SAN JOSE – If this were a normal training camp for the San Jose Sharks, a few of the team’s prospects would perhaps be given some more time to soak up their surroundings before they were returned to their respective junior clubs or to the minor leagues.

But this is hardly a normal year. The Sharks play four preseason games over the next four days, including split-squad games in Las Vegas and Anaheim on Friday, before they fly to Europe on Saturday.

So while it’s likely nice for the team’s front office to see their recent draft picks up close and personal, the bigger job is to get the NHL club ready for the regular season, which starts with games against the Nashville Predators on Oct. 7 and 8 games in Prague.

Sharks coach David Quinn said after his team’s 3-2 overtime win over the Los Angeles Kings on Sunday that he and other members of the team’s brain trust were going to discuss trimming the number of players in camp, which began last Thursday at 61, including players on AHL contracts.

The Sharks have the day off Monday and play the Anaheim Ducks at home Tuesday night.

The Sharks could take around 27 players for the European trip, which includes an Oct. 4 exhibition game against Eisbären Berlin. So while most of the camp cuts will take place over the next few days, the 23-man roster for the season-opener at O2 Arena won’t be finalized until late next week.

Here’s where things stand at the moment in terms of competition not necessarily for roster spots right now, but for seats on the charter flight to Europe.

FORWARDS (34)

LOCKS (12): Alexander Barabanov, Nick Bonino, Logan Couture, Noah Gregor, Tomas Hertl, Luke Kunin, Kevin Labanc, Oskar Lindblom, Steven Lorentz, Timo Meier, Matt Nieto, Nico Sturm.

TRENDING UP (3): William Eklund, Jonah Gadjovich, Ozzy Wiesblatt.

STATUS QUO (6): Thomas Bordeleau, Adam Raska, Scott Reedy, Evgeny Svechnikov, Jeffrey Viel, Jasper Weatherby.

FADING OUT (13): Andrew Agozzino, Ethan Cardwell, Brandon Coe, Liam Gilmartin, Danil Gushchin, Dillon Hamaliuk, Luke Johnson, Mark Liwiski, Max McCue, Tristen Robins, Mitchell Russell, C.J. Suess, Max Veronneau.

OVERVIEW: There weren’t going to be many NHL jobs available up front after all of the additions the Sharks made in the offseason. Quinn confirmed that late last week, saying younger players are going to have to take someone else’s job to remain with the team.

Right now, assuming Barabanov can return soon from a lower-body injury – he’s considered day-to-day – it appears he’ll start the year on a line with Hertl and Meier. Bonino will center the third line with Kunin and Gregor on the wings, and Sturm will be in the middle of the fourth line with Nieto and Lorentz.

Is there enough time for Eklund to make a run at supplanting Labanc as the Sharks’ second-line right wing? Eklund will have to really pick things up to make it happen, although there’s a possibility he gets on the plane to Germany on Saturday.

Gadjovich has had a strong start to camp and appears to be on track to make the Sharks roster as the 13th forward. Wiesblatt is likely ticketed for the Barracuda, but he’s gotten noticed by the Sharks front office.

It was always going to be tough for Bordeleau to win an NHL job out of camp, simply because the Sharks already have four centermen in Hertl, Couture, Bonino, and Sturm. He could still go to Europe, though. Reedy and Weatherby will need to come out firing if they happen to be in the lineup Tuesday. Svechnikov needs to do more to get noticed.

DEFENSEMEN (14)

LOCKS (6): Matt Benning, Mario Ferraro, Erik Karlsson, Markus Nutivaara, Radim Simek, Marc-Edouard Vlasic.

STATUS QUO (4): Nick Cicek, Santeri Hatakka, Artemi Kniazev, Jaycob Megna.

FADING OUT (4): Jake Furlong, Artem Guryev, Scott Harrington, Ryan Merkley.

OVERVIEW: We already have an idea of what the Sharks’ defense pairs could look like on Oct. 7, as Karlsson-Nutivaara, Vlasic-Ferraro, and Simek-Benning have largely stayed together since the start of camp.

Megna still figures to be a part of things but who else might join him on the trip overseas? Hatakka is one possibility, Cicek is another. Harrington, in camp on a PTO, has plenty of NHL experience but needs to do more right now to get noticed, and Merkley needs to start his roster push ASAP if it’s ever going to happen.

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GOALIES (8)

LOCKS (2): Kaapo Kahkonen, James Reimer.

TRENDING UP (2): Aaron Dell, Strauss Mann.

FADING OUT (4): Mason Beaupit, Zachary Emond, Benjamin Gaudreau, Eetu Makiniemi.

OVERVIEW: This is the most predictable position group. Kahkonen and Reimer will start with the Sharks, and Dell seems like an ideal candidate to go to Europe with the group. Mann shined at the Rookie Faceoff event in San Jose, and it looks like he’ll start the season with the Barracuda. Beaupit and Gaudreau will be returned to their junior teams. Makiniemi is injured right now.