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Looking to make the leap: Mirco Mueller

Mirco Mueller

Ever since Doug Wilson referred to the Sharks as a “tomorrow team,” Mirco Mueller has been focused on cracking the squad.

“When Doug Wilson says he trusts in younger players and he wants to build on our age group, that gives you a lot of motivation and confidence that you really have a shot to make the team,” Mueller said in July, per NHL.com. “I’ve been working out this summer because I knew that was going to be a big part for me to make the team, to get stronger and bigger.”

Mueller, 19, was San Jose’s first-round pick (18th overall) at the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, and a guy San Jose specifically targeted -- Wilson moved up a couple of spots on draft day to take the WHL Everett product. It’s easy to see why. A big kid (6-foot-3, 205 pounds) that can skate and move the puck well, Mueller was the first d-man San Jose took in the opening draft round since 2007. He essentially represents the future of the Sharks blueline.

The big question now is, will he make the leap?

Though filled with promise, Mueller has a few strikes going against him. One is his relative lack of experience -- he has just nine games of pro experience, all coming last year with AHL Worcester, where he scored two points and finished minus-5. Another strike is San Jose’s defensive depth. Mueller is one of seven blueliners on an NHL contract, a group that includes Brent Burns, who will return to the blueline this year after spending last season as a winger. Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Jason Demers, Justin Braun, Scott Hannan and Matt Irwin round out the top six, and it’s expected AHLers Matt Tennyson and Taylor Fedun will challenge for spots as well.

But don’t forget, the Sharks are a “tomorrow team.” They seem to be embracing the youth movement and that doesn’t just start and stop with Wilson -- consider what head coach Todd McLellan told NHL.com about Mueller’s chances of making the team.

“It’s a younger league now,” McLellan explained. “There’s a lot of young players that are playing and being effective. We have to encourage that, and we are as an organization.”