The San Jose Sharks’ prospect pipeline is looking crowded at the top, and Scott Wheeler’s summer rankings make that pretty clear.
Wheeler slotted six Sharks prospects inside his top 100, and every one of them landed near the sharp end of the list. His eligibility rules cover players under 23 who are “not fully established with his NHL club,” which leaves Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith off the board. Even so, San Jose still has a heavy presence.
Ivar Stenberg leads the Sharks contingent at No. 2, trailing only Gavin McKenna. Michael Misa isn’t far behind at No. 4.
“Misa has been a name for a long time, and I fully expect that he, Stenberg, Macklin Celebrini and Will [Smith] will form a four-headed monster up front for the Sharks for the next decade,” Wheeler wrote.
The rest of San Jose’s group is stacked in the middle of the list: Keaton Verhoeff at No. 15, Sam Dickinson at No.
16, Ryan Lin at No. 25, and Igor Chernyshov at No. 32.
Joshua Ravensbergen also checked in near the top of Wheeler’s goaltender rankings, landing at No. 2 on the top-20 list.
There’s also fresh buzz around the Sharks’ young core on the ice. Misa and Dickinson are training with Celebrini in Vancouver, another sign that San Jose’s next wave is spending time together this summer.
Elsewhere around the organization, the Sharks revealed their new jersey numbers with a simple “New year, new numbers.”
The club’s home opener is also part of the broader league conversation, with one list circulating that tracks every team’s home openers. San Jose’s first opponent at home is the Florida Panthers, and that matchup is already drawing attention as people sketch out what Florida might look like on opening night.
Celebrini keeps popping up in other ways, too. He’s the cover athlete for NHL 27, and the game’s reveal showed the moment he saw the cover for the first time.
Around the Sharks’ wider orbit, there’s been a steady stream of news. PWHL San Jose named Uffe Lundberg and Jessica Turi as assistant coaches, and Brooke Bryant is coming home to PWHL San Jose.
There’s also been work on the future, with a projection of the Sharks’ 2026-27 starting lineup, plus interviews with Keaton Verhoeff and Leo Sahlin Wallenius. Jason Demers also broke down Sam Dickinson’s tape.
Around the league, Steve Yzerman is out as general manager of the Detroit Red Wings, Cole Perfetti signed with the Winnipeg Jets, and Chris Chelios said he has spoken to Patrick Kane and that Kane is truly deciding between Buffalo and Chicago.
In Other News...
Sharks Have A Real Fight Brewing For A Spot Next To Celebrini
The search for a winger to grow alongside Macklin Celebrini is starting to look like one of the more interesting battles in Sharks camp. Ivar Stenberg has put himself in the conversation with a strong run in the Swedish Hockey League, and the early read is that his game could translate quickly enough to put him right in the mix for a top-line job. Add in Chernyshov, who already showed he can handle meaningful NHL minutes next to Celebrini, and San Jose suddenly has more than one young option pressing for the same prized opening.
Collin Graf only adds to the squeeze. He has already shown he belongs in a top-nine role, but the Sharks roster picture is getting crowded enough that even a player with his track record may have to fight just to stay in the lane he has earned. For a team trying to build around Celebrini, it is a good problem to have, but it also means the next wave of decisions could say a lot about which young forwards are ready to stick and which ones are still waiting for their turn. [Read more 🡒]
Macklin Celebrini Could Force A Huge Sharks Decision Soon
Macklin Celebrini is getting close to the point where the Sharks have to start thinking beyond the entry-level phase and into the kind of contract that changes a franchises payroll. The 20-year-old has already become the center of San Joses long-term plans, and his next deal is expected to be discussed in the same breath as the teams broader effort to build a roster that can actually rise with him.
Celebrini has already signaled that he understands the balance involved: players want to be paid, but they also know a contender needs room to maneuver. For the Sharks, that makes his extension more than a routine box to check. It is one of those early decisions that can shape not just what Celebrini earns, but how much help San Jose can put around him in the years ahead. [Read more 🡒]