The lifelong dream of becoming a professional hockey player came true for Bay Area native Matt Tennyson when the San Jose Sharks signed him for an entry-level contract on Thursday, March 29.

Tennyson, who attended Amador Valley High School in Pleasanton, is 21 years old and was in his junior year of playing for Western Michigan University when his favorite childhood team, the San Jose Sharks, picked him up. Last season, Tennyson finished with 13 assists, 11 goals, and 24 points, leading all other defensemen on his team.

“I’m very excited to start my pro career,” said Tennyson in an interview with WMU’s school newspaper. “It is something I have dreamed about for a long time. I would like to thank all the coaches, players and staff that have helped me over my three years at Western Michigan. It [has] been the best time of my life and I will never forget it.”

The 6-foot-2-inch, 212-pound prodigy did not learn how to play hockey in Michigan, though. Tennyson was trained and prepared for the big leagues by the San Jose Jr. Sharks program, becoming the first Jr. Shark to be signed by the NHL team.

According to their website, the Jr. Sharks’ main goal of “long-term development, not short-term success” is achieved through offering “competitive programs for both boys (9-18), girls (8-19) and women (over 20 years old).”

The website also states that their three main goals are to develop players, place them in an “appropriate competitive environment” and “promote [the players] within our club and to junior and college hockey.”

“To do this we offer two tracks for our players,” said Tony Zasowski, San Jose Jr. Sharks president. “AAA track for players who have the skill and desire to play and [continue on to] the next level and a travel track for players who want to play hockey but want to just play competitive hockey or are not ready for the AAA track. […] We just work to make sure kids whom want to play at the next level have the opportunity to achieve their dreams.”

The program offers “position and skill specific coaches who attend practices on a regular basis,” according to their website.

Zasowski also assured The Pioneer “within both tracks we have great head coaches, have dedicated skill coaches, and work hard to showcase our players against the best competition.”
Tennyson put his defensive skills acquired at the Jr. Sharks program to good use. After playing in the junior hockey league of the Jr. Sharks, Tennyson played for junior league hockey teams Texas Tornados as well as the Cedar Rapids Rough Riders.

What the San Jose Sharks noticed about him, however, were his 32 assists, 22 goals and 54 points during his college career at WMU.

The Sharks will be playing in this season’s playoffs for the Stanley Cup, however it has not yet been announced when we will get to see Tennyson hit the ice.

Zasowski informed The Pioneer he unfortunately arrived to the program just after Tennyson left to play Junior Hockey, however he stated that this signing to the Sharks “helps support and show [Northern California] players that you can play in Northern California and reach all levels of hockey.”