Complex sentence: Taken late in the ninth round, San Jose had never seen him play; they were more interested in the skill of Nabokov's father, a professional goaltender who played 18 years in Kazakhstan and was called the "Russian Wall" by his peers.
Split into simpler sentences: Taken late in the ninth round, the Sharks had never seen him play; rather, they were more interested in the skill of Nabokov's father, a professional goaltender who played 18 years in Kazakhstan. He was called the "Russian Wall" by his peers.