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San Jose Sharks send forward Bernier, defenceman Carle to AHL
Canadian Press
Jan 2, 2007, 10:07 PM EST
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) - The San Jose Sharks assigned right-wing Steve Bernier
and defenceman Matt Carle to their AHL affiliate in Worcester on
Tuesday, a surprising demotion for two of their top young regulars.
Bernier and Carle hadn't missed a game this season until both were
healthy scratches in San Jose's 4-2 win over Dallas on Sunday - one day
after an 8-0 loss at Phoenix, the Sharks' worst defeat in eight years.
San Jose dropped from third overall to sixth in the NHL while losing
five of seven games in late December. Coach Ron Wilson said
he wanted to send a message to both players after Bernier had just one
point in his past seven games and Carle was a minus-4 against the
Coyotes. But the Sharks decided a one-game message wasn't enough to turn around either player, so they demoted two key contributors.
"They are two different cases," Wilson said Tuesday. "I have all the
confidence in both guys and am sure they will turn their games around."
Bernier, a second-year pro, is the Sharks' fourth-leading
scorer with 11 goals and 14 assists in 39 games this season. He scored
27 points in 39 games as a rookie last season, playing on San Jose's
second line alongside captain Patrick Marleau.
"Bernie hadn't done the things that made him effective early in the
season - getting the puck out of our zone, winning every battle,
competing and working every shift," Wilson said. "It happens to a lot
of young players. "They lose focus and get caught up in the attention."
Carle, who won the Hobey Baker award as the NCAA's top player last
season, is San Jose's top-scoring defenceman with three goals and 18
assists in 39 games. He is sixth in the NHL in points among rookies,
and was mentioned as a Calder Trophy candidate.
But the Sharks felt his defensive play had slipped noticeably in recent weeks. "He was squeezing the stick," Wilson said. "We openly talked about him being mentally tired.
"Maybe he hit the wall . . . We anticipated this (could happen). He's
never played this volume of games, and we don't think sitting him out
is the way to fix it. He has to get back to just playing and letting
the game flow. He is thinking too much." Bernier is likely to be replaced by Ryane Clowe, while defencemen Josh Gorges, Doug Murray and Rob Davison could get more responsibility in Carle's absence.