NHL lockout: Sharks among top teams in regards to players in action overseas

Here are some Sharks updates courtesy of Kevin Kurz.

The San Jose Sharks currently have eight players competing overseas. Joe Thornton, Logan Couture, Antti Niemi, Jason Demers, TJ Galiardi, Douglas Murray, Tommy Wingels and Joe Pavelski are playing hockey abroad. There are two more players in Ryane Clowe and Michal Handzus that are currently practicing with professional clubs. The hope is all this professional experience overseas will ensure these players stay fresh for whenever the lockout ends.

There are only two more teams in the NHL that have almost that many players in Europe. The Detroit Red Wings and the Boston Bruins currently have nine.

In other news, Clowe didn't suit up for the weekend home games for the San Francisco Bulls after signing with the team a week ago. This was expected. Sharks' assistant general manager Wayne Thomas has been publicly visible at Bulls games, although he doesn't interact with Clowe per lockout rules.