The San Jose Sharks received huge contributions from rookie forwards Tomas Hertl and Matt Nieto a season ago. Both players brought an infusion of energy and speed into San Jose’s lineup and the two were expected to play bigger roles for San Jose this year.
However, Hertl and Nieto struggled throughout the 2014-15 season and were a contributing factor into why the Sharks missed the postseason. It’s not a huge surprise considering many young players find difficulty in replicating their success in their second years in the NHL. It’s a hard league to produce in and consistency is tough to come by.