The San Jose Sharks’ preseason is now well underway. We’ve seen almost the full first week of training camp and two preseason games, one against the Vegas Golden Knights and the other against the Anaheim Ducks. With all of that already in the books, let’s take a deep dive into what we learned over the past week.
Big Opportunities
Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky certainly can’t be accused of setting players up to fail when it comes to those fighting for a roster spot. In the first game against the Golden Knights, Collin Graf was given a prime opportunity on the first line alongside William Eklund and Mikael Granlund to start the night, while Sam Dickinson and Jack Thompson were paired with Cody Ceci and Mario Ferraro respectively.
The new head coach was giving all of his young players an opportunity to shine next to players who will certainly be on the opening night roster, it was on the individuals to make the most of their chance. The man of the hour, Macklin Celebrini, started on the second line alongside Klim Kostin and Tyler Toffoli. Interestingly, three players who are currently fighting to try to make the opening night roster were all together on the fourth line as it consisted of Givani Smith, Lucas Vanroboys, and Ethan Cardwell.
Related: Get to Know San Jose Sharks Prospect Ethan Cardwell
In the game against the Ducks, Warsofsky had a vastly different lineup but continued giving players every opportunity to succeed. The only players who returned from the first game were Toffoli and Thompson. The second game was a bit more veteran-laden when it came to the lineup; the top lines consisted mainly of players who were almost certainly going to be in the NHL, but their roles were unknown. Carl Grundstrom was alongside Alexander Wennberg and Toffoli, while the second line had Barclay Goodrow with Will Smith and Fabian Zetterlund. Filip Bystedt and Danil Gushchin were with Luke Kunin on the third line, the main rookie-centric line of the night.
Despite being on the third line, Gushchin made an instant impact in that game. He scored the contest’s opening goal to give the Sharks a lead less than halfway through the first period.
Third Period Celebrini
Celebrini does the little things right all game, but it’s the third period when he’s truly made a difference since joining the Sharks. Whether it was at development camp, when his team was trailing late and he brought them back into it, his single Rookie Faceoff appearance, or in the Vegas game, he plays at his best in the third period. When time is running out, he puts his team on his back and dominates. He recorded two points in less than two minutes to bring the Sharks back into what seemed to be a guaranteed loss. If he enjoys the pressure this much in exhibition games, imagine what he’ll be able to do in the future when the Sharks get back to the postseason.
Standing Up for the Stars
We all know how skilled Celebrini is, and he certainly showed that in his first outing at the SAP Center. With that being said, he also presents a different challenge for his opponents as well. Throughout the game, Givani Smith, Kostin, and others showed that there are going to be consequences for going after the Sharks’ newest star. When Kaedan Korczak hit Celebrini hard in the first period, Kostin came over and immediately returned the favor. Meanwhile, Smith took the number and when he and Korczak were on the ice together, he went straight after him trying to force the 23-year-old defenseman into a fight. Ultimately, Korczak refused to drop the gloves, which likely added even more frustration for Smith. Even though it was only the first game of the preseason, the message was sent loud and clear, stay away from Celebrini or face the consequences.
The exact same message was sent when Jansen Harkins cross-checked Will Smith in the game against the Ducks. The cross-check resulted in a massive scrum as the Sharks weren’t going to let anyone get away with a cheap shot on their young stars.
New Additions Shining
We’ve already talked a bit about Toffoli’s performance in the first two preseason games, and he’s certainly made an impact right out of the gate, but he’s not the only one. In the game against the Ducks, we got to see what Wennberg and Jake Walman brought to the table as well, and they looked great. Wennberg scored the second goal of the game, which isn’t a sight we’ll likely see too often this season considering he’s more revered for his playmaking ability, but he is going to be a major upgrade for the Sharks down the middle. Walman recorded an assist on both Gushchin and Wennberg’s goals.
Special Teams Starting Hot
Against Vegas, the Sharks power play went 2/4 while their penalty kill was able to shut down the Golden Knights, killing off all five penalties. Celebrini was a key part of the reason that the power play was so successful, as it seemed like the game plan was to run play through him as much as possible. With an almost entirely different lineup for the second game against the Ducks, the Sharks’ proficiency on the penalty kill definitely faded, but the power play remained one of their strengths as they scored twice with the man advantage.
Vanecek Looks Solid
Despite only playing the first half of the second game, I did like what I saw from Vitek Vanecek. There aren’t many expectations for him heading into the season, however, he’s going to have to impress if he’s going to get another contract when his current deal expires this coming summer. So far though, he’s off to a great start. He made some big saves, seemed calm under pressure and appears to be fully healthy. As a result, he and Mackenzie Blackwood should have quite a battle for the starting job this season.
No Surprises in First Cuts
The Sharks made their first round of cuts to the training camp roster following the game against Vegas, and there weren’t many surprises. The biggest name was Aaron Dell, but there wasn’t room for him considering the amount of goaltenders already in the system. On defense, Gannon Laroque was an interesting name as I expected him to make it a bit longer into camp before being reassigned to the Barracuda, but the end result is ultimately the same regardless of when it happened.
Carriere to the ECHL?
Gabriel Carriere struggled to say the very least against the Ducks. He allowed three goals on 11 shots in the second period after taking over for Vanecek halfway through the period. He played one game for the Barracuda last season and struggled in that outing as well. What I’ve seen from him so far makes me believe he’s not quite ready for the American Hockey League (AHL), especially considering the Sharks will have Yaroslav Askarov and Georgi Romanov with the Barracuda as well. As a result, I’d expect Carriere to start the season with the Wichita Thunder of the ECHL to get a bit more seasoning before he steps up to the AHL full-time.
Overall, it was an eventful first week around the Sharks’ training camp. Things will undoubtedly get more chaotic as we get closer to the season and more difficult decisions need to be made. Despite losing both of their preseason matchups so far, the Sharks already seem like a much more cohesive group than we saw at any point last season, and we haven’t seen lineups that will be even close to what takes the ice on opening night.
