of San Jose’s preseason work, and it kept him out of training camp, the preseason schedule and even the team’s rookie showcase. He opened the year as an injured non-roster player when the Sharks announced their season-opening roster, and with no opening on the 23-man roster, the organization has now assigned him to the AHL.
That assignment is where Havelid likely would have started anyway, even if he had been healthy from the jump. The 22-year-old is a 5-foot-11 right-shot defenseman who went No. 45 overall in the second round of the 2022 draft. After being drafted, he spent three seasons developing professionally in Sweden, mostly with SHL club Linköping HC.
His 2024-25 season with Linköping was quiet on the scoresheet: 19 games, one point. But his path changed in mid-January 2025, when declining SHL ice time led to a loan to Djurgårdens IF in Sweden’s second tier. There, he quickly became a key blue-liner and put up 17 points in 32 combined regular season and playoff games while helping Djurgården win the HockeyAllsvenskan title and earn promotion back to the SHL.
Havelid then came to North America last season and made his pro debut here with the Barracuda, appearing in 44 games. He scored five goals and 15 points while working in a third-pairing role and getting second-unit power play time.
There’s a clear path for more responsibility in San Jose this season. Luca Cagnoni, last season’s No. 1 power play quarterback for the Barracuda, appears to have moved up to the NHL level, which opens a chance for Havelid to claim the top-unit job and boost his NHL case. He’ll have competition for that spot, though, with former college hockey star Eric Pohlkamp entering his rookie professional season.
The Sharks also have time on their side with Havelid. His ELC does not expire until the summer of 2028, and he still has two seasons of waivers exemption remaining.
In Other News...
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He has been working his way back from an upper-body injury suffered two weeks ago, and the next step should offer a clearer read on how soon he can be available again. For a club trying to keep pace in the opening stretch, getting a useful depth piece back without much delay would be a small but meaningful boost. [Read more 🡒]
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What makes the move especially interesting for San Jose is how clearly it signals a willingness to invest in upside on defense even if the development curve is still ahead. Verhoeffs size and physical style give him a sturdy foundation, but like most young defensemen, the next step will be refining the details that decide whether his game translates from promising college talent to dependable pro presence. [Read more 🡒]
Downtown San Jose Is Treating This Sharks Opener Like A Reset
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San Jose President Jonathan Becher has also pointed to something the market can uniquely claim: it is the only city that hosts NHL, AHL and Professional Womens Hockey League teams. That gives this stretch of the calendar extra weight locally, especially with Santa Clara also staging civic events like the State of the City address, the Parade of Champions and a public appearance by author Robert Dugoni. For Sharks fans, the hope is that all the pageantry is not just noise around opening night, but the start of a season that gives the city something to rally around. [Read more 🡒]