Worcester Sharks facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Worcester Sharks
City	Worcester, Massachusetts
League	American Hockey League (AHL)
Conference	Eastern Conference
Division	Atlantic Division
Founded	1996
Operated	2006–2015
Home arena	DCU Center
Colors	Pacific teal, Black, White, Burnt Orange
Owner(s)	San Jose Sports & Entertainment Enterprises (Hasso Plattner, Governor)
Media	Worcester Telegram & Gazette WTAG AM 580 & FM 94.9 Charter TV3
Affiliates	San Jose Sharks (2006–2015)
Franchise history
1996–2001	Kentucky Thoroughblades
2001–2006	Cleveland Barons
2006–2015	Worcester Sharks
2015–present	San Jose Barracuda

The Worcester Sharks were a professional ice hockey team. They played in the American Hockey League (AHL) from 2006 to 2015. This team was connected to the National Hockey League's (NHL) San Jose Sharks. The Worcester Sharks played their home games at the DCU Center in Worcester, Massachusetts.

History of the Worcester Sharks

On November 9, 2004, the city of Worcester lost its hockey team, the Worcester IceCats. The IceCats were sold and moved to Peoria, Illinois. People in Worcester wanted hockey back in their city. They talked with several NHL teams to find a new affiliate.

On January 6, 2006, the San Jose Sharks announced good news. They would move their AHL team, the Cleveland Barons, to Worcester. The new team was named the Worcester Sharks. Their first home game was on October 14, 2006. A huge crowd of 7,230 fans watched them play. They lost in a shootout to the Portland Pirates.

The Sharks made it to the playoffs in their very first season. However, they were knocked out in the first round. The Manchester Monarchs beat them in six games.

Rivalries and Olympic Stars

The Sharks had a big rivalry with the Providence Bruins. This rivalry started way back when the Worcester IceCats played.

Some former Worcester Sharks players even played in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. These included Joe Pavelski for the United States and Douglas Murray for Sweden. Goalie Thomas Greiss and Dimitri Patzold played for Germany.

Coach Roy Sommer's Achievements

Their head coach, Roy Sommer, achieved many milestones. On November 1, 2009, he earned his 400th win as an AHL coach. He was only the fourth coach in AHL history to do this.

On January 14, 2011, Sommer coached his 1,000th regular-season AHL game. He was also the fourth coach to reach this huge number. Then, on February 11, 2012, he got his 500th win. This happened in a 3–2 shootout victory against the Hershey Bears.

Moving to San Jose

On January 26, 2015, news came out that the Sharks would move. They were going to San Jose, California. The team would share an arena, the SAP Center at San Jose, with their parent club. The San Jose Sharks are the NHL team.

This move was officially announced on January 29. On April 2, 2015, the team got a new name: the San Jose Barracuda.

Worcester did not get a new AHL team right away. But on February 8, 2016, the ECHL announced a new team for Worcester. This team, called the Worcester Railers, started playing in the 2017–18 season.

Worcester has been home to other hockey teams before the Sharks.

• The Worcester Warriors played from 1954 to 1956.
• The Worcester IceCats played from 1994 to 2005. They were connected to the St. Louis Blues.

Worcester Sharks Players

Many talented players wore the Worcester Sharks jersey.

Team Captains

The team captains were leaders on the ice.

• Graham Mink, 2007–2008
• Ryan Vesce, 2008–2010
• Jay Leach, 2010–2011
• Mike Moore, 2011–2012
• John McCarthy, 2012–2013
• Rob Davison, 2013–2014
• Bryan Lerg, 2014–2015

All-Star Players

These players were chosen to represent the team in the AHL All-Star Classic games.

• Mathieu Darche, 2007
• Mike Iggulden, 2008
• Derek Joslin, 2009
• Ryan Vesce, 2009
• Logan Couture, 2010
• Alex Stalock, 2010
• Justin Braun, 2011
• Jonathan Cheechoo, 2011
• Matt Irwin, 2012
• Bracken Kearns, 2013
• Matt Taormina, 2015

Notable Alumni Who Played in the NHL

Many players from the Worcester Sharks went on to play in the National Hockey League.

Worcester Sharks Team Records

The Sharks set many records during their time in Worcester.

All-Time Regular Season Leaders

These players hold the records for their entire time with the team.

• Games Played: Nick Petrecki, John McCarthy, 277 games
• Goals: John McCarthy, 63 goals
• Assists: Tom Cavanagh, 92 assists
• Points: John McCarthy, 151 points
• Penalty Minutes (PIM): Frazer McLaren, 577 minutes
• Wins (Goalie): Thomas Greiss, 74 wins
• Losses (Goalie): Thomas Greiss, 60 losses
• Shutouts (Goalie): Alex Stalock, Aaron Dell, 4 shutouts
• Lowest Goals Against Average (GAA): Aaron Dell, 2.06

Individual Regular Season Records (One Season)

These are the best single-season performances.

• Most Goals: Mathieu Darche, 35 (2006–07 season)
• Most Assists: Danny Groulx, 52 (2009–10 season)
• Most Points: Mathieu Darche, 80 (2006–07 season)
• Most Penalty Minutes: Matt Pelech, 238 (2012–13 season)
• Most Power-Play Goals: Mathieu Darche, 16 (2006–07 season)
• Most Shorthanded Goals: Ryan Vesce, 3 (2008–09 season)
• Most Goalie Appearances: Alex Stalock, 61 (2009–10 season)
• Most Goalie Minutes Played: Alex Stalock, 3,534 (2009–10 season)
• Most Goalie Wins: Alex Stalock, 39 (2009–10 season)
• Most Goalie Losses: Thomas Greiss, 24 (2008–09 season)
• Most Goalie Shutouts: Alex Stalock, 4 (2009–10 season) and Aaron Dell, 4 (2014-15 season)
• Lowest Goalie GAA (minimum 25 games): Aaron Dell, 2.06 (2014–15 season)
• Highest Goalie Save Percentage (minimum 25 games): Aaron Dell, .927 (2014–15 season)

All-Time Playoff Leaders

These players led the team in playoff games.

• Games Played: 14 players tied with 12 games
• Goals: Patrick Traverse, Jamie McGinn, Andrew Desjardins, 4 goals
• Assists: Riley Armstrong, 11 assists
• Points: Riley Armstrong, 14 points

Franchise Firsts and Lasts

Here are some important moments in the team's history.

• First Game & Win: October 6, 2006. Worcester Sharks 4, Portland Pirates 3 (in a shootout).
• First Goal: October 6, 2006, scored by Mathieu Darche.
• First Shutout: January 11, 2008, by Dimitri Patzold. Worcester Sharks 3, Providence Bruins 0.
• First Hat Trick: December 22, 2006, by Mathieu Darche.
• Largest Crowd: February 24, 2012. 10,170 fans watched.

• Last Game: May 1, 2015. Worcester Sharks 4, Hershey Bears 10 (Playoff Game 4).
• Last Win: April 29, 2015. Worcester Sharks 4, Hershey Bears 1 (Playoff Game 3).
• Last Goal: May 1, 2015, scored by Matt Taormina.
• Last Shutout: April 7, 2015, by Aaron Dell. Worcester Sharks 1, Portland Pirates 0.
• Last Hat Trick: February 27, 2015, by Evan Trupp.
• Last Home Game: April 25, 2015. Hershey Bears 3, Worcester Sharks 1.

Franchise Scoring Leaders

These are the top ten players with the most points for the team.

Head Coaches

The only head coach for the Worcester Sharks was Roy Sommer. He coached the team from 2006 to 2015.

Images for kids

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  Worcester Sharks logo

See also

In Spanish: Worcester Sharks para niños