The San Jose Sharks are succeeding this season due to a number of factors, but one of the biggest has been the growth of their young forwards. Numerous forwards have either taken leaps or debuted to early success, proving they’ll be key pieces of the team for the rest of the season and likely for longer than that as well. With those players playing so well, the Sharks should focus on placing them on the same lines as often as possible. They’ll get a chance to develop chemistry and help grow each other’s games, all while setting a critical foundation for the future.
Sharks Getting Production From Youth
Thanks to Michael Misa’s participation in the World Juniors, the Sharks currently have five forwards with the team who are 23 years old or younger: Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith, Collin Graf, William Eklund and Igor Chernyshov.
Celebrini’s great season is obviously leading the way, but all five of them are making an impact. Smith made a huge leap offensively before suffering an injury that the Sharks hope he’ll come back from in a week or two. Graf is proving to be a strong offensive contributor and an elite penalty killer. Eklund’s scoring numbers have slightly declined, but he’s a steady and smart player who is making improvements on defense. Chernyshov is establishing himself just five games into his NHL career as a power forward willing to drive the net and create plays, already registering five points.
Their strong play is a huge part of why the Sharks are more excited than ever about their future, and the team is arguably ahead of schedule right now. This is a time to experiment with line combinations and see who might fit together for next season. The five aforementioned players have played well enough to be considered the core of the team for much longer than just this season, and could even be part of the top six. Right now, the coaching staff can get a sense of just how to arrange those lines.
Celebrini Can Help Fellow Young Players
While finding the specific line combinations will likely require some mixing and matching, one thing is clear: Celebrini should play with each of the other four at various points.
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He has already done so at various points — for long stretches with some of them, for short stretches with others — and has assisted all of them or scored off of their passes many times. He is so versatile and adaptable that he is capable of playing with tons of different forwards and elevating all of them. His intelligence and ability to create plays give his linemates great looks at the net, while his shooting ability boosts their assist numbers. Smith, Graf and Eklund have all seen their offense elevated by him this season and last, and he’s been involved in all four of Chernyshov’s career assists so far.
Playing alongside Celebrini has already boosted the careers of so many different players. As his teammates continue to grow their games, the Sharks can create a system that benefits all of them while simultaneously planning out lines that could be a part of the team for years to come.
Sharks’ Kid Lines May Have Growing Pains, and That’s Fine
Lines with relatively little experience will struggle in certain games. The Sharks’ youth lines will likely serve as the first and second lines in many games, and they’ll go up against lines that are stronger, more experienced and simply better. Sometimes, games will look like a recent contest against the Vegas Golden Knights, in which they got blown out almost immediately in a 7-2 loss. That’s a reality of playing a lot of young players, and one the Sharks will have to accept.
At least for now, it’s something they should be willing to deal with. All five forwards will be well-served by playing against other teams’ top players throughout the rest of the season, finding both successes and difficulties in doing so. In the long run, these matchups should strengthen their play and prepare them for tough tests like the ones they’ll face in the playoffs. Soon, the Sharks hope they’ll turn into veterans playing next to each other and aiming for championships.
