Sharks 2026 Preseason Recap

 The Sharks' slate of preseason games this year is complete, and I am greatly looking forward to the start of the regular season for this team. Before we jump into meaningful games next week, let's recap the four preseason games the Sharks played in this year here: 

Game 1 (9/20/26): Sharks lose to the Anaheim Ducks 6-2. This was largely due to the Sharks trotting out a lineup consisting of mostly AHL-level prospects and the Ducks rolling out a lineup with more established veteran players. Eric Pohlkamp scored the first goal of the game for the Sharks, but it was mostly Ducks from there. Jackson LaCombe and Leo Carlsson scored the first two Ducks goals in the first period. Jimmy Huntington scored the second Sharks goal of the contest in the second period, while the Ducks responded with three consecutive goals from Beckett Sennecke and an additional goal from Tristan Luneau. Besides Pohlkamp and Huntington scoring the only two Sharks goals of this game, Ethan Cardwell and Brett Lawson each recorded an assist for San Jose as well. Eric Comrie recorded 14 saves on 16 shots against, while Matt Davis recorded 12 saves on 16 shots against for Team Teal. 

Game 2 (9/22/26): Sharks lose to the Vegas Golden Knights 2-1 in a shootout. Michael Misa opened the scoring with a power play goal early in the third period, assisted by Ivar Stenberg and Michael Misa. The Golden Knights responded a few minutes later on a goal from Alexander Holtz to even the game at one. Ivar Stenberg scored a fantastic goal in the shootout, but two successful attempts in the skills competition by the Golden Knights from Matyas Sapovaliv and Braeden Bowman won this contest for Vegas. Yaroslav Askarov was outstanding in the crease, compiling 22 saves on 23 shots against. 

Game 3 (9/24/26): Sharks shut out and completely blow out the Ducks 10-0 on home ice. Unlike the first preseason match between these two clubs in Anaheim, the Sharks had more of their veteran players in their lineup against a mostly AHL-heavy Ducks lineup. Half of the goals scored in this game occurred in the first period via Mason Marchment, Ivar Stenberg, Igor Chernyshov twice, and Michael Misa. San Jose added two more goals in the second period via Stenberg and Marchment's second goals of the game, followed by three in the third period from Brett Leason, Ivar Stenberg to complete his hat trick, and Filip Bystedt. Alex Nedeljkovic stopped all 21 shots he faced. This complete team effort from the Sharks felt amazing after they had dropped their first two preseason contests of the year.  

Game 4 (9/26/26): Sharks defeat the Golden Knights 4-2 in Vegas in their preseason finale. Dmitry Orlov, Macklin Celebrini, Mason Marchment, and Michael Misa each scored a goal, specifically went top shelf, for the Sharks in this one. On the other hand, Tomas Hertl and Nic Dowd scored the only two goals for the Knights. Yaroslav Askarov was outstanding, recording 28 saves on 30 shots against. 

In all, I enjoyed the fact that the preseason was shortened to two games this year due to the new CBA, and the Sharks' NHL-level talent is more than ready to take the next step towards returning to the playoffs. I especially liked how Ivar Stenberg performed this preseason, and it was amazing to see Macklin Celebrini earn the Sharks' captaincy ahead of the new season. In addition, the Sharks have practically confirmed this morning that Luca Cagnoni and Nolan Allan made the Sharks' opening night roster as their sixth and seventh defensemen respectively after reassigning Eric Pohlkamp to the Barracuda. The only unexpected Sharks roster addition for opening night following this preseason appears to be Brett Leason, simply because Adam Gaudette is currently day-to-day with an injury and is questionable to play on Thursday. Since these preseason games do not matter all that much, I cannot complain that the Sharks went 2-2 in this stretch of games this past week. Next up, the Sharks open their 2026-27 regular season at home against the Florida Panthers on Thursday at 7 pm PT, and it will be interesting to see what other roster moves are made before then. Until then, stay tuned for my personal experience post from Thursday's Sharks season opener coming later this week. 

Sources: Sharks Audio Network, NHL App, Curtis Pashelka via X, San Jose Hockey Now

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Sharks Name Macklin Celebrini Their Next Captain

 It's official: Macklin Celebrini has been named the Sharks' new captain ahead of their final preseason game of the year and the start of the 2026-27 regular season. This latest announcement makes Macklin the 11th full-time, 14th overall, and youngest captain in Sharks franchise history. 

Celebrini was initially presented with the captaincy in a video released by the Sharks in which Joe Thornton walks into the team film room to give Macklin his jersey with a C on it. Macklin was surrounded by his teammates, head coach Ryan Warsofsky, and GM Mike Grier in this video as well. On top of that, the Sharks confirmed this announcement in a press conference this afternoon. 

Overall, this was well-deserved, just a matter of time, and an absolute no-brainer for Macklin Celebrini to become the next captain of the San Jose Sharks. He is the Sharks' heart, soul, and face of the franchise, and took a major leap forward last season to lead his team in goals, assists, and points by a longshot. He is the ultimate competitor and already performing like a top-five player in the NHL. Macklin has also demonstrated leadership qualities that make him very mature for his age. I and all other Sharks fans knew that this announcement was coming sooner or later, and we are thrilled that it became official before the start of this coming regular season. 

In addition, the Sharks completely demolished the Anaheim Ducks 10-0 at home last night in their third preseason game of the year, and they travel to Vegas to face the Golden Knights in their fourth and final preseason game this year tomorrow night. A full recap of the Sharks' four preseason games this year will be presented in the next post coming within the next few days. 

Sources: San Jose Sharks via Instagram 

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Sharks, Head Coach Ryan Warsofsky Agree to Multiyear Contract Extension

 The Sharks announced today that they have signed head coach Ryan Warsofsky to a multiyear contract extension. Specifics on this deal were not disclosed by the team. 

Over the course of the past two seasons as Sharks head coach, Warsofsky has amassed a 20-50-12 record. Despite the losing record so far, Ryan Warsofsky has helped the Sharks make significant strides in climbing out of their rebuild, and he has been successful in nearly every level of hockey he has been a head coach in. 

In other news, two notable Sharks prospects in Cam Lund and Quentin Musty have been sidelined with injuries to start training camp. Two veteran players who skated for the Sharks last season in John Klingberg and Ryan Reaves also recently announced their retirement from the NHL. 

Overall, it is great that the Sharks and Ryan Warsofsky were able to work out this contract extension at the start of training camp. Until proven otherwise, I am a firm believer that Warsofsky is the coach that can lead the Sharks back to the playoffs and potentially a Stanley Cup. 

Sources: Sharks + SAP Center App, Curtis Pashelka via X 

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Predicting Some Sharks Player & Team Stats for the 2026-27 Season

 The return of hockey is just around the corner, with training camps opening later this week and preseason games beginning this weekend. This means that we are back with another Sharks prediction post for next season here on CPF Hockey. My latest one dives into some Sharks player and team stat predictions for the 2026-27 season, specifically goal, assist, and point totals for skaters, goalie save percentages and goals-against averages, and where I see the Sharks finishing in the standings and in terms of points at season's end. These latest predictions are based on how the team and many of the players fared last season and my realistic expectations for them heading into the new season. Only my predictions for this upcoming season will be listed here for this post. Without further ado, let's begin: 

Macklin Celebrini: 50 goals, 72 assists, 122 points 

Will Smith: 32 goals, 40 assists, 72 points 

Ivar Stenberg: 21 goals, 22 assists, 43 points 

Michael Misa: 24 goals, 25 assists, 49 points 

Mason Marchment: 22 goals, 28 assists, 50 points 

Igor Chernyshov: 19 goals, 18 assists, 37 points 

Alexander Wennberg: 15 goals, 32 assists, 47 points 

Kiefer Sherwood: 26 goals, 16 assists, 42 points 

Collin Graf: 24 goals, 27 assists, 51 points 

Tyler Toffoli: 18 goals, 23 assists, 41 points 

Zack Ostapchuk: 7 goals, 5 assists, 12 points 

Barclay Goodrow: 4 goals, 6 assists, 10 points 

Adam Gaudette: 12 goals, 6 assists, 18 points 

Ty Dellandrea: 4 goals, 5 assists, 9 points 

Darnell Nurse: 9 goals, 19 assists, 28 points 

Jacob Trouba: 8 goals, 20 assists, 28 points 

Sam Dickinson: 6 goals, 16 assists, 22 points 

Dmitry Orlov: 4 goals, 23 assists, 27 points 

Michael Kesselring: 10 goals, 20 assists, 30 points 

Nolan Allan: 2 goals, 3 assists, 5 points 

Luca Cagnoni: 5 goals, 11 assists, 16 points 

Yaroslav Askarov: .902 SV%, 2.78 GAA 

Alex Nedeljkovic: .898 SV%, 2.91 GAA 

San Jose Sharks: 94 points, 3rd in Pacific Division behind Edmonton Oilers and Vegas Golden Knights respectively 

In other news, the Sharks' rookie faceoff exhibition tournament took place last weekend, and Team Teal went undefeated in their two games they played in on Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday, the Sharks dominated the LA Kings by a score of 8-1. Leading the way for the Sharks in their first game of this year's rookie faceoff was Carson Wetsch with two goals and two assists, Ivar Stenberg with two goals, Andre Gasseau with two goals and an assist, and Pavel Martinu with a goal. There were several fights in this contest as well, most notably Alexander Karmanov easily manhandling a Kings player that was at least a foot shorter than him. On Sunday, the Sharks defeated the Utah Mammoth 3-1 in their second and final game of the weekend, with their primary highlight being Jake Gustafson with two goals. Lastly, the Sharks announced a new helmet sponsor for their home uniforms starting this season, that being Silicon Valley-based fintech company Aven. 

Source: Curtis Pashelka via X 

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Predicting the Sharks' 2026-27 Opening Night Roster

 The return of Sharks hockey is just around the corner, starting with the rookie faceoff showcase this weekend. Before it all officially gets underway, I want to give my predictions on what the Sharks' opening night roster will look like to start the 2026-27 season. These are based on how many of the returning players have performed last season, the additions the Sharks have made this offseason, and where I see each roster player fitting in the lineup. There will certainly be plenty of competition for the limited number of roster spots available, and I expect many of the players listed below to be locks to make the opening night roster, with a few spots still up for grabs. Without further ado, presenting how I see the Sharks' opening night roster for this coming season playing out:

 

Forwards: 

Mason Marchment - Macklin Celebrini - Will Smith 

Igor Chernyshov - Michael Misa - Ivar Stenberg 

Tyler Toffoli - Alexander Wennberg - Kiefer Sherwood 

Barclay Goodrow - Zack Ostapchuk - Collin Graf

Defense: 

Darnell Nurse - Jacob Trouba 

Sam Dickinson - Michael Kesselring 

Luca Cagnoni - Dmitry Orlov 

Goaltending: 

Yaroslav Askarov 

Alex Nedeljkovic 

Extras: 

Adam Gaudette 

Ty Dellandrea 

Nolan Allan 

On a side note, prospects I can see potentially getting called up to the Sharks from the Barracuda at some point during the next season include Filip Bystedt, Quentin Musty, Cam Lund, Ethan Cardwell, and Eric Pohlkamp. Lastly, I would not be surprised if these opening night roster predictions are at least 90 percent accurate in about three weeks' time. Let me know if you would make any changes to my Sharks opening night roster predictions and what they would be in the comments. 

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Sharks Sign Ilya Samsonov to One-Year, Two-Way Contract

 With just over a week to go before the start of training camp, the Sharks announced that they have signed goaltender Ilya Samsonov to a one-year, two-way contract worth $850k at the NHL level and $225k in the minors. Samsonov is now the fourth goalie with NHL experience currently in the Sharks organization. 

Last season, Samsonov appeared in 14 games with HK Sochi in the KHL, recording a 3.27 goals-against average, a .903 save percentage, and one shutout. In terms of his NHL experience, Samsonov has a 118-48-25 record, 2.77 goals-against average, .902 save percentage, and 15 shutouts in 200 regular season games across six seasons with the Washington Capitals, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Vegas Golden Knights. His best NHL season to date came in 2022-23 with the Maple Leafs, in which he posted 27 wins, a 2.33 GAA, .919 SV%, and four shutouts. He also has 22 games of Stanley Cup Playoff experience under his belt, recording a 3.05 GAA and .901 SV% in those contests. 

Overall, this latest addition creates more competition among the goalie depth within the Sharks organization heading into training camp. Like with Eric Comrie, I expect Ilya Samsonov to spend most of next season in the AHL with the Barracuda. Hope all goes well with Ilya Samsonov's return to the NHL going forward. Stay tuned for my Sharks 2026-27 opening night roster prediction post coming soon. 

Sources: Sharks + SAP Center App, Curtis Pashelka via X, PuckPedia 

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