- Editor's note: Sheng Peng will be a regular contributor to NBC Sports California's Sharks coverage for the 2021-22 season. You can read more of his coverage on San Jose Hockey Now, listen to him on the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast, and follow him on Twitter at @Sheng_Peng.
The development of Noah Gregor into a bona fide NHL player is a study in patience.
In Oct. 2019, the 21-year-old Gregor made his NHL debut for the San Jose Sharks, but ultimately, he shuttled back and forth between the NHL and AHL that COVID-shortened campaign.
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“He’s learning how to compete at the NHL level and he’s realizing it’s hard to create space at this level in order to create offense,” then-Sharks head coach Peter DeBoer said of Gregor. “You have to be good all over the ice because if you’re not creating a goal a night you can’t be giving up a goal a night.”
Last season, Gregor broke San Jose’s training camp as the team’s third-line center, an experiment that did not last long. The winger would hop back and forth between the Sharks and their taxi squad all year.
Bob Boughner disclosed early last season: “We’ve talked many times about his consistency.”