Joe Thornton says he feels “100 percent” as Sharks start camp

SAN JOSE — Entering a season with perhaps a bit more uncertainty than usual, there remained a handful of constants Friday as the Sharks began training camp at Solar4America Ice.

Chief among them? Joe Thornton in teal, on the ice with his teammates, ready to get the year underway.

Related Articles Former Sharks providing full value to Stanley Cup-bound teams

Home sweet home? Giants, visitors at Oracle Park, tie franchise record in win

Sharks will soon make Bob Boughner their full-time coach, per report

Game Changers: Four years after Kaepernick kneeled, a look at Bay Area sports leaders who stood before him

Sharks reach agreement with depth centerman on two-year deal Just under five months removed from surgery to repair the anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments in his left knee, Thornton, beginning his 12th full season in San Jose, was a full participant in practice Friday as he skated on a line with Joe Pavelski and Jannik Hansen.

The Bearded One — or one of them, at least, was back — with a role as important as ever before.

“I rehabbed hard this summer and the knee feels great, to be honest with you,” Thornton said. “The knee feels good. Like our Sharks Facebook page for more San Jose Sharks news, commentary and conversation.

“I feel 100 percent, ready to compete.”

Thornton, 38, was injured April 2 in a game against Vancouver. The severity was not known publicly, but a few days later, Thornton said there was “no doubt” that he’d be back for the postseason.

Thornton walked back that assessment shortly after. But exactly two weeks after the injury, he returned for Game 3 of the Sharks’ first round series against the Edmonton Oilers.

Had Thornton and Logan Couture (facial injuries) both been healthy for that series, perhaps it ends in a different way. The Sharks lost in six games to the Oilers.

As it was, Thornton had two assists in his four playoff games. He averaged about 15 minutes of ice time per game in his first two games back. In the last two, he was on the ice for 22:08 and 22:01.

Sharks coaches and teammates were amazed he was able to return at all.

“Just one of those things where you want to try and help out the guys,” Thornton said about coming back as quickly as he did. “It’s just too bad we didn’t go as far as we’d like to, but we’ve got a fresh start this season. We’ll see what we can do.”

Thornton said he began to skate again in the middle of August before he took a bit of time off. He started to ramp it up again about two weeks ago with the Sharks’ strength and conditioning coaches.

Thornton did extra leg work in the summer just to make sure he strengthened the area around knee — particularly the quadriceps — as much as possible ahead of camp.

“They feel real strong, a lot of pop out there,” Thornton said. “They’re probably as strong as they’ve ever been just because I had to rehab that knee so much.”

Of course, Friday represented the first time in 21 years the Sharks have held a training camp without Patrick Marleau on the ice. Marleau, the franchise leader in games played (1,493), goals (508), points (1,082), power play goals (160) and game-winning goals (98), signed a three-year contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs on July 2.

Thornton and Marleau were the cornerstones of the Sharks franchise, the players most synonymous with San Jose hockey.

“I spent a lot of years with him and it is kind of strange,” Thornton said. “It’s his (38th) birthday too. But he’s going to do great up in Toronto.

“He’s still a friend. We’re going to miss him, but he’s in a different uniform and we’re in the same one.” For complete Sharks coverage

follow us on Flipboard.

The Sharks have to find a way to not only replace Marleau’s leadership, but also his production. Marleau had 52 goals over the past two seasons, was one of the Sharks’ most versatile forwards and a staple on the first power play unit.

The Sharks have job openings in this camp, particularly for the 12th, 13th and 14th forwards and for the seventh defenseman. There’s little question that the Sharks will not only need their younger players to take on a bigger role, but that other, more established NHLers will have to pick up their level of play.

Thornton is coming off a seven-goal, 43-assist season, his lowest point total in a full season since 1998-99, his second year in the NHL.

“A lot of guys, myself, everybody has to step up a little bit, score a couple more goals this year,” Thornton said. “We’ve got some good young players coming in that can accept a bigger role on the team. It’s going to be by committee how you replace a guy like that.”

Despite that, the demands placed on Thornton do not appear to have waned any coming into this season.

“Just compete hard every night, just be reliable,” Thornton said, “and do what I usually do.”

Share this: Print

View more on The Mercury News