Collin Graf has already made the kind of case that teams hope they find in an undrafted college player - and the Sharks didn’t have to give up anything to get him.
At 24, the San Jose forward has settled in as a solid two-way, middle-six winger with the size and skill to stick in the NHL. That matters even more because his path to this point wasn’t supposed to look like this.
He signed an entry-level contract as a sought-after undrafted prospect, the sort of player who draws interest but usually doesn’t turn into much at this level. Graf has spent the last few years proving that plenty of NHL general managers, including the ones in San Jose, missed on him in 2021 and 2022.
Graf’s breakout came in 2025-26, when he made the Sharks out of camp and carved out a permanent spot in the middle six. While other young players such as Igor Chernyshov and more experienced names like Adam Gaudette, Ty Dellandrea and Ryan Reaves were fighting for ice time, Graf was quickly written into the lineup.
The coaching staff trusted him in pressure moments, and that showed most clearly on the penalty kill. Among Sharks forwards, he logged the most penalty-kill time last season, ahead of Alex Wennberg and Barclay Goodrow.
When the game got tense, he was one of the players the Sharks turned to.
The production followed. Graf played 81 games and put together his first 20-goal season, finishing with 46 points on 21 goals and 25 assists.
What stands out first is how well he sees the ice. Graf processes the game quickly, knows where his teammates are going, and reads where opponents are likely to be before the play fully develops. That kind of awareness lets him make plays that less skilled players simply can’t pull off.
That same brainpower shows up in his own end. He uses his stick effectively to disrupt passes and gets his body in the way to shut down chances. It’s what makes him such a useful two-way winger.
For head coach Ryan Warsofsky and his staff, Graf is the kind of all-purpose piece that coaches love. He’s not just a penalty-kill specialist, either. He can create offense, and that has made him an important part of the Sharks’ lineup.
The next step is consistency. His game was rounded out last season, so the question now is whether he can hold his place as younger players continue pushing for those same roster spots.
That uncertainty is part of the NHL’s reality. Graf looks like the type of player contenders want when they’re trying to go deep, but careers don’t always move in a straight line. Fewer than 1,850 players have ever appeared in more than 500 games, and only 425 have reached 1,000.
For now, though, the Sharks have him locked in. Graf signed a three-year contract worth $4.25 million per season, and the deal runs through the 2028-29 season. After that, he’ll still be under San Jose’s control as a restricted free agent, giving the team the right of first refusal whether it wants to trade him for assets or bring him back on a new deal.
In the meantime, his role should keep growing. He’s expected to stay in the lineup, remain in the middle six and continue as a fixture on the penalty kill.
A spot on the top power play does not look likely, especially with Ivar Stenberg, Igor Chernyshov, Michael Misa, Luca Cagnoni and Sam Dickinson developing. Still, seeing Graf on the second-unit power play says plenty about where the Sharks are headed as a group.
Graf is listed as a forward, stands 6-foot-1, weighs 190 pounds, shoots right and was born on September 21, 2002. He was undrafted and is slated to be with Quinnipiac University for 2026-27.
He also checked in at No. 7 in the 2026 Top 25 Under 25 countdown, behind Yaroslav Askarov, Keaton Verhoeff, Ryan Lin, Luca Cagnoni, Joshua Ravensbergen and Eric Pohlkamp, and ahead of Quentin Musty, Filip Bystedt, Zack Ostapchuk and the rest of the list. Honorable mentions included Joey Muldowney, Teddy Mutryn, Andre Gasseau, Brady Knowling and Alexander Karmanov.
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Sharks Already Face Early Pressure With A Few Lineup Calls
The Sharks 3-2-0 start has given the early schedule a little breathing room, but it has not erased the sort of lineup questions that tend to surface quickly on a young team. Goaltending is already part of the discussion, with Yaroslav Askarovs play drawing concern and Alex Nedeljkovic looking like a candidate for a larger share of the net while the staff sorts out what it wants from the position.
There are similar decisions up and down the lineup, from how Misa, Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith are being deployed to what San Jose wants from its fourth line. Kiefer Sherwood, Zack Ostapchuk, Barclay Goodrow, Ty Dellandrea and Adam Gaudette all factor into that conversation, and the early mix suggests the Sharks may not wait long to keep adjusting ice time and combinations until the right fit shows up. [Read more 🡒]