Category: San Jose Sharks

NHL podcast with Len Shapiro: Let the showcasing begin; On display San Jose’s Celebrini and Will Smith; Pacioretty not giving up trying to make Leafs in tryout; plus more NHL news

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Macklin Celegrini of the San Jose Sharks (71) scored against the Utah Hockey Team in the third period in the prospect tournament game at the Toyota Sports Performance Center in El Segundo on Fri Sep 13, 2024 (Los Angeles Kings photo)

On the NHL podcast with Len Shapiro:

#1 No.1 NHL draft pick center Macklin Celebrini is expected to play a huge role in his rookie season. Celebrini will be joined by center Will Smith who was selected No.4 in the 2023 NHL draft.

#2 He’s not giving up the former Montreral Canadien superstar Max Pacioretty signed a professional tryout contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Pacioretty last played for the Washington Capitals in 47 games, scored four goals, 19 assists, and 23 points. Pacioretty is 35 years old is he at the end of the line or can he help the Leafs this season?

#3 21 years old Luke Hughes of the New Jersey Devils injured his left shoulder during off season training. Hughes will be out from six to eight weeks. Hughes will not need surgery. Hughes is New Jersey’s lead defenseman who has 49 points, ten goals and 39 assists last season.

#4 It was the first time ever that the Utah Hockey Team took the ice in their inaugural season during the prospects tournament game in El Segundo. For Utah to land an NHL team came under the most unusual circumstances as the Arizona Coyotes just couldn’t land a permanent arena after playing at Arizona State University and the Coyotes were forced to sell the team to Utah Hockey Team owner Ryan Smith. The Utah Hockey Team lost in that first game 3-2 to the Sharks.

#5 The New York Islanders Maxim Tsyplakov is out to make a strong impression. Tysplakov signed a one year deal as a free agent on May 16. Tsyplakov 25 has stood out amongst the rookies, free agents and players trying to make the team. “It’s clear that he’s a little more physically mature than a lot of guys out there,” said Rick Kowalsky, coach of Bridgeport, New York’s American Hockey League affiliate.

Len Shapiro does the NHL podcast Saturdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

First overall pick Macklin Celebrini officially signs with San Jose Sharks

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Photo courtesy of San Jose Sharks.

By Titus Wilkinson (@TitusWisme)

The Sharks made some big news today by announcing that they have officially signed first overall pick Macklin Celebrini to an entry-level contract.

With the signing the Sharks have made the decision for Celebrini to join the Sharks right away rather than having him spend another year playing at Boston University.

Before the signing there was some thought that he may return to college but after impressing Mike Grier and others he has decided to go pro.

“Macklin is not only a special player on the ice, but he is a poised, confident and intelligent young man off it,” said Grier (From San Jose Sharks).

Celebrini’s season at Boston University before he was drafted was extremely impressive as he put up 64 points in 38 games played. For his impressive play he was awarded the Hobey Baker Trophy as the best NCAA men’s hockey player.

The day before the Sharks officially announced Celebrini signing his ELC the Sharks held their annual prospect scrimmage. The event was held at Tech CU Arena and was the first time Sharks fans had the opportunity in person to watch Celebrini in action.

Not only is Celebrini making his debut next season, but so is Will Smith who went fourth overall in last year’s draft.

This offseason has certainly brought plenty of hope back to San Jose who now arguably has one of the best prospect pools in the NHL.

Sharks fans will have to wait till October 10th to see Celebrini play regular season hockey when the Sharks open their season against the St. Louis Blues.

Sharks Load Up on Defense in Rounds 2-7 of 2024 NHL Draft

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Igor Chernyshov, Dynamo Moscow (Photo by Maksim Konstantinov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks used nine picks in the 2024 NHL Draft at the Sphere in Las Vegas on June 28-29. After selecting center Macklin Celebrini and defenseman Sam Dickinson on Friday, the Sharks used seven more picks on Saturday. Among the prospects they selected were three defenseman, two goaltenders and two wingers.

With the first pick of the second round, the Sharks selected LW Igor Chernyshov. The 6’3” 204 lb 18 year old winger was born in Penza, Russia. He played for Dynamo Moscow of the KHL last season. In 34 games he had three goals and an assist.

With their second pick of the second round, the 53rd overall, the Sharks selected defensemen Leo Sahlin Wallenius. Born in Skövde, Sweden, Sahlin Wallenius played for the Växjö Lakers HC J20 last season. In 43 games, he scored 11 goals and 31 assists.

The Sharks had one pick in the third round, the 82nd overall. The Sharks traded with the New Jersey Devils to get this pick, moving up three spots. They used the pick to get RW Carson Wetsch. 17 year old from North Vancouver. Wetsch played for the Calgary Hitmen of the WHL last season, scoring 25 goals and 25 assists. He is also a cousin of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, though Wetsch’s style of play has not been compared to RNH.

The Sharks had one fourth round pick, 116 overall, and they used that on Swiss goaltender Christian Kirsch. Kirsch is listed as somewhere between 6’2” and 6’4”, depending on which prospect list you look at. On the NHL’s prospect rankings, he was 17th among international goaltenders.

In the fifth round, the Sharks had two picks. They used both for defensemen. At 131 overall, they chose Colton Roberts from the Vancouver Giants of the WHL. Listed at 6’4” and 204 lbs, one of his most notable skills is his skating., Roberts was ranked 36th among North American skaters in the NHL Prospect rankings, and some expected him to go in the second or third round.

At 143, the Sharks chose Nate Misskey from the Victoria Royals of the WHL. Passed over last season, Misskey is 19 years old. NHL.com said: “Misskey (6-3, 210) plays a physical style, offers great compete and knows how to find an open man with good passes. The 19-year-old right-handed shot is No. 89 on Central Scouting’s final ranking of North American skaters.” (2024 Draft: Prospects Passed Over in 2023)

The Sharks had one final pick, in the seventh round. At 194 overall, the Sharks selected Russian goaltender Yaroslav Korostelyov. Korostelyov was not listed in the NHL’s prospect rankings. He played for SKA St. Petersburg’s Junior team and is listed at 6’1”, 161 lbs.

NHL Draft/San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa: A huge celebration for Celebrini No.1 NHL draft pick joins Sharks

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Macklin Celebrini addresses the press at the Stanley Cup Finals at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise FL on Mon Jun 10, 2024 (AP News photo)

On the NHL Draft/San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa:

#1 What a way to kick off the off season with the San Jose Sharks selecting the No.1 pick in the 2024 NHL Draft out of Boston University Macklin Celebrini.

#2 The big question is will Celebrini finish at Boston College or will he turn pro in this upcoming 2024-25 season and skate with the Sharks.

#3 Mary, if you look at the job that last season’s No.1 pick Connor Bedard and what he did for the Chicago Blackhawks this is something that the Sharks would hope for do you see that as a strong possibility?

#4 After the Sharks dealt Erik Karlsson and Thomas Hertl, Celebrini is a player they look forward to build around.

#5 Mary, talk about the anticipation, the anxiousness, the announcement once it was made that Macklin Celebrini long anticipated No.1 draft pick and now the moment had arrived. What was that like for Celebrini to what it actually happened that he would be joining the Sharks for this 2024-25 season?

Mary Lisa is an NHL analyst for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sharks Select Celebrini 1st Overall in 2024 NHL Draft

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Macklin Celebrini, second from left, poses after being selected by San Jose Sharks during the first round of the NHL hockey draft Friday, June 28, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Steve Marcus)

By Mary Walsh

For the first time in their 33-year history, the San Jose Sharks held the first overall pick in the NHL Draft. On Friday, they used that pick to select Macklin Celebrini, 18 year old center from Boston University. That he would be selected first this year was widely expected. Joe Thornton announced the selection for the Sharks.

Celebrini is just the fourth freshman to win the Hobey Baker Award, and led the Canadian team in scoring in the World Junior Championships this year. The 6’, 197 lb center is reputed to be highly skilled at both ends of the rink.

After being selected, Celebrini said, of having his name called by Joe Thornton: “It’s super exciting he made the pick. Sharks legend and NHL legend, so that was real exciting.”

Celebrini played with the Junior Sharks, but was born in Vancouver, BC. His family came to the Bay Area after his father, Rick Celebrini, became the Director of Sports Medicine and Performance for the Golden State Warriors.

The Sharks also had the eleventh overall pick, acquired from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for the 14th and 42nd overall picks. The Sharks used this second first rounder to select defenseman Sam Dickinson from the OHL’s London Knights. The 18 year old, 6’3” defenseman had 18 goals and 52 assists in 68 games this season.

After being selected, Dickinson said that he did not really start out as a defenseman. “I started my career I guess as a goalie. I was cut from the same team three years in a row and they needed a back up goalie so I was there for that.” The general view of his skills as a defenseman have improved considerably since that time.

The Sharks and General Manager Mike Grier released the following statement after the first round:

“It’s a big weekend for the organization,” said Grier. “We’re really excited. Not only with Macklin (Celebrini), but with Sam (Dickinson) too. The potential to add a top pairing (defenseman) and a first-line center doesn’t come along too often in one draft. It’s a big moment for us and we’re really excited.”

The Sharks have seven more picks to use on Saturday.

Mary Walsh is covering the NHL Draft at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sharks part ways with head coach Quinn head trainer Tufts

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San Jose Sharks head coach David Quinn stands behind the bench during a game against the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh on Thu Mar 14, 2024. Quinn was fired by the Sharks on Wed Apr 24, 2024 (AP file photo)

By Mary Walsh

On Wednesday morning, the Sharks announced that Head Coach David Quinn and Head Athletic Trainer Ray Tufts would not be returning next season. In their press release, the Sharks said:

“After going through our end of the season process of internal meetings and evaluating where our team is at and where we want our group to go, we have made the difficult decision to make a change at the head coach position,” said Grier. “David is a good coach and an even better person. I would like to personally thank him for his hard work over these past two seasons. He and his staff did an admirable job under some difficult circumstances, and I sincerely appreciate how they handled the situation.”

The reasons for parting ways were not purely performance-related. That is evident from what Mike Grier said as recently as last Saturday at the end of season media availability:

“I think the staff up here did a good job communicating and motivating the players throughout the year. I don’t think they ever, you know, it would have been easy to just kind of throw your hands up and not put the effort in, to go through extra video sessions and talk with the players and try and get the players better. So I think they did a really good job with that kind of in this situation. I think it was something that was needed and that they should be proud of.”

On Saturday, Grier explained how the season was worse than he had expected, but did not put a finger on one specific problem, like coaching:

“Overall it was not what I expected, I’m sure what they expect in the room for various different reasons. I give the group credit, I told them they came in here, they were positive. They got along and the coaches deserve credit for that too., kind of keeping the guys on track, staying positive and motivating them. You know, you’ve seen situations, in not just hockey but all sports, where teams in this situation where it kind of goes off the rails and things get bad and you hear guys bickering and not getting along. But the guys came here and worked every day.”

Grier went so far as to say that this season was rock bottom:

“I hope so. If this isn’t I don’t know what is. I mean it was a difficult season. Like I kind of said earlier, it was worse than I expected coming into the season. I didn’t think we were a playoff team but I thought we’d be better than we were. From the start we had to the injuries everything just kind of snowballed. So yes I would hope this is rock bottom and we can kind of progress and take some steps forward next year.”

The Sharks also announced on Tuesday that long time Head Athletic Trainer Ray Tufts would not be returning:

“Ray spent more than two decades overseeing the care and well-being of our players,” said Grier. “We thank him for his service to the organization and our players and wish him and his family the best in the future.”

Mary Lisa is a San Jose Sharks beat writer for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sharks Lose Last Game of Season 5-1 to Flames

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The Calgary Flames forward Matthew Caronato (27) stops a shot by the San Jose Sharks goaltender Devin Cooley (1) at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary on Thu Apr 18, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks lost their final game of the season 5-1 to the Calgary Flames on Thursday. Adam Klapka, Blake Coleman, Oliver Kylington, Kevin Rooney and Mackenzie Weegar scored for the Flames. Dustin Wolf made 16 saves in the win. Fabian Zetterlund scored the lone Sharks goal. Devin Cooley made 18 saves for the Sharks before being pulled. Georgi Romanov made 14 saves in relief. The Sharks finished the season with a record of 19-55-9.

Mikael Granlund finished the season on a 13 game point streak. The game was also noteworthy for being the first to see two Bay Area born goaltenders start in an NHL game. After the game, Devin Cooley said, of playing against Wolf:

“I don’t know him personally, but I’ve been following him for a while, obviously, in the American League. He’s had a great career so far and it’s really awesome to see how far youth hockey has come in Northern California and in the Bay Area. It was really cool to be able to play against him tonight and I hope we continue to see more guys from the Bay Area make the NHL.”

Fabian Zetterlund played his 82nd game of the season, the only Shark to do so this season. Of this accomplishment, Zetterlund said: “I mean, obviously that’s nice, you know, I feel fresh every game. I try to stay in shape, ready to go every night. That was my goal before the season and, yeah, I made it.”

Sharks Head Coach David Quinn said, of the season’s final games:

“We’ve made a lot of changes, there’s a lot of new faces here. It’s tough to learn on the go, in a short period of time, what’s expected of you. You know, it’s just hard. But we’re not the only team that’s gone through it. As I’ve said repeatedly, we’re in a situation where we kind of understood that this was going to be a difficult year but we will be better for it moving forward.”

All of the Flames goals came in the first two periods, not unlike the Sharks loss on Monday. Adam Klapka scored his first NHL goal at 12:13 of the first period. His wrist shot through traffic gave Calgary the lead.

Blake Coleman made it 2-0, redirecting a shot from Connor Zary. The goal came at 14:40, just as a Flames power play expired. Assists went to Zary and Rasmus Andersson.

The Sharks were outshot 16-5 in the first period. Early in the second period, Givani Smith and Adam Klapka squared off for a fight. Klapka lost his balance in the fight and both retired to the penalty box.

Oliver Kylington made it 3-0 about a minute after the fight. Andrew Mangiapane acted as a screen for Kylington’s shot from above the faceoff circle. An assist went to Andrei Kuzmenko.

Kevin Rooney made it 4-0 at 5:59. His shot from the slot went through several Sharks defenders and into the far side of the net. Assists went to Martin Pospisil and Matt Coronato.

MacKenzie Weegar scored the Flames’ fifth goal of the night at 6:56, for a total of three goals scored in 3:03 of play. It was another shot through traffic that went by Cooley on the glove side. Assists went to Daniil Miromanov and Blake Coleman.

The Sharks pulled Cooley after that goal and put Georgi Romanov in net. Romanov stopped all the shots he faced for the remained of the game. The Sharks were outshot 13-6 in the second period and 8-6 in the third.

Fabian Zetterlund scored a power play goal in the final ten seconds of the game. He scored his 24th goal of the season with a wrist shot from the faceoff circle. Assists went to Mikael Granlund and Collin Graf.

Mary Lisa Walsh is a San Jose Sharks beat writer for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Oilers Rout Sharks 9-2, McDavid Earns 100th Point of Season

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The San Jose Sharks William Eklund (72) taking a shot that was blocked by the Edmonton Oilers Evan Bouchard (2) in the third period at Rogers Place in Edmonton on Mon Apr 16, 2024 (The Canadian Press via AP)

By Mary Walsh

Connor McDavid, Adam Henrique, Warren Foegele, Dylan Holloway, Corey Perry, Cody Ceci, Evan Bouchard scored for the Oilers. Stuart Skinner made 19 saves for the 9-2 win over the San Jose Sharks at Rogers Place in Edmonton. Connor McDavid earned his 100th assist of the season in the game, only the second Oiler and the fourth NHL player to do so.

Danil Gushchin and Fabian Zetterlund scored for the Sharks. Mikael Granlund extended his point streak to 12 games with an assist. Devin Cooley made 14 saves on 22 shots before being pulled in the second period. Georgi Romanov made 15 on 16 shots saves in his NHL debut.

For the third time this season, the Sharks allowed nine or more goals. After the game, Sharks Head Coach David Quinn said: “We never looked like we were really… thought we had a chance. That’s kinda what it felt like. We were slow, very slow in everything that we were doing. We were losing a lot of battles and it was a lot of hesitation in our game.”

Sharks defenseman Mario Ferraro said: “That was really what I thought went wrong today, is we maybe looked at the lineup on the other end and we played scared in the first period. And obviously it was a snowball effect.”

Sharks center Luke Kunin talked about the disappointing game and how the team let goaltender Devin Cooley down: “We didn’t help him out at all. With the odd-mans, how many looks he was getting, with the way that we started the game. You know, try to say a few things to him, obviously he’s a competitive guy as well, it wasn’t his fault by any means.”

Connor McDavid started the scoring just 53 seconds into the first period. McDavid carried the puck into the zone at speed and as he approached the goal line, he centered the puck for Zach Hyman. The pass did not get through. Instead, it hit Marc-Edouard Vlasic and went into the net. An assist went to Darnell Nurse.

Adam Henrique made it 2-0 at 4:01. Catching a Brett Kulak pass from the blue line, Henrique settled the puck down in traffic before lifting it over Cooley for the goal.

Warren Foegele added another at 10:40. Skating in two-on-one with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Foegele scored with a wrist shot from inside the faceoff circle. An assist went to Leon Draisaitl.

At this point, the Sharks still only had one shot on goal. By the end of the period, they had six shots ot the Oilers’ 10.

At 19:35, Dylan Holloway tipped in the fourth Oilers goal off a shot from Adam Henrique. Assists to Henrique and Nurse.

The Sharks got on the board at 1:58 of the second period. Danil Gushchin took a shot from the goal line that snuck between the Skinner and the post. An assist went to Thomas Bordeleau.

Less than three minutes later, Foegele scored his second of the night to make it 5-1. Foegele redirected a shot from Nugent-Hopkins. Cooley stopped that but the puck got away from him and Foegele followed up and poked the puck over the line. Assists went to Nugent-Hopkins and Draisaitl.

Corey Perry made it 6-1 near the midpoint of the period. Evan Bouchard went for the shot and Cooley came out to stop it. But the puck went past him and Perry was lurking by the other post to poke the puck in. Assists went to Bouchard and Holloway.

Cody Ceci made it 7-1 at 13:18. Trailing the play and then going ot the net, Ceci redirected a pass from Henrique. Assists went to Henrique and Hyman.

Evan Bouchard made it 8-1, just 31 seconds later. In a play almost exactly like the prior one, Corey Perry sent the puck across the ice for Bouchard to redirect past Cooley on the glove side. Assists went to Perry and Holloway.

The Sharks pulled Cooley after that one and put rookie Georgi Romanov in net.

A little less than a minute later, Zach Hyman scored to make it 9-1. In another two-on-one, Connor McDavid and Hyman skated in. McDavid a short pass for Hyman to nudge in. Assists went to McDavid and Nurse.

That was it for the Oilers. The Sharks scored one in the third period. Mikael Granlund carried the puck in two-on-one with Fabian Zetterlund. Granlund took a shot while skating through center ice. Skinner stopped that. William Eklund got a stick on it but it did not go in. The puck bounced around in the blue paint before Zetterlund got his stick on it and scored with a backhand shot. Assists went to Eklund and Granlund.

The Sharks will play their final game of the season at 6:00 PM PT on Thursday in Calgary against the Flames.

San Jose Sharks Lose Final Home Game Of The Season 6-2 To Minnesota Wild

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San Jose Sharks goaltender MacKenzie Blackwood (29) is laid out as the Minnesota Wild left winger Liam Ohgren (28) scores his first NHL goal in the second period at SAP Center in San Jose on Sat Apr 13, 2024 (AP News photo)

Saturday, April 13th, 2024

By Troy Ewers

SAN JOSE – Final home game of the season for the San Jose Sharks (19-52-9) and it’s a sold out night as the Sharks host the Minnesota Wild (38-33-9). The crowd for fan appreciation night anticipating on a Sharks win was in for a disappointment has the Wild landslided the Sharks 6-2 at SAP Center.

Game recap: In the first period the energy was high and that wasn’t just from the fans in the arena, it was with the teams too. Wild were on the board first, a rebound shot from Matt Boldy, his 28th of the season. 1-0 Wild. Sharks tied it up with a blue line slap shot from Jan Rutta. Granlund got his 45th assist this season with the apple to Rutta, 1-1. With three minutes left in the opening period, Minnesota took the lead after a laser wrist shot from Declan Chisolm, 2-1 Wild and at intermission the crowd was ready for more action.

Not much in the second period until the final six minutes. Liam Ohgren scored his first points of the season in a Wild sweater with a clean up rebound shot, 3-1 Minnesota. Mario Ferraro closed the gap with a one timer goal, 3-2 Wild still up. In the final minute Kirill Kaprizov scored two goals and the first one went off the skate of Mackenzie Blackwood, but the second one was a power play goal that wasn’t debatable. At the final intermission Wild lead 5-2. 

Third period the Wild put the nail in the coffin when Marcus Johansson scored his third goal in 29 games, 6-2 Wild. 

Game notes: Last game on Thursday the Sharks got a big 3-1 victory against the Kraken in Seattle. Devin Cooley made a career-high 49 saves, second-most by a Sharks goaltender this season and third-most by a NHL netminder in his first career road win since 1955-56. Luke Kunin (1g, 0a) netted his second goal in the past three games. Kyle Burroughs (1g, 0a) and Fabian Zetterlund (1g, 0a) each also lit the lamp in the win. Mikael Granlund (0g, 1a) became the first Sharks forward since 2015-16 to post a 10-game point streak. William Eklund (0g, 2a) tallied his sixth multi-point game of the season and Henry Thrun (0g, 2a) added his second multi-point effort in the past three games. It was the Sharks’ first-ever road win at Seattle. SJS Goals: Kunin (11), Burroughs (2), Zetterlund (22). 

Next game for the Sharks will be April 15th in Edmonton against the Oilers.

San Jose Sharks podcast with Troy Ewers: Cooley’s 49 saves keys Sharks in win in Seattle

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The San Jose Sharks goaltender Devin Cooley tries to reach for the loose puck as the Sharks defenseman Jon Rutta (84) and defenseman Mario Ferraro (38) look on in the third period at SAP Center in San Jose on Fri Apr 12, 2024 (AP News photo)

On the San Jose Sharks podcast with Troy Ewers:

#1 Troy, what an event, what trip to Seattle no one would have expected the San Jose Sharks (19-51-9) to come away with a win at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle against one of the Sharks toughest foes the Seattle Kraken (33-32-13) and yet the Sharks came away with a two goal in 3-1.

#2 Troy also the Sharks took advantage of the Kraken mistakes scoring twice 51 second apart and something like capitalizing on a team’s mistakes can help you win games.

#3 It was the Kraken’s last home game in Seattle for the regular season the Kraken had been playing .500 hockey winning five of their last ten games. The Sharks meanwhile had been struggling they have lost five of their last ten games.

#4 Troy the two goals in the third period were key for the Sharks and Cooley kept the Kraken out of the net. The Sharks got a rare road win and the last time the Sharks and Kraken met was back on Mon Apr 1st when the Kraken got a 4-2 win in San Jose.

#5 The Sharks face off against the Minnesota Wild (37-32-9) for a 7:30pm PDT here at SAP Center to close out the Sharks regular season. The Sharks would like nothing more than to close out the home season with a win at SAP Center.

Troy Ewers covered the 2023-24 San Jose Sharks for http://www.sportsradioservice.com