
Sharks, Barracuda Networks Agree to Revolutionary Multi-Year Presenting Partnership
April 2, 2015 - American Hockey League (AHL)
San Jose Barracuda News Release
SAN JOSE "" The San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) and Barracuda Networks (@barracuda), a leading provider of cloud-connected security and storage solutions, announced today that the Sharks American Hockey League (AHL) franchise, who will play their home games at SAP Center at San Jose starting in Oct. 2015, will be known as the SAN JOSE BARRACUDA (@sjbarracuda) with Barracuda Networks as the presenting sponsor.
In January, the AHL announced the creation of a new, Pacific Division of the AHL for the 2015-16 season, comprised of five National Hockey League-affiliated teams that will be based in California.
The Pacific Division will consist of teams based in Bakersfield (Edmonton Oilers), Ontario (Los Angeles Kings), San Diego (Anaheim Ducks), San Jose (San Jose Sharks) and Stockton (Calgary Flames).
"I cannot overstate the importance of having our prospects play in the same time zone as the parent club and available to our team without a cross-country flight," said General Manager Doug Wilson. "This is a tremendous opportunity for our organization to amplify our player development program by providing our staff access to these players on a daily basis. It's also a chance for our fans to watch the growth of these prospects as players and see the "?Future Sharks' in action."
"We are extremely excited about this innovative partnership with Barracuda Networks, a long-time supporter of our organization and a company who is aggressively active in the field of sports marketing," said Chief Operating Officer John Tortora. "We have loved the name Barracuda since the start of this process and it was a natural fit for us to approach Barracuda Networks in regards to this unique partnership. Most importantly, the relocation of our AHL franchise to the Bay Area will provide invaluable benefits that will enhance our process of developing future players for the San Jose Sharks "" all in front of our loyal fans."
"At Barracuda, we take pride in our local communities and have a long-standing relationship with the Sharks organization," said Michael Perone, co-founder, EVP and CMO at Barracuda. "When we heard the AHL team was moving to the Bay Area, we immediately explored the opportunity to further our partnership with the Sharks to include the AHL franchise. It's exciting to integrate the Barracuda brand with the team in such an innovative way, and we look forward to a winning season with our new San Jose Barracuda."
"We are thrilled to add the San Jose Barracuda to the sports fabric of San Jose," said San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo. "Hosting another hockey team at the SAP Center will bring more sports fans to our booming downtown and allow more people to take advantage of our excellent restaurants and nightlife."
Also released today (attached) were the team's primary logo, and the home, road and alternate sweaters for the 2015-16 season. The team's primary logo features a fierce, stick-wielding barracuda anchored on the Barracuda Networks iconic "teeth" while the home and road sweaters will mirror the style and color pallete of the parent Sharks team. Per AHL rules, the Barracuda will wear their white sweaters for home games and dark (teal) on the road.
In addition, an alternate "third" sweater was also released, which the team will wear periodically throughout the season. The alternate sweater is predominantly orange and features the swimming Barracuda with stick raised in front of the letters "SJ," representing the team's home in San Jose, the Capital of Silicon Valley.
The name Barracuda was among the names originally considered for the NHL expansion team granted to George and Gordon Gund in 1990. The organization ultimately selected "Sharks" as the name of the franchise.
A composite AHL schedule for the 2015-16 season is still being finalized and will be released when is it completed.
The American Hockey League is the top developmental professional hockey league on the planet, where more than 88% of current National Hockey League players have developed their skills prior to earning a spot on an NHL roster.
The Sharks have a rich history of developing players through their AHL team. The list of Sharks and former Sharks who have spent time in the American Hockey League is nearly endless, but includes players such as Joe Pavelski, Logan Couture, Brent Burns, Antti Niemi, Tommy Wingels, Justin Braun, Scott Hannan, Matt Nieto, Alex Stalock, and Matt Irwin, as well as former Sharks Ryane Clowe, Dan Boyle, Evgeni Nabokov, Jonathan Cheechoo, Marcel Goc, Christian Ehrhoff, Douglas Murray, Josh Gorges, Miikka Kiprusoff, Jason Demers.....and the list goes on.
Sharks Head Coach Todd McLellan captured the Calder Cup, the AHL Championship, as head coach of the Houston Aeros, where he served for four seasons (2001-2005). Sharks Associate Coach Larry Robinson played parts of two seasons with Nova Scotia before beginning his Hall of Fame NHL career.
A special, pre-sale season ticket opportunity was sent to existing Sharks Season Ticket Holders last week and season tickets to the general public go on sale TODAY at 10 a.m. at www.sjbarracuda.com or by phone at 408-977-4747. Season ticket packages start as low as $408, an average of $12 per game.
More information regarding San Jose's exciting new AHL franchise can be found at www.sjbarracuda.com.
American Hockey League Stories from April 2, 2015
- Rampage Clinch Playoff Spot with 5-4 Win over Adirondack - San Antonio Rampage
- Zach Miskovic Named Rockford IceHogs' 2014-15 IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year - Rockford IceHogs
- IceHogs Trounced in Grand Rapids - Rockford IceHogs
- Griffins Clinch Berth in 2015 Calder Cup Playoffs - Grand Rapids Griffins
- Paajarvi's Four Points Pace Wolves past 'Dogs, 4-2 - Hamilton Bulldogs
- Rampage Playoff Tickets to Go on Sale April 10 - San Antonio Rampage
- Barons Survive OT Scare from Checkers 3-2 - Charlotte Checkers
- Wolves Trump Bulldogs on Paajarvi's 4-Point Night - Chicago Wolves
- Comets Win North Division Championship - Utica Comets
- Nichushkin Recalled by Dallas Stars - Texas Stars
- Konrad Abeltshauser Named Worcester Sharks 2014-15 IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year - Worcester Sharks
- Derek Hulak Named Texas Stars' 2014-15 IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year - Texas Stars
- Admirals Return Home Friday vs. Texas - Milwaukee Admirals
- Syracuse Crunch Eric Neilson Named Crunch's 2014-15 IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year - Syracuse Crunch
- Jon Blum Named Iowa's 2014-15 IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year - Iowa Wild
- Gervais Named Monsters Man of the Year - Cleveland Monsters
- Justin Florek Named Providence Bruins' 2014-15 IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year - Providence Bruins
- Moore Named Bears' IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year - Hershey Bears
- John Kurtz Named Norfolk Admirals 2014-15 IOA/American Specialty Man of the Year - Norfolk Admirals
- Szwarz Named Pirates' 2014-2015 IOA/American Specialty Man of the Year - Portland Pirates
- Ryan Bourque Named Wolf Pack's 2014-15 IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year - Hartford Wolf Pack
- Kevin Raine Named Monarchs' Man of Year - Manchester Monarchs
- Hagel Named Checkers' Man of the Year - Charlotte Checkers
- Quinton Howden Named San Antonio Rampage 2014-15 IOA/American Specialty Man of the Year - San Antonio Rampage
- Aaron Ness Named Bridgeport Sound Tigers' 2014-15 Ioa/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year - Bridgeport Islanders
- Alex Biega Named Utica Comets' IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year - Utica Comets
- Zack Stortini Named Phantoms' 2014-15 IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year - Lehigh Valley Phantoms
- Shane Harper Named Chicago Wolves' 2014-15 IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year - Chicago Wolves
- Budish Named Admirals Man of the Year - Milwaukee Admirals
- Mike Sdao Named Binghamton Senators 2014-15 IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year - Binghamton Senators
- Barry Goers Named Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins' 2014-15 IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
- O'Neill Named IceCaps 2014-15 IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year - St. John's IceCaps
- McCollum Named Griffins' 2014-15 IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year - Grand Rapids Griffins
- IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year Team Award Winners Announced - AHL
- Corey Cowick Named Springfield Falcons' 2014-15 IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year - Springfield Falcons
- Davis Drewiske Named Bulldogs' IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year - Hamilton Bulldogs
- Kings Sign Forward Jonny Brodzinski to Entry-Level Contract - Manchester Monarchs
- Sharks, Barracuda Networks Agree to Revolutionary Multi-Year Presenting Partnership - San Jose Barracuda
- Islanders Sign Goaltender Stephon Williams to Entry-Level Contract - Bridgeport Islanders
- Comets Announce Playoff Ticket Information - Utica Comets
- Lightning Sign Goaltender Adam Wilcox to Two-Year Contract - Syracuse Crunch
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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
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