Sharp Gets 'The Call'

Just two days after the 2008-2009 UMD season came to a sudden and heartbreaking end, senior star MacGregor Sharp turned professional. He signed a contract with the Anaheim Ducks, played the remainder of the season with the team's now-defunct AHL affiliate at Iowa, and got ready for his first full season in the pros over the summer.

(Yes, it's the Ducks, who we have publicly despised for some time around these parts. However, we still wished Sharpie well, and hope he can stick in the NHL. Even if it has to be in Anaheim. Hey, at least the weather's nice there.)

That first season didn't exactly start as planned. Instead of having a spot on an AHL roster, Sharp was the victim of a numbers game. Because the Ducks don't have an AHL team anymore, he had to try out in San Antonio. When that didn't work out, Sharp was sent to the Ducks' ECHL affiliate in Bakersfield.

15 games into the season with the Condors, Sharp has gotten the call every minor-league player dreams of.

The Ducks announced today they have recalled center MacGregor Sharp from the Bakersfield Condors, Anaheim’s development affiliate in the ECHL.

... Sharp, 24 (10/1/85), appeared in 15 games for Bakersfield this season, collecting 4-10=14 points with 10 penalty minutes (PIM). At the time of his recall, Sharp was tied for the team lead in assists and appearances, ranked second in shots (48) and tied for second in scoring and points-per-game (0.93).

The Ducks' next game is Thursday night at home against Tampa Bay. No word if Sharp will be in the lineup, but we can all hope he will be.

Sharp scored 26 goals and totaled 50 points for UMD last year, including an amazing stretch run that included a hat trick in the WCHA Final Five title win over Denver.

(Thanks to awesome UMD blogger RWD for the tip.)