Antero Niittymaki News

SAN JOSE, California – San Jose Sharks Executive Vice President and General Manager Doug Wilson announced today that the club has activated goaltender Antero Niittymaki from his previous designation on the non-roster (injury) player list and sent him to the Worcester Sharks on a conditioning assignment.

When Niittymaki gets back from his conditioning assignment the Sharks will have a three-headed monster to tend to.

goaltender Antero Niittymaki and forward James Sheppard have been taken off of I.R., according to the team’s official website.

Sounds like Niittymaki will come off the IR and could be going down to Worchester for a conditioning stint. It will be interesting to see what the team does with their new three-headed monster.

Antero Niittymaki’s rehab progress has reached the point that goalie coach/assistant GM Wayne Thomas said this morning that Niittymaki probably will practice with his teammates tomorrow for the first time since undergoing hip surgery in September.

The team will wait until all three goalies are healthy before making any decisions or roster moves. Expect Niittymaki to hold some value as a spot starter for the Sharks.

“Niitty is down the road. We haven’t even started to talk about weeks or months or anything like that,” he said. “We just know that he’s down the road. Have I given any thought to it? No, no thought at all.”

At this point there is no reason to own Antero Niittymaki as his status remains indefinite.

Antti Niemi is still recovering from a cyst removal just before the start of training camp. And though he wouldn’t commit to being good-to-go for the Oct. 8 start of the regular season, team officials have said he should be ready.

Should Niemi not be able to play, the Sharks will be down two goalies. Last season, the former Cup winning 'tender posted a 35-18-6 record with a 2.36 GAA and .920 SV%. Look for Harri Sateri or Thomas Greiss to start the season in goal should Nemo not recover in time.

Starting in mid-January, Niittymaki was sidelined for 17 games last season with a groin injury, but he did come back to play two games down the stretch.

Niittymaki played only three games in 2011 which worries the local media. He should be able to prove once training camp starts whether he is fully healthy, or not. If not, look for Thomas Greiss to play around 20 tilts for the Sharks.

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