After missing out on the Stanley Cup playoffs for the 7th year in a row, the San Jose Sharks needed a change. Their first proposal was instating Macklin Celebrini as captain, who, at the age of 20, became the youngest captain in Sharks’ history.
Celebrini finished fourth in the NHL in scoring last season (his second in the NHL), with 115 points achieved in 82 games. He greatly outscored the rest of his teammates, with Will Smith on 59 points being the next highest scorer on the team. The Sharks clearly revolve around Celebrini, with new signings being brought in to build a stronger team to support him.
The Sharks have a plethora of young talent on the team, with seven players under 22 years old, and an average age of 26 and a half. They currently have the number one pick in the 2024 draft, and the number two picks in both the 2025 and 2026 drafts. While some of the younger players on the team may require a couple of seasons to get settled in the NHL, we’ve already seen talent manifest itself in preseason games.
On 25 September, the Sharks beat the Anaheim Ducks 10-0 with Ivar Stenberg accumulating 3 goals and 1 assist. Stenberg, despite being the youngest player on the team, played like a veteran, predicting plays and slowing the game down, showcasing his talent.
The downfall of the Sharks last season was their defence, which ranked 30th out of 32 teams in the NHL, as they let in an average of 3 and a half goals per game. Hopefully new signings Darnell Nurse and Jacob Trouba can fill the gaps in their defence. Nurse previously played in multiple Stanley Cup finals, offering useful experience should the Sharks proceed to the playoffs this season.
Celebrini had five assists in the Sharks’ first two games, resulting in overtime wins against the Florida Panthers and Los Angeles Kings. However, he received an injury and missed the match against the Dallas Stars, which, despite 13 shots on goal, ended in a 5-0 loss. Celebrini’s centrality to the team cannot be understated, but if they want a shot at playoffs, they can’t be so reliant on one player.
The question remains as to whether they are still in their development phase or if they’re ready to challenge for the Stanley Cup, but there are high expectations for the Sharks this year.
“San Jose Sharks vs. New York Islanders – December 10, 2013” by Dougtone is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
