The San Jose Sharks have made a series of additions and promotions across their hockey operations department, including the hiring of an emergency backup goalie and three new staff members with experience in video, equipment, scouting, and performance work.
Eric Pinsky, who previously served as the Barracuda’s video coach and manager of hockey operations, has been promoted to assistant video coach with the Sharks. Josh Woodard is moving up as well after handling equipment duties for the Barracuda last season; he’s now the Sharks’ equipment manager.
The organization also brought in two amateur scouts. Cameron Burt joins after working as a player development coach and mentor with Total Package Hockey Academy, which describes itself as “an academy-style, focused environment where dedicated student-athletes Study, Train and Play to their greatest potential.” Tyler Holske arrives with nearly a decade of experience in amateur and collegiate hockey and is currently the general manager and head coach of the South Shore Kings in the USPHL.
Scott Greenberg is the club’s new head physical therapist, working under Director of High Performance Mike Potenza. Greenberg brings more than 25 years in the field and has worked with professional, Olympics, and collegiate athletes.
The Sharks’ new emergency backup goalie is Nathan Airey, who spent the last three seasons at the University of Minnesota. Airey appeared in 35 total games there, finishing with a .893 save percentage and a 2.86 GAA while going 16-11-3 in his career.
The EBUG move comes as the NHL is set to require every team to employ a full-time traveling emergency back-up goalie beginning in the 2026-27 season.
Elsewhere around the Sharks, Macklin Celebrini has explained how his record-setting contract came together, the team is slated to appear on national television more often, and Will Smith will live with Celebrini this season. Celebrini and Smith also took batting practice together before a San Francisco Giants game.
There’s been some buzz beyond the organization, too. Anthony Di Marco floated the Sharks as a dark horse destination for Connor Hellebuyck, writing, “I haven't heard them as a landing spot but, on paper, it would make sense.
They have Askarov (who wasn't good last yr) but Hellebuyck would catapult them to a top team in the Pacific. @DailyFaceoff”
The Barracuda have also filled the openings left by the promotions, and NHL Network reportedly considered naming Celebrini the league’s best center.
Around the league, Cale Makar has overtaken Celebrini as the NHL’s highest-paid player, Connor Hellebuyck has publicly requested a trade after privately requesting one for “several” months, and the Pittsburgh Penguins are rumored to trade Erik Karlsson. The Panthers are expected to get heavy national broadcast coverage this season, Mikhail Yegorov has launched his own goalie analytics platform, and there are questions about Alexander Command’s long-term fit with the Devils. The Islanders have a new Navy Lighthouse design, Brady Tkachuk said Toronto fans deliver the loudest boos, and an Arizona State University hockey player collapsed during a “military style” workout.
In Other News...
Will Smith And Macklin Celebrini Gave Sharks Fans A Fun Preview
Before the Giants took the field, Sharks prospects Will Smith and Macklin Celebrini spent part of batting practice giving Bay Area fans something extra to talk about. The two young players took cuts before a San Francisco home game and handled themselves like natural entertainers, with Smith drawing on his well-known baseball background and both players reacting with the kind of excitement that made the scene feel bigger than a routine pregame warmup.
For San Jose, it was the sort of cross-sport cameo that plays well with a fan base eager to see what the next wave might look like. Social media helped turn the moment into a mini event, and the reactions from Smith and Celebrini only added to the buzz around two players already carrying plenty of attention. The swing session left just enough unresolved curiosity to make people wonder how far each of them can keep taking these little moments. [Read more 🡒]
Sharks Rebuild Could Turn Fast If Mike Grier Makes This Bet
Connor Hellebuycks name has quickly slipped into the kind of conversation that can change a rebuild in a hurry. The Winnipeg goalie, long considered the backbone of his team, has now publicly asked for a trade, and that has naturally put clubs with ambition on alert. For the Sharks, who have already started spending on new pieces and are trying to accelerate their way out of the basement, this is the sort of star-level opening that tests how aggressive Mike Grier really wants to be.
Grier has made clear he is open to adding major talent if it makes the roster better, which is why the idea of chasing a goaltender of Hellebuycks caliber has real intrigue. San Joses interest is not hard to understand, but any serious pursuit would come with hard choices and plenty of moving parts, from the cost of acquisition to the cap gymnastics that often shape these kinds of swings. The Sharks are at the point where a bold move could speed up the timeline, and the question is whether this is the one Grier decides is worth the price. [Read more 🡒]
Sharks Face A Risky Connor Hellebuyck Debate They Can't Ignore
Connor Hellebuyck is the sort of goaltender who can change a franchises timeline, and that is exactly why he has become such a complicated fit for the Sharks to consider. Winnipegs veteran has built an elite regular-season reputation and carries the kind of profile that would instantly raise San Joses ceiling, but any conversation around him has to account for his age and the long-term commitment that would come with adding him to the roster.
The harder part for the Sharks is what such a move would mean for their own crease and their broader rebuilding plan. Yaroslav Askarov is still viewed as a key piece of the future, so the price of chasing Hellebuyck would not be limited to cap space or contract terms. It comes down to whether San Jose believes it is close enough to contend for a Stanley Cup to justify making a bold swing now, even if the payoff is anything but certain. [Read more 🡒]