SAN JOSE – San Jose Sharks center Tomas Hertl was challenged to be better by both general manager Mike Grier and coach David Quinn after he fell short of the team’s expectations last season.
In the eyes of the organization, Hertl has responded, both in terms of his production and leadership, even as the Sharks have experienced their most trying season in a generation.
That made Hertl the obvious choice to be the Sharks’ representative at next month’s NHL All-Star Game in Toronto, an announcement the league made official on Thursday.
Before San Jose’s game with the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday night at SAP Center, Hertl led the Sharks with 13 goals and 28 points in 37 games this season. He was among 32 players — one from each team – selected to take part in the reformatted event, which runs from Feb. 1-3 at Scotiabank Arena.
“It’s a big honor. I’m really happy I can go again,” Hertl said Thursday. “It’s special that it’s kind of in the heart of hockey in Toronto. It definitely means a lot.”
Hertl was third on the Sharks with 63 points in 79 games last season. But Grier and Quinn wanted the centerman to be more consistent, improve his conditioning, and show more leadership even when times were tough.
Grier said last summer that Hertl took that message to heart.
“Tomas is one of the leaders, someone that all the players look up to,” Grier said. “I know for him personally, he wasn’t satisfied with this season. He looks great. He’s put in the time (in the gym) and I think he’s ready to have a really solid bounce-back season and get back to the player we all know we can be.”
Hertl has had to be a leader with Sharks captain Logan Couture out since the start of training camp. It hasn’t been easy since the Sharks, at 9-26-3 before Thursday, are on track to have their worst season since 1995-96 when they finished 20-55-7.
Quinn it’s been impressive to see Hertl, “handle the situation we’re in the way he has and keep it together. … We haven’t regressed, we haven’t quit, we keep fighting through it, which is not easy to do.
“I give that give our leaders and Tommy in particular a ton of credit for that.”
Hertl also participated in the 2020 All-Star Game in St. Louis, but as a replacement after Couture, the league’s initial selection, got injured and became unavailable soon after he was chosen.
Hertl and his wife now have two young children, which he said will make the event even more special.
“That will be probably the best part,” Hertl said. “Especially the older one. He wants me to take him into the locker room. He loves hockey. He’s playing all the time.”
The all-star game is tweaking its format to help revitalize interest in the event.
A player draft is being re-introduced, as celebrities on Feb. 1 will be paired with team captains, who will pick the four teams of 11 players (nine skaters, two goalies) for the 3-on-3 tournament.
A skills competition is being held on Feb. 2 in which 12 players will compete for points in eight events, with the NHL All-Star who accumulates the most points taking home a prize of $1 million. The events are the fastest skater, hardest shot, stick handling, one-timers, a passing challenge; and accuracy shooting.
The top eight point-earners will advance to the seventh event, a shootout, in which each player will choose which goalie they shoot against. Following the shootout, the top six point-earners will advance to the eighth and final event, the obstacle course, where the point totals are doubled.
The tournament will be held on Feb. 3.
Also as part of the weekend, the NHL Alumni Association will announce its Man of the Year in a tribute to the 1967 Toronto Maple Leafs, who won the last Stanley Cup for the organization. The new Professional Women’s Hockey League will also play a 3-on-3 game.