Zalewski Gets the Call from Sharks

Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images

The following article appeared October 12 on the San Jose Web site.

Monday night will close out the Sharks three-game homestand, but it will be the beginning of everything for forward Steven Zalewski. The upstate New York product, who played for Clarkson University, will make his National Hockey League debut tonight. Zalewski had started the season with San Jose’s American Hockey League affiliate in Worcester.

“Zalewski is in,” Head Coach Todd McLellan said. “He’ll start with Manny (Malhotra) and Jody (Shelley).”

San Jose Sharks Executive Vice President and General Manager Doug Wilson announced Monday that the club recalled Zalewski from the Worcester Sharks, the team’s top development affiliate in the American Hockey League.

Zalewski has posted one goal in three games with Worcester this season.

McLellan saw Zalewski in training camp and knows what he’s looking for out of the rookie.

“He’s heady and smart and sees the ice well,” McLellan said. “We’d like to see some bite to his play.”

Obviously, Zalewski is joyous about the opportunity.

“I’m thrilled to get the opportunity to come up here and play,” Zalewski said. “I’ve been going hard for a few weeks (in Worcester) and I’m excited to be here. Now I’ve just got to come in and bring some energy and play my game.”

Zalewski was so excited about the call that when he got the news at 5:30 in the morning yesterday, he didn’t worry about the time when he made his first call.

“I called home yesterday at 5:30 when I found out,” Zalewski said. “They (his parents) were excited, but I think they went right back to sleep.”

Zalewski’s linemates are hoping to help in his debut.

“He’ll be excited and we’ll tell him to keep it simple,” Shelley said. “It’s a day he’ll never forget.”

Zalewski has posted one goal in three games with Worcester this season. While there, he began playing the wing instead of his natural center position.

“When I went down, I went to wing and got used to that position,” Zalewski said.

There’s just one bit of “bad” news to Zalewski’s promotion to San Jose – he’ll have to miss a team bonding trip to Maine with his Worcester teammates.

“We have about a week off and I was about to head to a team camping trip in Maine,” Zalewski said. “It would have been fun, but I’ll take this.”

And hopefully, many around the NHL will get to learn how to pronounce his name. It’s pronounced zuh-LEH-ski. The “ew” doesn’t make a long “u” sound.

“It’s a Polish name,” Zalewski said. “You don’t pronounce the ‘w.’ It’s silent.”

The 5-foot-11, 190-pound native of Utica, N.Y. was originally selected by San Jose in the fifth round (153rd overall) of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft.