As a kid, he saw Erik Karlsson play in Finland. Now he might start the year as his Sharks teammate

SAN JOSE – As an 11-year-old growing up in Finland, Santeri Hatakka got to see Erik Karlsson when he was on the cusp of superstardom.

Karlsson at that point was already three full years into his NHL career and a Norris Trophy winner. But he was playing for Jokerit of Helsinki – where Hatakka first started to play hockey — while the NHL was in a work stoppage at the start of the 2012-2013 season.

Fast forward nine years and Hatakka is now sharing the ice with Karlsson. He was his defense partner for the Sharks’ preseason game against the Los Angeles Kings last Thursday, and remains in training camp, vying for a spot on the NHL roster for the start of the regular season.

“That was my first (memory) of him,” Hatakka said Saturday of seeing Karlsson play in Finland. “He, of course, was one of the best offensive guys in the league. It was incredible.”

Hatakka, 20, said he hasn’t told that story to Karlsson, but there’s still time. With his own dynamic skating ability and an injury to Nikolai Knyzhov, Hatakka remains in the mix to still be with the Sharks on Oct. 16 when the season begins.

“I hope so,” the 6-foot-2, 195-pound Hatakka said of making the roster. “That’s my goal.”

Coach Bob Boughner said Saturday the Sharks hope Knyzhov can start to skate again on his own by the end of next week. Knyzhov, out with an unspecified injury, has yet to skate in camp and will likely not be available to play in the Sharks’ final exhibition game on Oct. 9 at home against Vegas, leaving his availability for the Oct. 16 opener vs. Winnipeg in doubt.

The Sharks will be looking for sixth and seventh defensemen if Knyzhov can’t play in two weeks, giving Hatakka and others an opportunity. Other defensemen potentially in the mix for the No. 6 and No. 7 spots include Nicolas Meloche, Ryan Merkley, and Jacob Middleton.

“He adds some quickness to our blue line, some explosiveness getting pucks out of traffic,” Boughner said of Hatakka. “He’s still adjusting to the North American game, but I’ve watched him get better and better and I’m excited to see what his ceiling is because there’s room for growth in his game.”

LEONARD OUT: Forward John Leonard was among nine players assigned to the Barracuda. Leonard, in his first professional season in 2020-2021, had 13 points in 44 NHL games.

The organizational hope now is that Leonard will follow the same career path as former Sharks forwards Chris Tierney and Barclay Goodrow, who started their first professional seasons in the NHL only to go back to the AHL to rediscover their respective games.

Boughner said Leonard needs to find his offensive game and work on his play away from the puck. With the Barracuda, Leonard figures to play on one of the top two forward lines.

“I think this is the best thing for his career right now,” Boughner said of Leonard. “Go back and dominate and play a ton. It wouldn’t be fair to have him here and sitting and not developing.”

Other players no longer in camp include Ozzy Wiesblatt, the Sharks’ 2020 first-round draft pick who was sent back to Prince Albert of the WHL, and defenseman Artemi Kniazev, who was sent to the AHL. Kniazev was a Sharks’ second-round pick in 2019.

The Sharks now have 18 forwards on their camp roster, including Evander Kane, 10 defensemen, and goalies Adin Hill and James Reimer. The Sharks said before the start of training camp last month that they and Kane had agreed he would not participate in camp “until further notice.”

WHO’S LEFT: Rookie forward William Eklund, who leads the Sharks with four points in three preseason games, is now on a line with Tomas Hertl and Alexander Barabanov. Noah Gregor had been with Hertl and Barabanov for the first week of camp, but he was reassigned to the AHL last week.

Jonathan Dahlen remained on the Sharks’ top line with Logan Couture and Timo Meier. Nick Bonino centered a line with Rudolfs Balcers and Lane Pederson, and Jasper Weatherby centered a line with Andrew Cogliano and Matt Nieto.

Of note, Kevin Labanc was among a group of fifth-line players that included Dylan Gambrell, Sasha Chmelevski, Jeffrey Viel, and Adam Raska.

“There are still decisions to be made, and some young guys are definitely making a case for themselves,” Boughner said. “We can’t just go on past equity with certain players. We weren’t a playoff team last year and our goal is to be a playoff team this year.”

Labanc would otherwise play alongside Bonino, but Boughner wanted to give Pederson some practice time on the wing. Pederson had been at center for the first week of camp, but the Sharks don’t have much room at that position right now with Weatherby asserting himself as the team’s fourth-line center.