Loprieno Concludes Successful Training Camp with San Jose

SAN JOSE, CA – Former Warrior captain Joe Loprieno completed his first NHL training camp with the San Jose Sharks and will report to Worcester (AHL) to begin the 2009-10 season.

Loprieno saw time in one preseason game, playing with one of the Sharks’ top defensemen, Marc-Eduard Vlasic, on September 18 against the Vancouver Canucks.

“Playing with those guys is an unbelievable experience in itself,” said Loprieno, who returned to the Massachusetts area on Sunday. “They have some of the best players in the game with Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, Dan Boyle. The list goes on and on. They have plenty of veterans and all-stars. It was great just to see how they go about their business everyday and prepare for a practice or game. I learned a lot from it. It was great getting to play in a preseason game with lots of veterans in the lineup and with 16,000 screaming fans in the stands.”

Loprieno also played in two rookie games against the Anaheim Ducks’ rookies, leading San Jose to a three-game sweep over their counterparts.

Wearing the “A” on his number 42 jersey as an assistant captain, Loprieno scored a goal in the Sharks 5-2 win in game three and engaged in his first professional fight in the third period.

Now that the Bloomingdale, IL native is back in the Northeast, he is gearing up for the beginning of the AHL season with the Sharks’ top affiliate, the Worcester Sharks.

“Like everyone else there, my goal is to get called up. But I want to continue to develop and learn the game, the in’s and out’s of professional hockey, and tricks to my advantage. I want to have a great start and hopefully get called up at some point and take full advantage when I get there.”

Also joining Loprieno in Worcester will be former Merrimack forward Matt Jones, who signed with San Jose following the 2007-08 season.