Ivar Stenberg hasn’t needed much time to make his case in San Jose.
The Sharks’ second overall pick from the last NHL Draft has already turned heads in camp and preseason, and his name now sits on the Opening Night roster. Stenberg’s preseason included a hat trick in a 10-0 win over the Anaheim Ducks, and he finished second on the team in preseason scoring.
That production has put him in line to open the season on the Sharks’ second line with Alex Wennberg and Collin Graf. If that alignment holds, San Jose would have a top-two pick from each of the last three NHL Drafts spread across its top three lines, with Macklin Celebrini centering the first line and Michael Misa handling the third.
On Monday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, host Tyler Yaremchuk and former NHL goaltender Carter Hutton talked through Stenberg’s start with J.D. Young of Locked on Sharks, and Young said the rookie has looked ready for the jump.
“Another new name added to the mix is Ivar Stenberg. How’s he looked in camp; what have been your early impressions of the second overall pick from this last year’s draft?”
“He looks ready to go. He was second on the team in preseason scoring.
I know it’s preseason, grain of salt, etc. He had a hat trick earlier this season.
He has looked every bit the part, and the Sharks have kind of split him between Michael Misa at times, and then they’ve also put him with Alex Wennberg. I really like the Wennberg pairing, to be honest, especially early on in the season here.
Wennberg, you know exactly what you’re getting from him night in, night out… With Stenberg, I think it gives him a very solid center to kind of lean on here as he kind of wades through the beginning part of this season. We saw last year, Wennberg was at his best when he was paired with William Eklund, a playmaking, play-driving winger.
Of course the Sharks trade Eklund to Ottawa this off-season, and here comes Ivar Stenberg who’s a playmaking, play-driving winger who can do a lot of the same things, and I think it’s going to put Stenberg in a position to succeed before he either jumps up and is playing with Misa… or eventually plays with Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith.”
The Sharks are clearly giving Stenberg a real opportunity right away, and he’s already taken advantage of it.
In Other News...
Sharks Opening Night Could Hinge On Two Tough Lineup Calls
Training camp projections have given the Sharks a clearer picture of what their opening-night lineup might look like, and a few of the pieces already appear fairly settled. Up front, Mason Marchment is expected to fit into a prominent role alongside the teams young core, with Macklin Celebrini still at the center of almost every meaningful forward discussion. On the blue line, the shape of the group is also starting to take form, with Darnell Nurse giving San Jose a different look in a unit that is still sorting out chemistry and usage.
The real uncertainty is in the spots that are hardest to earn and easiest to lose, where preseason performance and coaching preference can carry extra weight. San Joses decisions in goal and on defense could end up shaping the way the first month of the season looks, especially with a young roster and several players still trying to lock down everyday jobs. For now, the Sharks have enough established names to sketch a lineup, but not enough clarity to make every call feel straightforward. [Read more 🡒]
Sharks No Longer Have The Luxury Of Just Being Promising
The Sharks spent last season earning a measure of respect, even if the standings never fully rewarded it. After showing real promise and still coming up short of the playoffs, San Jose now finds itself in a different kind of conversation, one that is less about patience and more about when the progress has to start turning into results. Some analysts are already looking ahead to the 2026-27 season and viewing the team as a possible playoff contender.
Macklin Celebrini gives that projection a face, and a newly formal one at that, as the center of the organizations next push. Around him, the offense has become a real talking point, with Ivar Stenberg, Michael Misa and Will Smith all mentioned as reasons the Sharks can no longer be treated like a team that is simply interesting on paper. The promise is still there, but now the larger question is whether San Jose can turn it into something more durable before the window of optimism starts to feel overdue. [Read more 🡒]
Sharks Interest In Connor Hellebuyck Raises A Bigger Goalie Question
The Sharks goalie picture has become a little more complicated as NHL Network insiders and other reports say San Jose has at least shown interest in Winnipeg Jets star Connor Hellebuyck. For now, the discussions sound very preliminary, more like a club doing due diligence than anything close to a finished deal, but it is the kind of search that tells you where the organization is trying to push its rebuild.
Yaroslav Askarov is still part of the equation, which makes this more than a simple upgrade chase for San Jose. Winnipeg is not expected to part with Hellebuyck lightly, and any real conversation would likely require a major return, so the Sharks are left weighing whether a swing at an elite veteran fits their timeline or just complicates the future they are trying to build. [Read more 🡒]