Throughout the entire history of the San Jose Sharks organization, only a single player has ever worn the number 56 during a regular season game: Ethan Cardwell.
Cardwell, who the Sharks drafted in the fourth round of the 2021 NHL Draft as an overage player, has been a key piece for the Sharks’ American Hockey League affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda in recent years.
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While Cardwell’s stock has certainly risen drastically since his draft year, there’s still a lot of unknown surrounding his long-term future. He has the potential to turn into an effective bottom-six forward due to his strong work ethic and tendency to not turn away from physicality, but it’s also possible he gets stuck between the NHL and the AHL like many players tend to do.
Injuries hampered Cardwell considerably during the 2025-26 season, so he’s fallen a bit more under the radar this summer, but he should be a major asset for the Barracuda this coming season.
Cardwell has appeared in 13 games for the Sharks at the NHL level, and since he has now played six or more games in two consecutive seasons, he is no longer classified as a rookie. Meanwhile, at the AHL level, he’s played 158 games for the Barracuda scoring 41 goals and 65 assists during that time.
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