
SAN JOSE – In his first real competitive action with the Sharks during a rookie game in training camp on Sep. 12, Joonas Donskoi was the best player on the ice. At 23 years old he had more experience than most of the other Sharks and Ducks prospects that were skating that night, and it showed.
Seven games into his NHL career, Donskoi was again one of the best players on the ice on Tuesday night against Columbus, and this time he wasn’t competing against teenagers. His work along the boards helped to generate Joe Pavelski’s first period goal, even though he didn’t get an assist on the play. In the second, he skillfully stripped Nick Foligno of the puck in the offensive zone, and found Pavelski alone in front of the net for an easy conversion.
Both markers came at key times, tying the game at 1-1 and 2-2, in an eventual 5-2 Sharks loss.
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“He was great. He’s getting more and more comfortable,” coach Pete DeBoer said.
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Along with his key plays on the Sharks’ two goals, Donskoi nearly had a couple more helpers. He brilliantly feathered a backdoor pass through the slot to Marc-Edouard Vlasic in the first period that was snuffed out by Sergei Bobrovsky, and in the second he found Joe Thornton on a two-on-one in what have been a slam dunk goal had Fedor Tyutin not gotten his stick on Thornton’s mitts.
He’s found a home alongside the two Sharks veteran stars.
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“He made a couple great plays. Had that one to Pickles back door,” Pavelski said. “It's good to see and its fun to play with him when he's got that game going.”
“I think it’s getting better all the time,” Donskoi said. “It’s two great players, and it’s easy to be the third guy on the line. Just try to work hard every night and go to the net and skate hard.”
DeBoer decided to put Donskoi with Thornton and Pavelski early in training camp. When he’s been healthy – Donskoi recently missed five games with a lower body injury – he’s been on the left side of that top line.
In seven games, the six-foot, 180-pounder has 1 goal and 1 assist while averaging 14:33 of ice time.
“He thinks the game on the same level as good offensive players. That’s why he can play with them,” DeBoer said. “He’s not the biggest guy but he has that grit to his game that he’s willing to play inside and win battles. That’s what has given him that opportunity to play there.”