Sharks Tomas Hertl assisting rookie duo both on and off the ice

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SAN JOSE – Being new to a team and not speaking the native tongue would understandably be a challenge for Sharks’ newcomers Lukas Radil and Radim Simek.

Lucky for the Czech rookies, they have Tomas Hertl to help them get acclimated.

“I try to help them out as much as I can,” Hertl told NBC Sports California ahead of the Sharks Thursday night rumble with the Dallas Stars. “For (Simek) I’ll try to translate, so I’ll help him on the ice and off the ice. Anything he needs.”

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No. 48 knows what it’s like to be the new guy on the team and not speak a ton of English, as was the case his own rookie season. Now, in his sixth campaign with Team Teal, he’s offering to make other rookies' adjustments easier. “I was there too, so I know how they’re feeling right now,” he said sympathetically.

Hertl said he tries to have a pre-game talk with Simek, who the Sharks signed to a one-year contract back in spring of 2017. As it turns out, Hertl was there right from the beginning helping the defenseman get settled ahead of him playing for the AHL Barracuda.

“Even last year before he [started playing with the team], he was staying over at my house,” Hertl said. “I got his phone number and the whole thing.”

With the heavy road schedule the Sharks have had so far this season, Simek and Radil have spent more time getting acclimated away from the cozy confines of the South Bay. Hertl said he gives the rookie duo recommendations on where to eat and how the team functions. They’re both getting the hang of things without needing a ton of assistance, Hertl acknowledged, “but anytime they ask, I try to help them.”

That help looks to be helping out on the ice as well. Both skaters look to have successfully brought an extra dose of physicality to San Jose’s game and have registered their first NHL goals since being penciled into the starting lineup in the process. They’re also creating chemistry with their respective linemates – Radil on the Sharks’ fourth line with Barclay Goodrow and Melker Karlsson, and Simek paired up on defense with two-time Norris Trophy winner Brent Burns. Hertl said both skaters a “nice guys” and that he thinks they’re starting to fit in well with the collective group.

Although they’re both rookies, 28-year-old Radil and 26-year-old Simek are older than Hertl. When asked if he felt like a veteran despite his age, Hertl chuckled. “They’re both older than me, but I’ve played here for longer,” he said with a grin. “So, I know a little bit more how it works.”

Surely whatever aid Hertl offers helps Radil and Simek get on the same page as the rest of the team as the Sharks try to notch a couple more victories before Christmas. There are six games to be played before the holiday break, starting with a tough Thursday night rumble with the Dallas Stars.

“We have to play our game for 60 minutes,” Hertl concluded. “We need everybody (playing) tonight, like every game before [the Christmas break]. We need these two points right now.”

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