A trade in middle of development camp. Plus, Sharks legacy Gustafson scores first in prospect scrimmage

SAN JOSE — Hockey players have to be prepared to be traded at any time.

Even during development camp.

Now-former Sharks prospect Zack Sharp found that out the hard way on Tuesday when he was traded to Edmonton along with Shakir Mukhamadullin for Darnell Nurse.

The trade was somewhat surprising for other reasons, mainly because the Sharks absorbed the entire cost of Nurse’s hefty long-term deal. But there was a very human cost for Sharp, who had to pack up his skates and head up north in the midst of a week that is ostensibly designed for him to develop as a player.

Instead, he finished his developmental time up in Canada, where the 2025 fourth-round draft pick may one day occupy the same blue line Nurse, a former No. 7 overall pick, manned for a decade.

“That was a first for me,” said Sharks director of player development Todd Marchant. “We’ve traded a player before development camp. I’ve been a part of trading a player mid-game, but not mid-camp.

“So listen, Zach is a great kid. He was obviously playing a big role at Western Michigan. Edmonton was adamant about putting him in the deal. Obviously, we get an NHL defenseman back, but we’re sad to see him go to another team.”

Marchant said he and general manager Mike Grier met with Sharp after the trade and told him “our paths could cross at some point,” which would seem to indicate that they may have interest in bringing him back someday.

“He was extremely happy with being drafted by the San Jose Sharks and being a part of this family,” Marchant said. “But we wish him nothing but the best with Edmonton and wherever his career goes.”

Pohlkamp sits out scrimmage, McCarthy talks NHL readiness

Eric Pohlkamp skated for the Sharks during Wednesday’s practice but did not take the ice for San Jose’s prospect scrimmage on Thursday.

Barracuda coach John McCarthy tutored Pohlkamp at the end of last season after he joined San Jose’s AHL team from the University of Denver, where he won a national championship.

McCarthy said the Sharks are avoiding taking any chances now with the intention of preparing Pohlkamp to hit the ground running during training camp in September. Pohlkamp is dealing with lingering pinky and ankle injuries from the end of his season at Denver.

“He’s got to come in just like anyone else would come into camp, in great shape, be ready to go, take what we’re telling them to do and apply it,” McCarthy said. “He’s a guy that’s going to have to defend and bring an offensive element as well. All those stick details, body position defensively, and then when there’s a time to make a play, we want him to make a play.

“He had a great year, great year in college. He was able to play one game for us, which was good for him to get exposed to that.”

Gustafson has dream opening chapter

Jake Gustafson is a Shark through and through.

San Jose’s sixth-round pick this year is the son of Sharks senior vice president Jon Gustafson and a former Jr. Shark who also skated for Bellarmine College Prep’s club hockey team before decamping to Minnesota to join the elite Shattuck-St. Mary’s hockey boarding school academy.

But he came back this week for his first Sharks dev camp and had a dream start to his first prospect scrimmage, opening the game with the first goal for Team Marleau just minutes after the initial puck drop. Gustafson’s goal set the tone early as Team Marleau beat Team Thornton 5-3 to win the Marchment Cup.

“Super fun,” the 18-year-old Gustafson said. “It was cool to score a goal. Good crowd tonight. Good to get the boys going.”

The scrimmage was attended by 3,527 fans, the Sharks said, generating a rowdy environment within the 4,200-seat building.

And a number of those fans knew Gustafson personally. His father, after all, runs the place as the overseer of Sharks Ice.

After hearing years worth of goal calls at SAP Center, he finally got his own from longtime public address announcer Danny Miller.

“That’s a pretty cool moment,” Gustafson said. “Pretty cool to hear it. I’ve heard it so many times, and then now hearing it for me, it was really cool. I was soaking it all in. I was like, ‘Wow, I can’t believe that just happened.’ ”