Filip Zadina joined the San Jose Sharks as an unrestricted free agent this summer. He received a fresh start after five injury-riddled seasons with the Detroit Red Wings. And it's an opportunity the 23-year-old forward is thrilled with as training camp draws near.

Zadina spoke at the NHL's European Media Tour last week when his switch to San Jose came up. The Sharks forward that he's already looking forward to the day camp begins. “I just feel excited about that season coming up and the competition battling for a spot and stuff like that,” the 23-year-old said, via NHL.com.

Zadina left the Red Wings under rather dramatic circumstances. He initially requested a trade prior to the 2023 NHL Draft. When nothing materialized, Detroit placed him on waivers. However, he went unclaimed.

It seemed as if Zadina would return to the Red Wings for this upcoming season. Especially after Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman expressed that he'd like Zadina to continue developing in Detroit. Despite that, the team placed Zadina back on waivers for the purposes of contract termination.

For the new Sharks forward, he simply believes it wasn't meant to be. “It just didn't go the way that I guess we both wanted,” Zadina said, via NHL.com. “Going as a kid into that rebuild situation didn't help much as well. It just didn't work out.”

Zadina had two years remaining on his Red Wings contract at the time of the termination. He signed a one-year contract with San Jose back in June. Zadina and the Sharks begin their 2023-24 season on October 12 at home against the defending Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights.