Sharks name Logan Couture captain ahead of first day of training camp

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Logan Couture will wear the "C" in San Jose this season. 

The Sharks have named the 30-year-old center their new captain, the team announced Thursday, one day before the beginning of training camp.

Couture succeeds Joe Pavelski, who captained the Sharks for four seasons before signing with the Dallas Stars in free agency this summer. 

"Since I arrived in San Jose four seasons ago, we have been blessed with a tremendous amount of leadership on our roster," Sharks coach Peter DeBoer said in a statement released by the team. "Logan has grown up within that environment and evolved into someone who not only plays his best hockey when it matters the most, but who also leads by example off the ice. He knows what it takes to win, and his performance in our recent playoff runs reflects that.

"Most importantly, Logan has the respect of his teammates, and we're extremely proud to name him as the 10th captain of the San Jose Sharks."

Couture wore an "A" as one of the Sharks’ alternate captains for each of the last four seasons. He long has been one of the most vocal Sharks during his media appearances, and he has grown into a leadership role over 10 seasons in San Jose.

The Sharks traded up to pick Couture No. 9 overall in the 2007 NHL Draft, and he debuted during the 2009-10 season. Couture scored a career-high 70 points (27 goals, 43 assists) in 81 regular-season games last season, and he led all goal-scorers in the Stanley Cup playoffs -- even after the Sharks were eliminated by the eventual Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues in the Western Conference final.

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Couture’s first season as Sharks captain also will be his first under an eight-year contract extension he signed last summer, locking him up in teal through the end of 2026-27. 

Couture will be the 10th full-time captain -- and 13th overall -- in Sharks history. He last wore the "C" in 2008-09, captaining the OHL's Ottawa 67s in his final season in Canadian major junior.

Along with Couture being named captain, Brent Burns, Joe Thornton, Erik Karlsson and Tomas Hertl were named alternate captains.

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