Sharks sign Ethan Cardwell to one-year contract

The San Jose Sharks announced on Thursday that they have signed forward Ethan Cardwell to a one-year, two-way contract extension. The team did not reveal salary or cap hit details in the announcement.

Cardwell, a 23-year-old from Ontario, has primarily spent his last two seasons with the Sharks’ AHL affiliate San Jose Barracuda, but he has gotten a taste of NHL action in both of the last two years as well.

A fourth-round selection by San Jose with the No. 121 overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, Cardwell racked up 15 points in 24 games played in his third campaign with the Barracuda. Across 13 NHL appearances with the Sharks over the past two years, Cardwell has notched a pair of points, both of which have come via goals.

Cardwell is an OHL product who spent time with the Saginaw Spirit and Barrie Colts. After turning pro, Cardwell got off to a productive start in the AHL, racking up 43 points in 71 games in his first year with the Barracuda before tacking on 48 points in 63 contests last year.

Despite the fact that the NHL Draft and free agency have yet to take place, it has been a busy offseason already for San Jose general manager Mike Grier.

As he looks to build up a young, talented core around superstar center Macklin Celebrini, Grier has already dealt winger William Eklund to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for the No. 9 overall pick, meaning the Sharks now own two picks in the top 10 on Friday night, with the ninth selection added to their own No. 2 overall pick.

Grier also landed defenseman Michael Kesselring, a restricted free agent, in a trade with the Buffalo Sabres that also saw the Sharks move down from No. 20 to No. 27 overall with what is now their third selection in the first round.