San Jose Sharks forward Joe Thornton is two assists away from joining the elite club of players to record 1,000 in the NHL.

Thornton, currently sitting at 998 career helpers, could become the 13th player in NHL history to record 1,000 assists when the Sharks host the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday.

The centre told the San Jose Mercury News last week he hasn't looked at the list of players who have reached the mark, but will once he joins them.

“When I hit it, I’ll kind of peek and see who’s on that list,” Thornton said. “It’s a nice accomplishment, I guess.”

The exclusive club is currently made up by Wayne Gretzky, Ron Francis, Mark Messier, Ray Bourque, Jaromir Jagr, Paul Coffey, Adam Oates, Steve Yzerman, Gordie Howe, Marcel Dionne, Mario Lemieux and Joe Sakic.

The 36-year-old who has led the league in assists three times sits second among active players in points with 1,380 - 522 points behind Jagr.

As he approaches the career milestone, Thornton says he has no current plans to walk away and will play as long as his body allows him to.

“For me, it’s all about my health,” he said. “If my health is there, if my desire’s there, if my love for the game is still there, I think I’ll play as long as I can. As soon as that wavers, I think I’ll know it’s time.”

Thornton is slated to become an unrestricted free agent this summer. He owns five goals and 34 assists through 60 games this season.