San Jose Sharks Foundation Player of the Month: Marc-Edouard Vlasic

(photo: Dinur Blum)

The San Jose Sharks honored defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic as the Sharks Foundation “Sharks Player of the Month” for November for the third time in his career. Vlasic, drafted by the Sharks in 2005 and an alternate captain for the club, has posted a team defensive-best plus-5 in 13 games during November, plus he had three assists. Additionally, he is ranked 9th in the NHL with a plus-12 rating – the first for a player on the Sharks and fifth-best among all defensemen in the entire league.

So far this season, he has played in all 26 games with three goals and four assists. His third goal happened against the Philadelphia Flyers on December 2, and it was a very important goal. The Sharks were about to head into the second intermission with a goose egg on the scoresheet, but Vlasic’s goal tied them up. Not only does he contribute offensively, he continues to be an integral part of the blueline as well, his main job. He has blocked 29 shots and tallied 39 total shots on goal, which is second-best on the Sharks’ D.

Clearly a key player in the NHL, he also got an opportunity to support his home country earlier this year in the Olympics, where Team Canada won Gold. He registered 8 shots and was a plus-3. It is plain to see that he is in his prime and is an invaluable hockey player.

The Sharks Player of the Month program was established by the Sharks Foundation to recognize players who have made the most contributions to the team’s success each month. Since the program’s beginning in the 1996-97 season, the Player of the Month and Year programs have donated more than $300,000 to the Sharks Foundation.

Vlasic’s previous Sharks Player of the Month awards were in October of 2011 and 2013. Congratulations, Marc-Edouard!