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1999-2000 Stat Leaders Stat  Leader  No.  Goals  Owen Nolan  44  Assists  Vincent Damphousse  49  Points  Owen Nolan  84  +/-  Mike Ricci  14  Shots  Owen Nolan  261  Ice Time (F)  Owen Nolan  21:07  Ice Time (D)  Gary Suter  23:29  Faceoff Pct.  Ron Sutter  54.79%  Hits  Owen Nolan  209  PP Pts  Owen Nolan  33  SH Pts  Owen Nolan  8

As they charged to a franchise-best 7-3 mark to open last season, whispers surfaced that these Sharks were ready to contend. As it turned out, such talk was pure balderdash. San Jose needed a strong finish to secure the eighth playoff seed, but wound up shocking the powerhouse Blues in the first round before running out of emotion against the Stars in the next.

What's in store this season? General manager Dean Lombardi made no significant upgrades, preferring to see the team mature a little more. Burly forward Scott Thornton was lured away from the Stars and that was about it.

On offense the Sharks will again lean on Owen Nolan, who is coming off a career-high 44-goal season. He also developed into the leader the Sharks hoped he would be. Talented forwards Vincent Damphousse and Jeff Friesen are complemented by up-and-comers Patrick Marleau and Marco Sturm.

The biggest question, like last year, will have to do with the goaltending. Lombardi dealt away veteran Mike Vernon so that Steve Shields, 28, could slide into the No. 1 spot. Shields (2.56 GAA, .911 save percentage) struggled after the trade but gradually got better as the playoffs neared.

For more on the Sharks, bookmark this page and check back Wednesday, Oct. 11 for a Sports Illustrated Scouting Report.

BRIGHT SPOTS		GRAY AREAS
Only two teams netted more power play goals than the Sharks' 62 last season. As a team they scored 16 shorthanded goals, the most in the NHL. Strength on the blue line. Although Mike Rathje, Marcus Ragnarsson and Gary Suter get a bulk of the minutes, 21-year-old Brad Stuart (10 goals, 36 points) is the real deal.		Gray Areas Entering camp, eight restricted free agents were without contracts, Nolan and Shields among them. Not so much a gray area, but the Sharks are hoping Marleau, 21, has the breakout season they are patiently expecting. Record of 147-210-53 in past five seasons, 24th best in the NHL, has weighed down the organization.

Comings
Player	Pos.	From	Via
Greg Andrusak	D	Toronto	Free agent
Steve Bancroft	D	Carolina	Free agent
Jarrett Deuling	LW	San Jose	Re-signed
Dave MacIsaac	D	San Jose	Re-signed
Jim Montgomery	C	Philadelphia	Free agent
Niklas Sundstrom	LW	San Jose	Re-signed
Scott Thornton	LW	Dallas	Free agent

Goings
Player	Pos.	To	Via
Chris Armstrong	D	Minnesota	Expansion
Mike Craig	RW	Colorado	Free agent
Michal Bros	F	Minnesota	Expansion
Eric Landry	C	Montreal	Free agent
Dave Lowry	LW	Calgary	Free agent
Brantt Myhres	RW	Nashville	Free agent
Jarrod Skalde	C	Atlanta	Free agent

Prospect Watch
Jeff Jillson, D, 6'3", 220
Born: July 24, 1980
Acquired: NHL draft, first round (No. 14 overall)
Jillson, a physical and finesse player rolled into one, was named to the 2000 Division One West All-American Team by the American Hockey Coaches Association for his play at the University of Michigan last season. He was also selected to the All-CCHA first team. Scouts target him as a No. 1 or No. 2 defenseman in the NHL.

Get the Highlighter
Fri., Oct. 6 vs. St. Louis: What an opener. The Blues look for revenge early at San Jose.
Wed., Oct. 18 at Dallas: First matchup between these two. If nothing else, Bryan Marchment is always game for irritation.
Sun., Nov. 5 at Vancouver: They begin six-game road trip that starts in West and ends in Detroit.
Sat., Jan. 6 vs. Florida: Six games after Panthers are all at home.
Sun., April 8 at Anaheim: Season ends with Ducks. Could it have playoff implications?

Quoteworthy
"The veterans didn't come here to just be competitive. They want to win before their careers are over."
--Lombardi

Team-by-team previews compiled by CNNSI.com's Ken Klavon, Jamie MacDonald and Jimmy Traina.

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