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Tag: San Jose Sharks

  • Macklin Celebrini welcomes pressure as spotlight on Sharks starts to grow

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    SAN JOSE – Macklin Celebrini had just finished his first practice back with the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday – after an unforgettable Olympic experience — when he entered a room filled with cameras and reporters.

    “Most media we’ve had. Ever,” Celebrini said. “Starting to feel like a Canadian market.”

    And a reflection of his growing popularity, as Celebrini’s record-setting performance at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics – capped by a gold medal game watched by tens of millions of fans — raised his profile here at home and across the NHL.

    Roughly a dozen news outlets, several more than usual, attended the Sharks’ practice on Wednesday as Celebrini skated with his teammates for the first time since he returned from Italy late Monday night.

    Some of those local media outlets were at a Sharks practice for the first time this season, underscoring the team’s growing relevance and Celebrini’s reach as one of the Bay Area’s most recognizable sports figures.

    “I know Mack is certainly proud to be Canadian, and he should be,” but we were also proud to represent, you know, San Jose Sharks, the Bay Area, the community around here, the fans, obviously, he’s become, you know, the face of the franchise, in a sense,

    Thursday’s game against the Calgary Flames, which begins a six-game homestand, is trending toward a sellout crowd of 17,435.

    Tickets are also scarce and pricey for San Jose’s weekend games against McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday and goalie Connor Hellebuyck – who made 41 saves for Team USA in the gold medal game — and the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday.

    The Sharks have already sold out 12 of 26 home games this season, after having capacity crowds in 15 of 41 games at SAP Center last season.

    “This was the goal,” Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said. “Not to talk to this many media people, but the goal was to get the energy back in the building and get people talking about the Sharks again, and I think the players did a great job of doing that.”

    San Jose Sharks’ Macklin Celebrini speaks about his experience representing Canada at the Olympics during a press conference at Tech CU Arena in San Jose, Calif., on Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group) 

    “This homestead is going to be pretty much sold out,” Warsofsky added. “Crowds and people are going to be excited to see our team play again.”

    As excited as Celebrini was to be back in San Jose, there was still some bitterness as to how the Olympic tournament ended.

    Playing alongside the game’s greatest player in Connor McDavid, Celebrini had a tournament-leading five goals in six games, and his 10 points made him the highest-scoring teenager in an Olympics involving NHL players.

    While Celebrini on Wednesday expressed gratitude for the opportunity to represent his native country of Canada on hockey’s biggest international stage, where he played with several of the game’s greatest stars, there remained – reasonable or otherwise — a feeling of failure.

    Celebrini and the Canadians did enough to beat the United States in Sunday’s gold medal game at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena in Italy. But the heart-stopping final came down to 3-on-3 overtime, where New Jersey Devils center Jack Hughes scored the winning goal, handing the Americans a 2-1 win and their first Olympic gold medal in men’s hockey since 1980.

    For anyone who thought Celebrini would now be past the disappointment of losing the men’s hockey gold medal game, think again.

    “A lot of those guys I looked up to my whole childhood, and it was an honor play with them and be around them every single day,” Celebrini said at Sharks Ice. “But it sucks. It’s a little sour that you look back at it and just didn’t get the job done.”

    How long does he think that sour feeling will last?

    “Forever,” Celebrini said.

    San Jose Sharks' Macklin Celebrini (71) and San Jose Sharks' Vincent Desharnais (5) talk during the first practice after the Olympics at Tech CU Arena in San Jose, Calif., on Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
    San Jose Sharks’ Macklin Celebrini (71) and San Jose Sharks’ Vincent Desharnais (5) talk during the first practice after the Olympics at Tech CU Arena in San Jose, Calif., on Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group) 

    Now the Sharks are hoping other Olympians, Sweden’s Alex Wennberg, Switzerland’s Philipp Kurashev, and Slovakia’s Pavol Regenda, can use the pressure of an Olympic tournament – and the disappointment that came with it — to their benefit as their playoff chase resumes.

    Celebrini said playing with McDavid, the NHL’s leading scorer before Wednesday and a three-time Hart Trophy winner, and Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon, the league’s second-leading scorer, showed him “where the bar is at.”

    “Those guys play with such pace, and they think the game so fast, and the level that they play at, the practice that they play at, probably the fastest practices I’ve ever been a part of.

    “Just being around them, practicing with them, playing with them, it’s a different level.”

    The Sharks’ homestand is going to be vitally important to any postseason hopes, as they entered Wednesday five points out of a playoff spot with 27 games left to play.

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    Curtis Pashelka

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  • Macklin Celebrini returns to the Sharks after stellar showing at the Olympics

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    San Jose Sharks star Macklin Celebrini, fresh off his breakout performance at the Milan Cortina Olympics, returned to the South Bay and Team Teal on Wednesday.

    Celebrini said he’s disappointed his Canadian side took silver, losing to the United States in the Olympic final, but he said he returns to the NHL with critical experience that will help fuel him as the Sharks push for the playoffs.

    “We want to take those next steps and all that comes along with it: the fans, the attention,” he said. “We want those expectations, we want that pressure. That means we’re doing a good thing and we’re trending the right way.”

    The Sharks return to the ice Thursday night to take on the Calgary Flames.

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    Scott Budman

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  • For Macklin Celebrini, things are about to change after historic Olympic effort

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    San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini stood stone-faced as an Olympic silver medal was placed around his neck on Sunday at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena.

    This wasn’t what Team Canada’s youngest player wanted. Or expected.

    Celebrini and the Canadians lost 2-1 to the United States in a heart-stopping final as New Jersey Devils center Jack Hughes scored 1:41 into 3-on-3 overtime to give Team USA its first gold medal in men’s hockey since the Miracle on Ice team stood atop the podium in Lake Placid in 1980.

    During the 12-day tournament, the first to include NHL players since 2014, Celebrini finished second in scoring with 10 points, becoming the highest-scoring teenager in Olympic men’s hockey history. Still just 19, he was named to the Olympic all-tournament team, as his five goals led all skaters.

    All of that did little to ease the sting of Sunday’s loss for the ultra-competitive Celebrini.

    “The whole time, we believed in ourselves,” Celebrini said. “We had lots of chances, I had lots of chances I missed. You get put in those situations, you have to capitalize on your opportunities, and I didn’t.”

    Still, during the Games, Celebrini grew from being one of the NHL’s coolest stories this season and a burgeoning Bay Area star to having a much bigger international profile while cementing his status as one of the game’s greatest players.

    From the start, Celebrini fit in seamlessly alongside the NHL’s leading scorer, Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid, and regularly played during Canada’s most high-leverage moments.

    Just before Hughes’ goal Sunday, Celebrini was on the ice with Vegas Golden Knights forward Mitch Marner. Those two combined on an overtime goal that lifted Canada past Czechia in Wednesday’s quarterfinals.

    Canadian forward Nathan MacKinnon was moved onto a line with McDavid and Celebrini early in round-robin play. The longtime center played right wing on that line and said, “I understand the position and obviously playing with the best player in the world (in McDavid), and maybe the second-best player in the world, in Macklin, it was a lot of fun.”

    MILAN, ITALY – FEBRUARY 22: USA’s #74 Jaccob Slavin (2L) and Canada’s #17 Macklin Celebrini vie for the puck during the men’s gold medal ice hockey match between Canada and USA at the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games on February 22, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Julien de Rosa – Pool/Getty Images) 

    Now, it seems, nothing will be the same for Celebrini, who is still more than three months away from his 20th birthday.

    Thanks to the massive viewership numbers that were expected for Sunday’s game, Celebrini will no doubt become more visible wherever he goes. As time goes on, the expectations for him and the Sharks will also increase, and by playing so well this season and on the world stage, Celebrini will likely help San Jose become a more attractive place for free agents.

    Heck, since Celebrini and McDavid played so well together and found instant chemistry, there’s already been speculation that McDavid will leave the Oilers in 2028 when he becomes a free agent and joins the Sharks. We’ll see what happens.

    “If you want to see a special talent, come watch the Sharks,” Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said Saturday. “If you’re a hockey fan, if you’re not a hockey fan, you can just feel there’s a little bit of buzz around the area.

    “I’m getting texts from people back home (in Massachusetts), because we’re on late, and now they’re going to stay up and watch the Sharks. And credit to Mack, he’s been a big part of that.”

    Celebrini and the Canadians thought they let Sunday’s game slip away after badly outshooting the Americans 42-28, including 33-18 over the final two periods.

    Celebrini had two glorious chances to score when the Canadians were on the power play late in the third period, and MacKinnon missed a wide-open net from short range.

    MILAN, ITALY - FEBRUARY 22: Brady Tkachuk #7 of Team United States shakes hands with Macklin Celebrini #17 of Team Canada after the team's 2-1 overtime victory in the Men's Gold Medal match between Canada and the United States on day 16 of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on February 22, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
    MILAN, ITALY – FEBRUARY 22: Brady Tkachuk #7 of Team United States shakes hands with Macklin Celebrini #17 of Team Canada after the team’s 2-1 overtime victory in the Men’s Gold Medal match between Canada and the United States on day 16 of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on February 22, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) 

    Of American goalie Connor Hellebuyck’s 41 saves, perhaps the most memorable was the one early in the third period on Devon Toews, where Hellebuyck used the knob of his stick to stop what could have been the game-winning goal from going in.

    “(Hellebuyck) was our best player by a mile,” said winger Matt Boldy, who scored a first-period goal to give the Americans a 1-0 lead. “He’s an absolute stud. He wants to be in those moments. He wants to make the saves. And he did just that, so he was definitely our MVP.”

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    Curtis Pashelka

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  • Why Warriors are rooting hard for Macklin Celebrini ahead of USA-Canada Olympic gold medal match: ‘That kid’s just unreal’

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    SAN FRANCISCO – Gary Payton II usually concludes his Warriors press conferences by saying “you guys are great” to the assembled media. 

    But following Friday morning’s practice, the jovial wing looked directly into the rolling camera and gave a clear order to the entire region. 

    “Go watch Mack, alright?” Payton declared. “Everybody, wake up in the Bay, and watch Mack.”

    Less than 24 hours before the 19-year-old Macklin Celebrini leads Canada into an 5 a.m. PST Olympic Gold medal match with the USA in Italy, Payton predicted that those who woke up for the early puck drop would enjoy watching one of the sport’s all-time greats.

    “That kid’s just unreal, and I feel like he end’s up being one of those. You know, when it’s all said and done, it will be like Wayne (Gretzky), Sid (Crosby), Alex (Ovechkin), Mac,” Payton II said. 

    Members of both the Warriors coaching staff and roster could not wait to share stories about the hockey kid who grew up around the basketball franchise before being selected No. 1 overall by the local San Jose Sharks in 2024. 

    Celebrini’s father Rick, Golden State’s vice president of player health and medicine, has been with the Warriors since 2018. It seemed as if everyone who has been associated with the organization had good memories of young Macklin. 

    Coach Steve Kerr recalled watching Celebrini play in fullcourt pickup games against mother Robyn and older brother Aiden and younger sister Charlie at the team’s old Oakland facility.

    “It’s one of the fun parts of the job, seeing the families be a part of it,” Kerr said. “One of my great memories of my playing career was when my kids were able to be involved.”

    Watching Macklin star in-person for Canada has been Rick and the entire family, but the Warriors have been supporting him stateside too. 

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    Joseph Dycus

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  • Slow start, miscues doom Sharks as losing streak reaches three games

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    CHICAGO – The Sharks started slowly then allowed four goals is a wide open second period in what became a potentially costly 6-3 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday at the United Center.

    The Sharks allowed a first period power play goal to Connor Bedard then gave up three goals in a span of 8:22 before coach Ryan Warsofsky pulled starting goalie Yaroslav Askarov in favor of Alex Nedeljkovic.

    Macklin Celebrini had a goal and assist in the second period and defenseman Shakir Mukhamadullin scored in the third, but the damage was done as the Sharks lost their third straight game and fell to 1-2-1 on their five-game road trip that ends Wednesday in Colorado.

    Askarov’s four goals allowed came on 10 shots as he now has just one win in his last six starts. Still, the Blackhawks goals Monday were more the result of Sharks defensive breakdowns than clear goalie miscues.

    The Sharks also took four minor penalties in the game’s first 24 minutes and also went 0-for-4 on the power play.

    Forwards Ryan Donato and Ilya Mikheyev both had four points for the Blackhawks, who snapped a five-game losing streak.

    Entering Monday, the Sharks were two points out of a playoff spot in the still tightly packed Western Conference standings.

    “Every game is important this time of year,” Warsofsky said before Monday’s game. “We know where we are in the standings. Many people didn’t expect us to be where we are in this spot, and this is an opportunity for us. This is a great opportunity to to get back on it tonight against a good team, and get two points on the road and feel good about ourselves going to Colorado.”

    Monday’s game marked the first meeting of the season between the Sharks and the Blackhawks, and the second time that Celebrini had faced Bedard in the NHL.

    Celebrini, who entered Monday as the NHL’s fourth-leading scorer with 79 points in 53 games, assisted on a Will Smith first period goal in his one game against the Blackhawks last season, a 4-2 Sharks win at SAP Center on March 13, 2025.

    Bedard, the No. 1 selection in the 2023 NHL Draft, a year before the Sharks took Celebrini first overall, was held without a point that night but had five points in five career games against San Jose before Monday. Despite missing 13 games with a shoulder injury, Bedard still led Chicago with 52 points before Monday.

    More significant than the individual appeal of Monday’s game was its importance to the Sharks.

    San Jose began the road trip with a 5-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks, the NHL’s last place team, last Tuesday but two nights later, coughed up a three-goal lead and lost 4-3 in overtime to the Edmonton Oilers.

    The Sharks then had to kill six penalties and allowed a third period shorthanded goal in 3-2 loss to the Calgary Flames, another team that will likely miss the playoffs.

    The Sharks didn’t get the start they were looking for Monday – not even close — as they took three minor penalties in the first period, had just one shot on goal and allowed a power play goal to Bedard.

    After the Sharks were called for too many men, the Blackhawks worked it around the San Jose net, as Teuvo Teravainen took a pass from Tyler Bertuzzi, slid it over to an open Bedard for a one-timer from near the bottom of the circle and a 1-0 lead at the 7:00 mark.

    The Sharks’ only shot in the first period came from Celebrini with 11:33 left.

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    Curtis Pashelka

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  • Farabee’s short-handed goal in the 3rd period lifts the Flames to a 3-2 win over the Sharks

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    Joel Farabee’s short-handed goal at 6:53 of the third period broke a tie and sent the Calgary Flames to a 3-2 victory over the San Jose Sharks on Saturday.

    Morgan Frost and Matvei Gridin each scored his 12th goal of the season for the Flames (22-26-6), who overcame a pair of one-goal deficits and snapped a five-game losing streak.

    Will Smith and Adam Gaudette scored for the Sharks (27-22-4), who have lost two in a row and four of seven.

    Alex Nedeljkovic stopped 39 shots for the Sharks, while Dustin Wolf made 23 saves for the Flames.

    Wolf’s best stop came against Macklin Celebrini with 21 seconds remaining when he stuck out a pad to deny the star forward after he was set up all by himself in front of the net.

    Celebrini’s three-game point streak was snapped (three goals, four assists).

    Just 15 seconds after teammate Nazem Kadri was penalized for slashing, Farabee broke a 2-all tie with Calgary’s NHL-leading eighth short-handed goal. Mikael Backlund’s slap shot missed the net, but the rebound caromed right back out front where Farbee knocked a backhand through Nedeljkovic’s pads.

    It was Calgary’s first victory since trading defenseman Rasmus Andersson. The Flames had gone 0-3-2 and scored only seven goals since the deal.

    Wolf, who is from Gilroy, California, improved to 16-2-2 against teams from his home state — the Sharks, Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks. He is 9-2-0 against San Jose.

    While recently acquired left wing Kiefer Sherwood (upper body) remains out, San Jose did welcome back left wing Philipp Kurashev (upper body, 19 games) and defenseman Shakir Mukhamadullin (undisclosed, 10 games).

    Sherwood, acquired from Vancouver on Jan. 19, hasn’t played since Jan. 10, but he’s back skating with the team.

    Up next

    Sharks: Visit the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday.

    Flames: Host the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday.

    ___

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    CBS Bay Area

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  • How Collin Graf, the undrafted son of engineers, became a top-line goal-scorer on a resurgent Sharks squad

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    SAN JOSE — Collin Graf may have been born to play hockey. He certainly didn’t know it at the time. 

    But these days, Graf is making headlines on the ice. Most recently, the second-year Sharks forward scored two goals Thursday night in a 5-3 loss to the Dallas Stars, notching the first multi-goal game of his career. 

    Playing on San Jose’s top line with Macklin Celebrini and rookie Igor Chernyshov, Graf finished off a pass from Celebrini in the crease and potted another net-front pass from Chernyshov. 

    This season has been Graf’s NHL breakout. He stuck on the Sharks’ roster out of training camp and has played in 34 of 35 games, accumulating 18 points. 

    San Jose Sharks’ Collin Graf (51) celebrates his goal against the Dallas Stars in the second period at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group) 

    “He’s put in a lot of work,” Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said. “When he first came in, in the NHL, the pace is extremely high. So he went in after the summer, put a lot of work in last year to get the pace up. And now his details, his hockey sense is really what sticks out the most. He’s a smart individual. And now he’s added another layer to his game with the checking component.”

    Graf, 23, grew up as the son of engineers Robert and Theresa in Lincoln, Massachusetts, and his initial foray onto the ice came for a different reason. 

    “My mom just wanted me to learn how to skate,” Graf said. “And then when I was skating, there were hockey players on the other side of the ice, and I guess I told my mom that I wanted to do that. 

    “So then it took me like two years to get good enough at skating to become a hockey player. And ever since, I’ve been a hockey player.”

    San Jose Sharks' Igor Chernyshov (92) chats with San Jose Sharks' Collin Graf (51) during their game against the Calgary Flames in the third period at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
    San Jose Sharks’ Igor Chernyshov (92) chats with San Jose Sharks’ Collin Graf (51) during their game against the Calgary Flames in the third period at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group) 

    A hockey player, but not one who was ticketed to be a professional from the beginning. Graf was undersized and undrafted coming out of juniors at 5-foot-8 and 145 pounds. He didn’t play for a Canadian major junior team or in the American junior leagues, instead staying within the Boston Bruins’ junior development program. 

    He signed with Union College in 2021, scoring 11 goals and 22 points in his freshman season. Then he transferred to Quinnipiac, where he led the Bobcats with 58 points as they won the national championship. 

    He thought then about turning pro then but opted to return for one more year.

    “I met with teams, and I definitely considered it,” Graf said. “My linemates, we all ended up signing the next year. We talked about it, and we wanted to come back. We had a good group of guys. They’re my buddies. My best friends are still from college to this day. It was a great decision on my part, just in terms of getting bigger, stronger, becoming more mature as a human.”

    San Jose Sharks forward Collin Graf (51) shoots the puck while being defended by Utah Mammoth's Mikhail Sergachev (98) during the first period of their game on Monday, Dec.1, 2025, in San Jose, Calif. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)
    San Jose Sharks forward Collin Graf (51) shoots the puck while being defended by Utah Mammoth’s Mikhail Sergachev (98) during the first period of their game on Monday, Dec.1, 2025, in San Jose, Calif. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group) 

    Graf continued to develop his all-around game and signed with San Jose after Quinnipiac’s season ended in April 2024. He played immediately, recording a point in his second career game and finishing with two in seven games played as the Sharks wrapped up the last-place season that landed them Celebrini with the No. 1 overall pick. 

    The next season wasn’t always glamorous for Graf. Though he joined Celebrini for 33 games with the Sharks and compiled 11 points, he spent most of the year in the AHL with the Barracuda, putting up 35 points in 40 games. 

    It’s uncertain how long he’ll stay on the Sharks’ top line this year. Will Smith is due back before long from an upper-body injury, and Warsofsky said he may shuffle San Jose’s lines before Saturday’s game against Seattle. 

    But after adjusting to the pace of the game, Graf has made enough headway that he is quickly becoming a part of the Sharks’ long-term plans.

    Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Dennis Hildeby (35) makes a save as San Jose Sharks' Collin Graf (51) looks for the rebound during second period NHL hockey action in Toronto on Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)
    Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Dennis Hildeby (35) makes a save as San Jose Sharks’ Collin Graf (51) looks for the rebound during second period NHL hockey action in Toronto on Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP) 

    “He’s transformed his game from what he was in college,” Warsofsky said. “He’s getting to the point where he’s accepting that more and more. There’s another level we continue to push and get to, but he’s done a really good job. He’s here late in the facility. You can tell he really wants it, and that’s an important piece of the whole thing.”

    For Celebrini, who jumped into the NHL minted as a franchise star from the get-go, Graf’s intelligence is a separator that has emerged as he’s grinded his way to the highest level. 

    “He’s one of the smarter players on the ice, and he’s always in the right spot with a great stick,” Celebrini said. “That’s why he’s been so great on our PK as well, his ability to disrupt plays and read plays before they happen. It helps when you’re playing with him and trying to create offense. He’s seeing the same things as I am.”

    San Jose Sharks' Collin Graf (51) celebrates his goal with San Jose Sharks' William Eklund (72) and San Jose Sharks' Macklin Celebrini (71) against the Boston Bruins in the third period at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
    San Jose Sharks’ Collin Graf (51) celebrates his goal with San Jose Sharks’ William Eklund (72) and San Jose Sharks’ Macklin Celebrini (71) against the Boston Bruins in the third period at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group) 

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    Christian Babcock

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  • Wyatt Johnston scores 2, Roope Hintz has goal and assist as Stars beat Sharks 5-3

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    Wyatt Johnston scored twice and the Dallas Stars beat the San Jose Sharks 5–3 on Thursday night.

    Roope Hintz had a goal and an assist, and Justin Hryckowian and Jamie Benn also scored for Dallas. Esa Lindell and Mikko Rantanen each had two assists, and Jake Oettinger stopped 30 shots.

    Colin Graf had two goals, and Shakir Mukhamadullin also scored for the Sharks, who snapped a three-game win streak. Macklin Celebrini had two assists and Alex Nedeljkovic finished with 25 saves.

    Hintz opened the scoring for Dallas with 7:35 left in the first period for his 10th goal of the season, and Johnston made it 2-0 with 2:22 remaining.

    Mukhamadullin put the Sharks on the board at 1:43 of the second period with his second goal of the year.

    Johnston answered at 8:40 with his second of the game and 19th of the season, moving him one behind Jason Robertson for the team lead. Rantanen got his second assist of the night and 32nd of the season on the play.

    Graf cut the deficit again with 3:16 remining in the middle period, but Dallas responded quickly as Hryckowian made it 4-2 with 43 seconds left.

    Graf completed his two-goal night at 4:32 of the third period, with Celebrini getting his 35th assist.

    Benn sealed the win with an empty-netter with 1:18 to go.

    Up next

    Stars: At Anaheim on Friday.

    Sharks: Host Seattle on Saturday.

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    CBS Bay Area

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  • Sharks can cling to one positive trend after blowout loss to Avalanche

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    SAN JOSE – Perhaps the Sharks’ biggest strength in recent weeks – beyond getting outstanding individual performances from second-year center Macklin Celebrini and rookie goalie Yarsolav Askarov — has been their ability to get past a bad game.

    The Sharks, regrettably, are in that position again going into Friday’s home matinee against the Vancouver Canucks, as they try to bounce back from their most lopsided loss of the season.

    On their heels from the start, the Sharks were blasted 6-0 by the NHL-leading Colorado Avalanche in Denver on Wednesday night as they allowed two goals in the first period and three more in the second.

    Nothing went right for the Sharks as Askarov, through no fault of his own, was pulled early in the second period after the fourth goal. San Jose also managed only a handful of quality scoring chances as it was shut out for the third time this season.

    Now it’s a matter of correcting those issues – the lack of compete and physicality, along with some mental errors and defensive breakdowns – in time for their game against the Canucks, who are coming off a 5-4 win over the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday.

    “To get better and to be a good team, you can’t dwell on the past,” Sharks forward Adam Gaudette said Thursday. “If you have an off night, the most important thing is the response the next game. You can’t let those losses stack up.”

    The Sharks (11-10-3) haven’t, as after their last seven losses, they’ve responded with a win six times.

    The most recent example came last weekend, when, after a 3-2 loss to the Ottawa Senators on Saturday, the Sharks responded the next day with a 3-1 victory over the Boston Bruins.

    The Senators outcompeted the Sharks for most of the final two periods. But after what coach Ryan Warsofsky called an “honest” talk the next morning, the Sharks responded with a much better overall effort – combined with a tremendous performance from Askarov – to finish what was a four-game homestand on a positive note.

    “You hope at some point it clicks, and you don’t have to have a response after a letdown, and you grow your team, and you grow your game,” Warsofsky said Thursday. “But for where we are as an organization, with the (youth) on our team, we’re probably going to have some nights where we maybe take a step forward, and a few games later, we take a little bit of a step back.

    “We’ve got to, as coaches, challenge that and try to teach through that, demand more, and have an understanding of what it looks like when we have success. I think our group has responded pretty well for the most part this year.”

    Much better than the previous few years, anyway. As the Sharks went 20-50-12 last season, they had five losing streaks of at least six games and responded to a loss with a win only 13 times.

    This season, after a 0-4-2 start, the Sharks’ longest losing skid is two games, as they lost on the road to Calgary and Seattle on Nov. 13 and 15. That’s allowed the Sharks to stay near the playoff cutline, as they entered Thursday two points back of the second and final wild card spot in the Western Conference.

    The Sharks will fly to Las Vegas right after Friday’s game to play the Golden Knights on Saturday.

    “There’s just a better product on ice, and a bigger belief that we’re a good team in here,” Sharks winger Ryan Reaves said. “When you start believing that, those losses don’t mean as much. A loss is a loss, but you’ve got to move on, and good teams learn how to move on.”

    CELEBRINI SITS

    Celebrini was given a maintenance day on Thursday but will play Friday, said Warsofsky, adding that the Sharks’ leading scorer and No. 1 center isn’t dealing with anything specific.

    “Just a lot of hockey for him,” Warsofsky said. “Just going through the wear of it all, just kind of dealing with bumps and bruises, and (Celebrini’s) no different.”

    Celebrini had 20:47 in ice time on Wednesday and played late into the third period. Celebrini centered the Sharks’ top line with William Eklund and Will Smith and had three shots on net, 11 shot attempts, and won seven of 17 faceoffs. The Sharks’ power play created some scoring opportunities but still went 0-for-4.

    SKINNER, MISA TIMELINES

    Forwards Jeff Skinner and Michael Misa, both out with lower-body injuries, skated again on Thursday and could, if they continue to progress, join the Sharks for their next scheduled practice on Tuesday.

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  • How Avs’ Blackwood helped the Sharks’ future franchise goalie: ‘Not everybody’s like that’

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    SAN JOSE – Yaroslav Askarov did not know many people inside the San Jose Sharks organization in Aug. 2024 when general manager Mike Grier acquired him from the Nashville Predators.

    Fellow goalie Mackenzie Blackwood, who also came to the Sharks via trade a little more than a year earlier, offered the Russian-born Askarov his support and helped him get adjusted to his new surroundings.

    It’s something Askarov will never forget.

    “I’m still not speaking (English) really well, but last year was worse,” Askarov said. “He was like, ‘Hey buddy, if you need to say something, just take your time. I’m going to be waiting. I’m going to be listening to you. I’m going to try to (help you) understand everything.’

    “Not everybody’s like that.”

    The Sharks traded Blackwood, forward Givani Smith, and a 2027 fifth-round pick to the Avalanche last December for goalie Alexandar Georgiev, winger Nikolai Kovalenko, a conditional 2025 fifth-round pick, and a second-rounder in 2026.

    Still, Blackwood, with his big personality, not to mention his often-stellar play, left his mark in San Jose, particularly on Askarov, who has all but replaced Blackwood as the Sharks’ No. 1 goalie with his own recent string of success.

    Askarov and Blackwood were again set to be on opposite sides of the ice on Wednesday night when the Sharks faced the league-leading Avalanche at Ball Arena. In the Sharks’ 3-2 overtime win over Colorado on Nov. 1, Askarov stopped 36 of 38 shots while Blackwood made 20 saves in what was his first game of the season.

    “He doesn’t have bad days,” Askarov said of Blackwood. “He always has fun. He’s smiling, jokes around. It helps during the long hockey season, because you’re keeping your focus most of the time, but he’s that type of guy who makes your life easier and makes your life more fun.”

    The Sharks haven’t reaped much reward for trading Blackwood, at least not yet, as the underperforming Georgiev and Kovalenko are now back in Russia. The 2025 fifth-round pick was used on center Max Heise, who had 15 points in 19 games for the Prince Albert Raiders before Wednesday, and the 2026 pick looks like it will come late in the second round.

    Blackwood, a pending unrestricted free agent, signed a five-year, $26.25 million contract extension with the Avalanche, a term and dollar amount the Sharks were unwilling to commit to, partly because they felt they had their goalie of the future in Askarov, who spent the majority of last season in the AHL with the Barracuda.

    Before Wednesday’s game, Askarov was now 7-1-0 this month with a .959 save percentage – second-best in the NHL among all goalies with at least five starts – as he helped the Sharks rejoin the playoff race after a 0-4-2 start.

    There’s no doubt that Askarov credits Blackwood for helping him become comfortable in San Jose.

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  • Askarov stands tall (again) as Sharks finish homestand with impressive win

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    SAN JOSE – Shakir Mukhamadullin and Macklin Celebrini both had goals in the first two periods, and goalie Yaroslav Askarov made 33 saves as the San Jose Sharks earned a 3-1 win over the Boston Bruins on Sunday to close out a four-game homestand.

    Mukhamadullin scored his first goal of the season at the 15:53 mark of the first period, and Celebrini added his 14th at the 11:45 mark of the second on a power play as the Sharks took a 2-0 lead.

    The Bruins got one goal back at the 10:02 mark of the third as Morgan Geekie scored his 17th of the season in front of the Sharks’ net off a pass from David Pastrnak.

    Collin Graf iced the win for the Sharks with an empty-net goal with 1:07 to play.

    Askarov didn’t have a chance on that play and had eight saves in the third period, as the Sharks finished their homestand with a 3-1-0 record.

    Askarov made 25 saves through two periods, including one on a one-timer by Pastrnak midway through the second period.

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San Jose Sharks goaltender Yaroslav Askarov (30) keeps an eye on the puck against Boston Bruins’ Marat Khusnutdinov (92) in the third period at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)

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Askarov entered Sunday as one of the hottest goalies in the NHL. In seven starts this month, Askarov was 6-1-0, and his .957 save percentage was second-best among all NHL goalies who have started at least seven games.

Askarov was coming off a 31-save performance in the Sharks’ 4-3 shootout win over the Los Angeles Kings. Askarov also made 24 saves in San Jose’s 3-2 overtime win over the Utah Mammoth on Tuesday to open the homestand.

The Sharks were looking to bounce back after a 3-2 loss to the Ottawa Senators on Saturday when coach Ryan Warsofsky lamented his team’s lack of complete, battle-level, and attention to detail.

San Jose held a 2-1 lead late in the second period, but a poor line change helped lead to a goal by Senators winger Fabian Zetterlund, and a defensive breakdown late in the third allowed Tim Stutzle to score the go-ahead goal, handing the Sharks their third loss in five games.

The Sharks tweaked their forward lines for Sunday’s game. William Eklund was moved to the top line alongside Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith, and Philipp Kurashev slid to the second line with Alexander Wennberg, who played his 100th game with the Sharks on Sunday, and Tyler Toffoli.

Playing on back-to-back days, Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky also wanted to get fresh legs into the lineup, as rookie Sam Dickinson entered the lineup for Sam Klingberg. But it was clear, too, that Warsofsky thought Klingberg’s miscue led to Stutzle’s goal on Saturday.

“We don’t scan well enough as a defense, we don’t read it,” Warsofsky said Sunday. “It’s a quick game. So, we’ve got to be able to read it quickly. Again, the change isn’t (ideal), but it’s a 2-1-2 (neutral-zone forecheck). We should be able to defend that pretty easily.”

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San Jose Sharks’ Tyler Toffoli (73) fights for the puck against Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman (1) and Boston Bruins’ Elias Lindholm (28) in the first period at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)

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  • Sharks’ Klingberg takes a seat after miscue; Will roster spot be available for young center?

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    SAN JOSE – Say this about the way the San Jose Sharks’ active roster is put together: When coach Ryan Warsofsky wants to make a change on defense, he has no shortage of options.

    Sunday, it was again John Klingberg’s turn to take a seat in the press box, as the Sharks prepared to face the Boston Bruins at SAP Center to finish a four-game homestand.

    Playing on back-to-back days, Warsofsky said he wanted to get fresh legs into the lineup Sunday, as rookie Sam Dickinson entered the lineup for Klingberg. But it was clear, too, that Warsofsky thought Klingberg’s miscue helped the Ottawa Senators earn a 3-2 win over the Sharks on Saturday.

    Klingberg scored a power-play goal for the Sharks in the first period. But he was also on the ice late and out of position in the third period when the Senators got a 2-on-0 and scored what would become the game-winning goal.

    As Sharks forwards Will Smith and Philipp Kurashev headed off the ice on an ill-timed line change, Klingberg was too far to the outside when Senators defenseman Jake Sanderson sent a pass right past Shakir Mukhamadullin to Drake Batherson.

    Batherson passed to Dylan Cozens, whose shot on a forehand-to-backhand move was saved by Sharks goalie Alex Nedeljkovic. Klingberg got back but was unable to clear the puck off the goal line before Tim Stutzle arrived and poked it across with 6:38 left in the third period for the go-ahead goal.

    “We don’t scan well enough as a defense, we don’t read it,” Warsofsky said Sunday. “It’s a quick game. So, we’ve got to be able to read quick. Again, the change isn’t (ideal), but it’s a 2-1-2 (neutral-zone forecheck). We should be able to defend that pretty easily.”

    Klingberg, signed to a one-year, $3 million contract as a free agent in July, was a healthy scratch for the first time this season on Tuesday when San Jose hosted Utah.

    “I’m a defenseman. I’ve got to know what’s going on behind me,” Klingberg said after Saturday’s game. “But I’m thinking it’s a 1-1-3, so I’m gapping up on (Stutzle) and then they pass it, and there’s a breakaway 2-on-0 behind me. So, I’ve got to realize that a lot quicker.

    “(Nedeljkovic) obviously makes a huge save, and then I kind of get stuck with my stick in his pad. Otherwise, I’m clearing out (the puck) on the goal line.”

    Veteran defenseman Nick Leddy will also be a scratch for a third straight game Sunday, as the Sharks had eight available defensemen against the Bruins. They will soon have a ninth, as Vincent Iorio finishes up his two-week conditioning loan with the Barracuda.

    The overabundance of blueliners has created a bit of a tricky situation for Warsofsky, who has to dress the best lineup he can for every game while ensuring that Dickinson and Mukhamadullin are still playing and developing the proper way.

    Asked Sunday how tenable it is to continue to have nine defensemen, while only having 12 forwards, Warsofsky said, “It is what it is. We’ll focus on today, and the guys on the roster, and we’ll make do.”

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  • The Shark Tank is rocking again. Their rookie goalie is a big reason why

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    SAN JOSE — Forward Philipp Kurashev scored on his shootout attempt, and rookie goalie Yaroslav Askarov didn’t allow a goal at the other end to continue his exceptional play of late as the San Jose Sharks earned a raucous 4-3 win over the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday at SAP Center.

    After the Kings scored late in the third period to tie the game 3-3, and following a scoreless overtime, Kurashev beat goalie Anton Forsberg with a wrist shot for the Sharks’ only goal of the shootout. But Askarov stopped shots by Trevor Moore and Adrian Kempe before Corey Perry’s attempt went wide, helping to give the Sharks their sixth win in their last eight games.

    Adam Gaudette and Ty Dellandrea also scored, Collin Graf had two assists, and Askarov made 31 saves through three periods and overtime in another solid performance.

    “I haven’t seen this team have any mental weakness,” Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said. “We’re excited to come to the rink every day. They take the coaching, the constructive criticism, and they want to get better, individually and collectively. There’s a real care to win, which we haven’t had in a long time. And you can see it.”

    With the victory, the Sharks, at 10-8-3, already have half of the wins they had through 82 games last season (20-50-12). They’re also 6-0-1 at home since late October, and are one point out of a playoff spot going into Friday’s games.

    “We’re finding a rhythm. And I don’t think it’s just at home,” Sharks defenseman Mario Ferraro said. “We’re just finding our game altogether.”

    The Sharks could have sagged after allowing a game-tying goal to Kempe with 58.3 seconds left in regulation time. But they were probably the better team in overtime, and once the shootout began, they might have felt some peace with the way Askarov has been playing of late.

    This month, after Thursday, Askarov is 6-1-0 with a .957 save percentage with one of the NHL’s best marks in goals saved above expected. Askarov also had 24 saves in the Sharks’ 3-2 overtime win over the Utah Mammoth on Tuesday.

    After Thursday’s shootout, Askarov pumped his fist before his Sharks teammates swarmed him.

    “Awesome, unbelievable, clutch,” Dellandrea said of Askarov. “He wants the big moments. He wants a lot of saves. He could be the first star every night, it seems. He’s been playing great, winning us games, keeping us in games. We’ve got to tighten it up a bit and not rely on him.”

    Thursday’s atmosphere was reminiscent of the glory days of the Sharks-Kings rivalry, as the announced attendance of 16,387 witnessed a back-and-forth game featuring dynamic playmaking and elevated physicality.

    “It was great, eh?” Dellandrea said. “The Tank was loud. It was fun to play in. You hear the chants during play, during whistles. It’s a great spot to be in when it’s like that.”

    “I wasn’t here when the Shark Tank was alive and well, but I’ve heard a lot about it, and we want to make it like that very, very soon,” Warsofsky said.

    Anze Kopitar, in his last regular-season game in San Jose after a 20-year NHL career, scored on a breakaway on Askarov 1:47 into the second period to tie the game 2-2.

    Kurashev, though, scored a go-ahead goal late in the second period.

    Setting up near the slot, Kurashev created some space for himself, took a pass from Will Smith, and beat Kings goalie Anton Forsberg five-hole for his sixth goal of the season.

    At the 11:46 mark of the second period, a Joel Armia goal was taken off the board, as, after a Sharks challenge, it was determined Kings forward Kevin Fiala had preceded the puck into the offensive zone.

    Macklin Celebrini recorded his third career NHL hat trick in the Sharks’ win over Utah. Still, the Sharks did not like how they played, especially 5-on-5, as their lack of connectivity defensively allowed the Mammoth to create almost twice as many high-danger chances as they did, per Natural Stat Trick.

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  • Graf scores in OT as Sharks come back to beat Wild 2-1

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    Collin Graf scored 2:41 into overtime and the surging San Jose Sharks came back to beat the Minnesota Wild 2-1 on Tuesday night.

    Macklin Celebrini fed Graf the puck in the middle near the goal mouth. Graf deked Wild goaltender Filip Gustavsson, leaving an open net to put away the winner for just his second goal of the season.

    Will Smith had his seventh goal of the season and Yaroslav Askarov made 28 saves in goal for San Jose, which has won four in a row and has points in seven straight. Celebrini had two assists in the game and has three goals and five assists during a four-game point streak.

    Matt Boldy had a second-period, power-play goal for Minnesota, which had won two in a row and four of five since losing five straight to end October. Gustavsson stopped 16 shots.

    Boldy’s ninth goal of the season was a one-timer off a cross-ice pass from Mats Zuccarello, who has two assists in three games after missing the season’s first 15 contests with a lower-body injury.

    For Boldy, it was his fourth goal in four games. He’s scored five times on the power play as Minnesota continues to excel with the man advantage.

    The Wild were 1 of 4 on the power play Tuesday and are now 19 of 66 (28.8%) for the season. They entered the day fourth in the league in converting power-play chances at 29%.

    But Celebrini and the young Sharks came back in the third with their own power-play tally, with Smith finishing off some nifty tic-tac-toe passing in the offensive zone.

    Smith has three goals and four assists in a five-game point streak.

    Up next

    Sharks: Play at Calgary on Thursday.

    Wild: Host Anaheim on Saturday.

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  • Macklin Celebrini explains why he likes the Sharks’ new forechecking style

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    SAN JOSE – The day after the Sharks were blown out by the Utah Mammoth last month, coach Ryan Warsofsky said his team – desperate to get off to a fast start — was too focused on the result of winning, and not enough on the details of how to make it happen.

    “So we’ve got to worry about – and every coach says it — the process, and the way we have to work and the way we have to play,” Warsofsky said Oct. 18, “and (victories) will come with that.”

    Now the Sharks have a blueprint for what makes them successful.

    Since that 6-3 loss to the Mammoth on Oct. 17 in Salt Lake City, the Sharks have switched from a 1-1-3 alignment to a much faster, more aggressive 2-1-2 forechecking style. The move has allowed the Sharks to utilize their speed and create a few more high-danger scoring chances, while preventing fewer grade-A opportunities for opposing teams at the other end.

    With that has come what everyone in teal wanted from the start — more wins. Since a 0-4-2 start, the Sharks,“You ask any player, they don’t like being under pressure.

    The Sharks are still sporting a modest 3-6-2 record, but the eight points they have after 11 games actually represent their best start to a season since the 2021-22 season, when they began 6-4-1.

    “I think our strength is we’re young and we’ve got some guys with some juice in this room,” Sharks defenseman Mario Ferraro said. “Using our skating and being as aggressive as possible, what we’ve been doing — obviously being smart while we’re doing it — but our aggressive play has really helped us so far.

    “Since we’ve been playing better with that, we haven’t changed a thing.”

    In beating the New Jersey Devils 5-2 on Thursday, forwards Alexander Wennberg and Philipp Kurashev each had a goal and an assist, and goalie Alex Nedeljkovic made 29 saves in his best performance of the season.

    Macklin Celebrini assisted on Will Smith’s second-period goal that gave the Sharks a 4-1 lead and now has five goals and seven assists in a career-long six-game point streak, as the Sharks earned their first win on home ice this season.

    Celebrini now had 17 points in 11 games, becoming just the fifth teenager in the past 15 years to record 17 or more points in a single calendar month. The others were Connor McDavid in February and November 2016, Clayton Keller in March 2018, Andrei Svechnikov in November 2019, and Connor Bedard in March 2024.

    That Celebrini’s hot streak began soon after the Sharks made the change to a less conservative forechecking style probably isn’t a complete coincidence.

    “I think it helps just not sitting back as much, not giving (teams) free entry,” Celebrini said. “Putting a little bit more pressure, turning over more pucks, I think it helps us just get possession.

    “You ask any player, they don’t like being under pressure. So I think the more pace and pressure we can put on the other team’s players or defensemen, it helps us get more possession time.”

    Since a 3-0 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Oct. 18, a game they controlled for the final two periods, the Sharks have gone 3-3-0, with the three losses by a combined four goals.

    “I think you can see in these last couple of games, we’ve come out pretty strong, come out really fast, gotten the first goal,” said Sharks goalie Alex Nedeljkovic, who made 29 saves Thursday. “We’re in games. There haven’t been a lot of games this year, maybe like one or two, where we didn’t really have it that night, and we didn’t really have a shot.”

    The Sharks’ next few games will offer a stiff test. After Saturday’s game against the Central Division-leading Avalanche, the Sharks face the Atlantic Division-leading Detroit Red Wings on Sunday. That’s followed by games against the improved Seattle Kraken, the Winnipeg Jets, last season’s Presidents’ Trophy winners, and the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers.

    “We’ve definitely taken steps in that process, of what it looks like to win, and what it feels like, what it takes, and how hard you have to work, the details you need to play with,” Warsofsky said. “We still have a ways to go, but our group is definitely taking the teaching and the coaching of what it takes, and our guys are growing it with that as we go.”

    DICKINSON UPDATE

    Sam Dickinson was still with the Sharks as of Friday afternoon, as the team didn’t make any announcement about whether they would keep the rookie defenseman on the NHL roster to the Ontario Hockey League. Dickinson played his ninth game of the season on Thursday and had 14:23 in ice time, all at even strength, as he played on the Sharks’ third defense pair with Shakir Mukhamadullin.

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  • Warsofsky shoulders responsibility as Sharks seek first win: ‘It’s on me’

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    SAN JOSE – Macklin Celebrini stood inside the San Jose Sharks dressing room and seemed to be in disbelief that he and his teammates were going through this again. Outside the room, coach Ryan Warsofsky, who has now been through four straight agonizingly slow starts with the team, facetiously said he’d give up one of his two young children for a win right now.

    “Trust me, it sucks,” Warsofsky said Saturday night. “I keep telling myself, there’s a reason why this keeps happening.”

    A Sharks season that was hoped to be a little bit better than the previous few has so far turned out to be anything but, as San Jose enters a challenging four-game road trip this week as the NHL’s last remaining winless team.

    The Sharks fell to 0-3-2 with a 3-0 loss to Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday night at SAP Center. Responding after poor performances against the Carolina Hurricanes and Utah Mammoth earlier in the week, the Sharks were the better team for the final two periods as they established a forecheck, outchanced the Penguins, and kept Pittsburgh’s shots on goal to a minimum.

    Still, the Sharks were unable to beat Penguins goalie Tristan Jarry, who made 31 saves, as they were shut out for the first time this season. Sharks goalie Alex Nedeljkovic made 18 saves in a frenetic first period, but Crosby scored a second-period goal on a tipped shot, and Anthony Mantha and Evgeni Malkin both scored in the third, with Malkin’s being an empty-netter, to hand San Jose its third straight regulation-time loss.

    “The only way we’re going to get those bounces is if we keep working for them. They’re not just going to happen,” Nedeljkovic said. “We have to earn those bounces. And if we play like we did tonight, more times than not, coming up, we’ll start getting some.”

    While the goaltending took a step forward Saturday, the Sharks have still managed just two even-strength goals in their last three games.

    “I think we have a really tight group, and it’s just hard,” Celebrini said, “especially when you play some good games, do some good things, and it just feels like it hasn’t really kind of connected yet.”

    The Sharks begin a four-game road trip on Tuesday against Matthew Schaefer, the No. 1 overall pick in June’s NHL Draft, and the New York Islanders. That’s followed by games against the New York Rangers on Thursday, the New Jersey Devils on Friday, and the Minnesota Wild on Sunday.

    The Sharks were 0-5-0 to begin the 2022-23 season, started 0-10-1 in 2023-24, and 0-7-2 last year. Warsofsky has unfortunately been a part of every dismal start, as he was an assistant under David Quinn from 2022 to 2024 before he was named the Sharks’ head coach.

    This year’s team is believed to be better than any of the previous three. Now’s the time to show proof.

    “We’re not going to quit,” Warsofsky said. “We’re five games into this thing. What’s happened has happened, and we’ve got to work. I’ve got to get this team to improve and individuals to improve. It’s on me.”

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  • San Jose Sharks place two defensemen on waivers

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    SAN JOSE – The San Jose Sharks placed defensemen Jack Thompson and Lucas Carlsson on waivers on Sunday.

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  • San Jose Sharks to go without a captain as leadership group is unveiled

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    SAN JOSE – The San Jose Sharks will go without a captain this season, announcing Wednesday that they will instead have five alternate captains for this year.

    The Sharks will have Tyler Toffoli, Alexander Wennberg, Barclay Goodrow, Mario Ferraro, and Macklin Celebrini as the team’s alternate captains.

    The last time the Sharks went without a captain was during the 2014-15 season.

    Logan Couture was the Sharks captain from 2019 to 2025 before he announced in April that he would be unable to play again due to a chronic groin/pelvic area injury.

    Toffoli, Wennberg, Goodrow, and Ferraro also served as alternates last season. Celebrini, a cornerstone of the Sharks franchise and likely a future captain of the team, is entering his second NHL season.

    The list of full-time Sharks captains includes Doug Wilson (1991-1993), Bob Errey (1993-1995), Jeff Odgers (1995-1996), Todd Gill (1996-1998), Owen Nolan (1998-2003), Patrick Marleau (2005-2009), Rob Blake (2009-2010), Joe Thornton (2010-2014), Joe Pavelski (2015-2019) and Couture (2019-2025). Marleau, Vincent Damphousse, Alyn McCauley and Mike Ricci shared the captaincy during the 2003-2004 season.

    Please check back for updates to this story.

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  • Philadelphia Flyers trade Ryan Ellis to San Jose Sharks after injury-riddled tenure

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    Philadelphia Flyers leadership pleased with team’s progress as new season approaches



    Philadelphia Flyers leadership pleased with team’s progress as new season approaches

    00:52

    The Philadelphia Flyers rid themselves of defenseman Ryan Ellis’ contract in a trade with the San Jose Sharks, ending his tenure at just four games played in four seasons.

    Ellis and a conditional sixth-round draft pick were traded to San Jose on Sunday for forward Carl Grundstrom and defenseman Artem Guryev. The condition on the sixth-round pick is that San Jose shall receive the earlier of two picks Philadelphia currently owns in the 2026 sixth round, its own and Columbus’.

    The Flyers now have five picks in the 2026 draft. They own one pick in each of the first three rounds, one in the sixth and one in the seventh round.

    The Flyers thought they acquired one of the NHL’s best defenseman when they landed Ellis from Nashville ahead of the 2021 season. Ellis was selected by Nashville with the No. 11 pick in the 2009 draft and helped the Predators win the Stanley Cup in 2017. He had 270 points in 562 career games at the time of the trade.

    Ellis played four games in 2021 until he suffered a pelvis injury believed to be career-threatening. The Sharks likely will place Ellis on long-term injured reserve. He has two seasons left on an eight-year, $50 million contract that carries an annual cap hit of $6.25 million through 2027.

    Grundstrom scored nine points in 56 games with San Jose last season.

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  • Sharks takeaways: Regenda’s future, the prediction for Misa, and Ned on opening night?

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    It remained unclear going into the preseason whether wingers Pavol Regenda and Ethan Cardwell would make the San Jose Sharks roster out of training camp.

    Certainly, with the veteran additions the Sharks made to their forward group this offseason, their chances seemed remote.

    Perhaps, though, Regenda and Cardwell gave the Sharks’ front office and coaching staff something to think about with their workmanlike performances Friday night, as both finished with four points in San Jose’s 4-1 win over the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena.

    Cardwell had a hat-trick, with all of his goals assisted by Regenda, against a Vegas lineup that was almost wholly comprised of NHL players.

    The two also assisted on Egor Afanasyev’s second-period goal and saw goalie Alex Nedeljkovic make 29 saves, including 16 in the first two periods, as the Sharks won their second game of the preseason after three straight losses.

    San Jose closes exhibition play on Saturday in Salt Lake City against the Utah Mammoth and begins the regular season at home on Thursday against the Golden Knights.

    Cardwell’s first two goals came at the 1:18 mark of the first period and the 6:48 mark of the third when the Sharks took a 3-0 lead, and he finished the hat trick with an empty-netter with 2:08 to go in regulation.

    “We worked hard and came in here with an attitude that we’re going to get pucks deep, get pucks behind them, and kind of skate as hard as we can to win loose pucks, recover them, and get to the net,” Cardwell said.

    Takeaways from Friday’s game

    1. MORE ROSTER QUESTIONS: So did the performances by Regenda and Cardwell on Friday make the Sharks’ roster decisions any easier, or more difficult?

    Cardwell had a fine night offensively and was also one of the Sharks’ top penalty killers as the Golden Knights went 0-for-4 on the power play. While he likely will not be on the Sharks’ roster next week, as he remains waivers-exempt, he has perhaps made a case for himself that he should be among the first players recalled if injuries occur.

    Regenda, though, must pass through waivers if the Sharks want to assign him to the Barracuda. If the Sharks really like Regenda and feel he can be an asset, they must weigh the chances of him being claimed by another team. The Sharks will have to make those determinations this weekend if they haven’t already.

    The Sharks this summer, after not bringing back a handful of forwards from last season’s team, signed Jeff Skinner and Adam Gaudette as free agents, and acquired Philipp Kurashev and Ryan Reaves via trade. They also selected Michael Misa second overall at the NHL Draft in June.

    With that in mind, Regenda, who was acquired from the Anaheim Ducks in January for forward Justin Bailey, wasn’t necessarily thought to be in the mix for a roster spot. He had 25 points in 36 regular-season games for the Barracuda and three goals in six playoff games, but did not get called up to the NHL.

    Regenda, 25, has three points in 19 career NHL games, all with the Anaheim Ducks, and is hoping he has earned another shot.

    “I’ve been working my ass off every day, just trying to play simple,” Regenda said. “That’s what (the Sharks) expect from me, and I’m just trying to do what the coaches say and show them that I belong here. We will see.”

    2. WHAT ABOUT MISA AND DICKINSON?: Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky had good things to say about defenseman Sam Dickinson, who was listed as having four giveaways but also logged a team-high 23 minutes in ice time as he played in all situations. It seems he did enough to make the Sharks’ roster out of camp.

    But if the Sharks keep Dickinson and eight defensemen, that means they can only keep 13 forwards. If Misa is part of that group, then Regenda might not be, considering Collin Graf and Carl Grundstrom are also in the mix for NHL jobs. To us, it seems like Regenda had a better camp than Grundstrom.

    What we think happens with Misa is that he breaks camp with the Sharks and plays nine games over the first four weeks. The Sharks, armed with more information, will then finalize a decision on whether to keep Misa and burn the first year of his entry-level deal, or return him to the OHL. The Sharks will know by then whether the NHL is the right spot for Misa this season.

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    Curtis Pashelka

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