Doug Wilson, Sharks coaches heading to Worcester

Training camps in the AHL officially kicked off this week, and there are a bunch of NHL coaches with a lot of spare time on their hands.

San Jose Sharks GM Doug Wilson, along with head coach Todd McLellan, associate coach Larry Robinson and assistants Jim Johnson and Jay Woodcroft, will be making the trip across the country to observe and evaluate their prospects at training camp and in exhibition games in Worcester, Mass.

If there wasn't a lockout, this evaluation would normally be done at the NHL-level training camp.

During the NHL lockout, teams are not allowed to have any contact with their players; however, this is limited to pros on one-way contracts. Any players on two-way contracts could be assigned to a team's minor league affiliate, as long as it was prior to the lockout. Players in the minors are not considered "locked out" and are able to talk with the NHL club's coaches and management.

The Worcester Sharks are coached by Roy Sommer. They open their season Oct. 12 against the Norfolk Admirals, the affiliate for the Anaheim Ducks.