Why making Sharks' Opening Night roster is so special for Gushchin originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Never mind that he's already played NHL games, six over parts of the last two seasons.
Never mind that he just dropped five assists to lead the San Jose Sharks to a last-second 6-5 preseason finale victory over the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday.
"Very nice building," Gushchin deadpanned about T-Mobile Arena, where he scored a (preseason) hat trick in his only other game there in 2022. "I love playing there."
But there is something special about breaking camp with the big club, a sense of accomplishment about a summer of hard work paying off, especially for younger players.
"I came here for my whole life. Work hard. Finally, I'm here," Gushchin said on Monday, after the San Jose Sharks told him that he was making the team.
The 22-year-old came to the US from Russia when he was 16 to the USHL's Muskegon Lumberjacks, not knowing any English.