Sharks picks help London win Memorial Cup; Is this first-rounder NHL-ready?

If this was Sam Dickinson s last competition in junior hockey the San Jose Sharks prospect defenseman helped make sure he and his group went out on top Dickinson had three assists including two in a dominant second period to lead the London Knights to a - win over the Medicine Hat Tigers in the final of the Memorial Cup major junior hockey s championship tournament on Sunday night in Rimouski Quebec Dickinson taken th overall by the Sharks in the NHL Draft in Las Vegas had six assists in five Memorial Cup games and was an all-tournament selection as he and his teammates earned redemption after losing in the final by one goal to the Saginaw Spirit a year ago Dickinson maybe had a strong scenario to be the Memorial Cup s MVP but that honor went to Knights forward and Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Easton Cowan But the Knights were deep and Dickinson s teammate and fellow Sharks prospect Kasper Halttunen had two goals and two assists in five games at the Memorial Cup The Finnish-born Halttunen selected th overall by the Sharks in was named the Ontario Hockey League s playoff MVP this year as he had points including goals in postseason games to help London win the league title and advance to play in Rimouski Halttunen had nine goals in five games in London s OHL championship series win over the Oshawa Generals Halttunen who turns on June will no doubt be in San Jose next season either with the Sharks or in the AHL with the Barracuda Dickinson though will play next season with the Sharks or return to London for another year in the OHL as he turns on June Canadian or American-born players coming from major junior hockey need to be at least years old by Dec in any given year to be eligible to play in the AHL Dickinson though appears ready to begin his NHL career Dickinson listed at a sturdy -foot- and pounds played on London s top defense pair and was used in all situations as the Knights tore through the OHL in the regular season and playoffs Don t worry Turn on your TV next year he will be playing for the San Jose Sharks TSN hockey analyst Craig Button disclosed on the configuration after Sunday s contest I have no doubt about that He s that good He s that advanced Dickinson the OHL s Defenseman of the Year is an elite skater with tremendous offensive skills having recorded points in regular-season games and points in OHL playoff games with a deep London association that featured NHL draft picks went - - in the regular season and lost only once in the playoffs I think Dickinson is the closest participant I ve seen in this tournament to the NHL explained former NHL goalie Marc Denis an analyst for French-Canadian sports architecture RDS on Sunday s broadcast on TSN And usually when a defenseman is on the attack consistently like he is you think he s a free spirit right A lone wolf He s so mature in his contest says the right things does the right things and that s essential for a defenseman He s got a flashing green light I ve announced it all along the tournament But he s been really smart The Sharks have six defensemen signed to one-way contracts for next season including Shakir Mukhamadullin who was inked to a one-year million deal last week Related Articles Sharks Warsofsky talks world title Smith Celebrini and an Olympic dream Here s why the AHL s best performer sought out of his San Jose Sharks contract NHL Draft Sharks find out where their second first round pick will land San Jose Sharks re-sign pending RFA defenseman to one-year contract What might be next for Sharks Warsofsky after World Championship gold Others signed include Marc-Edouard Vlasic Mario Ferraro Henry Thrun Timothy Liljegren and Vincent Desharnais Other defensemen like Luca Cagnoni Jack Thompson and Lucas Carlsson also saw particular time with the Sharks this season Still no one among the Sharks cadre of blueliners has the same combination of size and offensive skill as Dickinson who apparently requirements to show he can be a capable defender to help stick on the NHL roster The Sharks will likely start the season with seven or eight defensemen Although Dickinson has another year of eligibility left in junior hockey TSN analyst Frankie Corrado who had a seven-year professional career stated during the broadcast I m not sure he s going to need it He s going to look pretty good and teal and white next year in San Jose