Sharks Beat Deadline Sign Top Pick Marleau

The San Jose Sharks signed center Patrick Marleau just hours before a midnight deadline, the team announced Monday.

Marleau, 18, was the Sharks’ top draft pick in June’s NHL Entry Draft. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound Marleau, from Aneroid, Saskatchewan, scored three points (2 goals, 1 assist) in six preseason games with the Sharks.

The team faced an 11:59 p.m. deadline Monday to sign a contract with Marleau or see him returned to his junior club, the Seattle Thunderbirds of the Western Hockey League. An agreement between the NHL and the Canadian Hockey League states that no player under age 20 can play in the minor leagues.

Marleau spent the last two seasons with the Thunderbirds, scoring 199 points (83 goals, 116 assists) in 143 games.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.