Trying to pin down the San Jose Sharks’ opening night roster in late July is a tricky exercise, but there’s already a pretty clear outline taking shape.
At center, the group starts with Macklin Celebrini, Michael Misa, Zack Ostapchuk, and Alex Wennberg. On the wings, the list runs deep: Igor Chernyshov, Ty Dellandrea, Adam Gaudette, Barclay Goodrow, Collin Graf, Mason Marchment, Kiefer Sherwood, Will Smith, 2026 No. 2 pick Ivar Stenberg, and Tyler Toffoli.
That gives the Sharks what looks like a strong 14-forward base to open the year. If that group stays intact, whether because of health or the absence of a trade, it’s going to be a steep climb for other Sharks forward prospects trying to force their way in.
The blue line also has a pretty defined shape. Sam Dickinson, Michael Kesselring, Darnell Nurse, Dmitry Orlov, and Jacob Trouba look like the clearest bets to be there on opening night.
Behind them, there’s a battle for the final spots. Nolan Allan, Luca Cagnoni, and Eric Pohlkamp are the names in the mix right now for two roster openings, while veteran Libor Hajek can’t be counted out.
In net, the expectation is a tandem of Yaroslav Askarov and Alex Nedeljkovic.
One of the more intriguing questions hanging over all of this is how the Sharks’ top line might look. The projection here is Chernyshov-Celebrini-Smith.
And Celebrini is still the headliner. The 20-year-old Hart Trophy candidate is coming off a season in which he dominated the NHL, Olympics, and World Championships, and the league is waiting to see what he does next.
For San Jose, though, the bigger issue is what comes behind him. Celebrini is the engine, but the Sharks still need another star up front to take shape around him.