Five years prior to scoring his first career NHL goal as a player, rookie Jasper Weatherby was in attendance for a Sharks' 2016 Stanley Cup Final game ... as a fan.
The 23-year-old rookie made his debut with the Sharks on Saturday night, scoring his first career NHL goal while tallying two points in San Jose's 4-3 season-opening win over the Winnipeg Jets.
Drafted by the Sharks in the fourth round of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, it was just two years prior that Weatherby was in attendance for a 2016 Stanley Cup Final game.
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Five years ago, the Sharks faced the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2016 Stanley Cup Final, ultimately losing in six games. A then 18-year-old Weatherby would attended games as a Sharks fan from Ashland, Ore.
“I’d drive down there six hours, my stepdad had season tickets since they were (an expansion) franchise, and I’d go to games," Weatherby told Sound of Hockey's Jim Wilkie in June. "I think that it was an unbelievable opportunity, and at the same time I think that another year in college is only going to benefit me and maybe leaves me entering, hopefully, an NHL roster that much more prepared."
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Fast forward to Saturday, and Weatherby was a key contributor in a season-opening win for the team he once rooted for.