SAN JOSE — Eleven defensemen were selected before the Sharks took Marc-Edouard Vlasic 35th overall at the 2005 NHL Draft in Ottawa.
Saturday night, when San Jose hosts the Vancouver Canucks, Vlasic, 32, will become the first defenseman from that draft class to play 1,000 NHL games. He’s the first defenseman the Sharks have ever drafted to reach the milestone without changing teams.
“Got drafted higher than I thought I would,” Vlasic said. “I just wanted an opportunity and I got it. That’s all I wanted. I said, ‘Give me an opportunity and I’ll prove I can play.