DETROIT - The San Jose Sharks bus was late, so Tomas Hertl had to wait. That gave fans outside Joe Louis Arena another chance to ask for autographs from the 19-year-old whose stardom in the NHL has arrived earlier than most expected. Hertl has seven goals and three assists in his first eight games and is an early front-runner for the Calder Trophy as the rookie of the year. That production even caught coach Todd McLellan a little off-guard. "Id be lying if I said I wasnt (surprised)," he said after San Joses morning skate Monday in Detroit. "We expected him to be able to come in and make an impact on our team, but not to the extent that he has to this point." Hertls four-goal game Oct. 8 against the New York Rangers put him in the spotlight, spurring plenty of talk about showmanship because he shot between his legs and scored. Washington Capitals coach Adam Oates caused a stir by saying its important for young players like Hertl not to "disrespect the league," while an off-colour locker-room comment by captain Joe Thornton spun the attention in a different direction for a little while. The 2012 first-round pick has cooled off slightly since that breakout performance, but its not like the Sharks expect multi-goal games out of him that often. Given the ups and downs rookies tend to face, he might not finish the season with 20. Thats OK, because as general manager Doug Wilson puts it, "Tomas is not a one dimensional player." "Its not just the offensive numbers," Wilson said in a phone interview. "This kid is very poised in his own zone, he makes really smart plays protecting the puck, and to us hes a three-zone player that just fits in with how we want to play and where were going with our team." Where the Sharks are going is back on the rise, thanks in large part to the next generation of offensive players, including Hertl, potential Canadian Olympian Logan Couture and likely U.S. Olympian Joe Pavelski. And Wilson sees parallels between Hertls growth and what Couture and Pavelski went through as they blossomed into established NHL players. "We just think hes got a great combination of skill-sets: Obviously the size and the hands, but his vision and just how he can play all three zones," Wilson said. "Weve gone through this before and even though its a very different physical dynamic than Logan Couture and Joe Pavelski, but he has the vision and the ability to do things, I think, that high-end players have." Having just moved to North America after two full seasons in the Czech Extraliga in his native Czech Republic, Hertls English is limited. On the night he scored four goals, he kept saying how much of a dream it felt like. Monday he credited linemates Thornton and Brent Burns for his play and fellow Czech Martin Havlat for tutelage off the ice. "Our team is very good," he said. Wilson does believe playing alongside Thornton and Burns has helped Hertl, but the rookie gets points for thinking the game at a high enough level to click with such skilled veterans. The Sharks saw that in him dating to his time at the world junior championships. Of course the NHL is a long way from the junior level, and McLellan expects Hertl to hit a rough patch. "As a 19-year-old and all the emotions of starting the year and scoring seven goals early, its going to catch up to him at some point," he said. "Then well have to work him through those down times as well." The Sharks are prepared for that. Wilson said the organization doesnt go out of its way to promote young players — "we never have and we never will." So if the hype that surrounded Hertl after his four-goal game fades away or picks up, theres a strategy for getting the most out of him. "The most important thing is that theyre a trusted teammate and a trusted player by the coach, who can put them out on the ice in many different situations," Wilson said. "The other stuff, obviously the attention is he scored four goals or hes done this. The respect and equity he earns within our dressing room is how he plays the game shift-to-shift, day-to-day and hes earned that." As for Hertl being a reliable three-zone player, Thornton figures hell find out eventually. "With him and Burnsie, they just forecheck so hard, so I really havent seen him play too much defence all year," Thornton said with a smile. "I think weve only been playing in the offensive zone, to be honest with you." Thats not a bad place to be for a player with Hertls abilities. Brian Dawkins Jersey . 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"Its a humongous number, so the first reaction is it makes you step back a little bit," said NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah, a former scout with the Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns and Philadelphia Eagles.MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The Memphis Grizzlies ratcheted up their defence to avoid a back-to-back sweep by the two best teams in the Eastern Conference. And, in the meantime, Memphis kept its spot in the Western Conference playoff race. Mike Conley scored 21 points, Zach Randolph added 18 points and 13 rebounds, and the Grizzlies held the Indiana Pacers to their lowest output of the season in an 82-71 victory on Saturday night. Several Grizzlies players said it may have been their most complete game of the season. The victory came after Memphis lost 91-86 at Miami on Friday night. "It started from the defensive intensity, and it was consistent," Conley said. "On offence, we moved the ball well. We were efficient with it, but defensively, we really locked down and communicated." Mike Miller added 13 points as Memphis moved a game ahead of Phoenix for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Marc Gasol, returning after spraining his ankle Friday night, had 10 points and nine rebounds. Lance Stephenson led the Pacers with 15 points and eight rebounds, while David West added 10 points, but was 5 of 15 from the field. Paul George, the Pacers leading scorer at 22.1 points per game, was held to eight points, missing eight of his 10 shots, and Indiana shot 37 per cent for the game. "We couldnt score at all," said Pacers centre Roy Hibbert, who was in foul trouble and ended the night with four points and no rebounds. "Thats the basic thing. I think we had a lot of contested 2s. Guys were trying, and they were playing hard, but for some reason, something was a little off." Indiana, which allows a league-low 35.4 points per game in the paint, surrendered 46 to Memphis, which also outrebounded Indiana 47-35. The Pacers only lead in the game came at 3-2. Gasol, who was treated for a Grade 1 left ankle sprain sustained in Fridays loss to the Heat, was a game-time decision. He was on medication and didnt warm up before the game. "I wanted to save every step I was going to take for the game," said Gasol, adding that the medication made it where he could barely feel his hands or face. "It definitely helped the purpose, and made it worth it because we won the game.dddddddddddd" Memphis, which built a double-digit lead in the first half, maintained the advantage through the third period as the Pacers seemed to be dragging. Through three periods, Indiana was still under 37 per cent, and George had been limited to only seven shots and six points. "Its the offensive end where we didnt play well," George said. "We didnt get into a rhythm. . If you hold a team to 82 points, you are playing pretty good defence." Memphis continued to maintain the double-digit lead, keeping the Pacers down 10 to 14 points through most of the fourth. "We were a little bit too indecisive and hesitant with the basketball," Indiana coach Frank Vogel said. "We had poor shooting nights from a number of guys." As was expected with two of the best defensive teams in the league, the first half was a low scoring affair despite Memphis shooting 46 per cent. The Pacers were at 32 per cent. That helped Memphis carry a 43-30 lead into the break as Miller connected on four of his first five shots in the second period, all of them from outside the arc, for all of his 13 points in the game. "If you take away Mike Millers 3s in the first half, this is a college score in terms of the game." West said. But the Grizzlies said the performance was important after a Miami game they thought they could have won. They also mentioned that it was an important confidence-builder for the stretch run. "We were in attack mode most of the night on both offence and defence," Memphis coach Dave Joerger said. "That is as complete of a win as we have had all season." NOTES: Pacers C Andrew Bynum remained inactive for the fourth game with swelling and soreness in his right knee. ...The previous low for points in a game for Indiana was 73 against Dallas on Feb. 12. ... Indianas three-game win streak against the Grizzlies was snapped. .Memphis has won nine straight at home. .The Pacers lost for only the second time this season when holding an opponent under 90 points. They were 26-1 entering the game. 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