SAN JOSE — Collin Graf could have been born to play hockey. He definitely didn’t realize it on the time.
However lately, Graf is making headlines on the ice. Most not too long ago, the second-year Sharks ahead scored two objectives Thursday evening in a 5-3 loss to the Dallas Stars, notching the primary multi-goal sport of his profession.
Enjoying on San Jose’s prime line with Macklin Celebrini and rookie Igor Chernyshov, Graf completed off a cross from Celebrini within the crease and potted one other net-front cross from Chernyshov.
This season has been Graf’s NHL breakout. He caught on the Sharks’ roster out of coaching camp and has performed in 34 of 35 video games, accumulating 18 factors.
San Jose Sharks’ Collin Graf (51) celebrates his aim in opposition to the Dallas Stars within the second interval on the SAP Heart in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Space Information Group)
“He’s put in a lot of work,” Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky mentioned. “When he first came in, in the NHL, the pace is extremely high. So he went in after the summer, put a lot of work in last year to get the pace up. And now his details, his hockey sense is really what sticks out the most. He’s a smart individual. And now he’s added another layer to his game with the checking component.”
Graf, 23, grew up because the son of engineers Robert and Theresa in Lincoln, Massachusetts, and his preliminary foray onto the ice got here for a distinct cause.
“My mom just wanted me to learn how to skate,” Graf mentioned. “After which once I was skating, there have been hockey gamers on the opposite aspect of the ice, and I suppose I instructed my mother that I needed to do this.
“So then it took me like two years to get good enough at skating to become a hockey player. And ever since, I’ve been a hockey player.”
San Jose Sharks’ Igor Chernyshov (92) chats with San Jose Sharks’ Collin Graf (51) throughout their sport in opposition to the Calgary Flames within the third interval on the SAP Heart in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Space Information Group)
A hockey participant, however not one who was ticketed to be an expert from the start. Graf was undersized and undrafted popping out of juniors at 5-foot-8 and 145 kilos. He didn’t play for a Canadian main junior group or within the American junior leagues, as a substitute staying inside the Boston Bruins’ junior improvement program.
He signed with Union Faculty in 2021, scoring 11 objectives and 22 factors in his freshman season. Then he transferred to Quinnipiac, the place he led the Bobcats with 58 factors as they gained the nationwide championship.
He thought then about turning professional then however opted to return for yet another 12 months.
“I met with teams, and I definitely considered it,” Graf mentioned. “My linemates, we all ended up signing the next year. We talked about it, and we wanted to come back. We had a good group of guys. They’re my buddies. My best friends are still from college to this day. It was a great decision on my part, just in terms of getting bigger, stronger, becoming more mature as a human.”
San Jose Sharks ahead Collin Graf (51) shoots the puck whereas being defended by Utah Mammoth’s Mikhail Sergachev (98) through the first interval of their sport on Monday, Dec.1, 2025, in San Jose, Calif. (Aric Crabb/Bay Space Information Group)
Graf continued to develop his all-around sport and signed with San Jose after Quinnipiac’s season led to April 2024. He performed instantly, recording some extent in his second profession sport and ending with two in seven video games performed because the Sharks wrapped up the last-place season that landed them Celebrini with the No. 1 general choose.
The subsequent season wasn’t at all times glamorous for Graf. Although he joined Celebrini for 33 video games with the Sharks and compiled 11 factors, he spent many of the 12 months within the AHL with the Barracuda, placing up 35 factors in 40 video games.
It’s unsure how lengthy he’ll keep on the Sharks’ prime line this 12 months. Will Smith is due again earlier than lengthy from an upper-body harm, and Warsofsky mentioned he could shuffle San Jose’s strains earlier than Saturday’s sport in opposition to Seattle.
However after adjusting to the tempo of the sport, Graf has made sufficient headway that he’s shortly turning into part of the Sharks’ long-term plans.
Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Dennis Hildeby (35) makes a save as San Jose Sharks’ Collin Graf (51) appears for the rebound throughout second interval NHL hockey motion in Toronto on Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press by way of AP)
“He’s transformed his game from what he was in college,” Warsofsky mentioned. “He’s getting to the point where he’s accepting that more and more. There’s another level we continue to push and get to, but he’s done a really good job. He’s here late in the facility. You can tell he really wants it, and that’s an important piece of the whole thing.”
For Celebrini, who jumped into the NHL minted as a franchise star from the get-go, Graf’s intelligence is a separator that has emerged as he’s grinded his strategy to the best stage.
“He’s one of the smarter players on the ice, and he’s always in the right spot with a great stick,” Celebrini mentioned. “That’s why he’s been so great on our PK as well, his ability to disrupt plays and read plays before they happen. It helps when you’re playing with him and trying to create offense. He’s seeing the same things as I am.”
San Jose Sharks’ Collin Graf (51) celebrates his aim with San Jose Sharks’ William Eklund (72) and San Jose Sharks’ Macklin Celebrini (71) in opposition to the Boston Bruins within the third interval on the SAP Heart in San Jose, Calif., on Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Space Information Group)
It’s been a dream journey for Graf to achieve this level. He’s already blown his personal expectations out of the water.
“When I first went into college, I wasn’t thinking about the NHL or pro hockey,” Graf mentioned.
Now he has the most effective within the sport singing his praises.
“We’ve built a good relationship,” Celebrini mentioned. “The play speaks for itself. He’s just so smart and it’s easy to play off him because he’s always thinking two steps ahead.”
San Jose Sharks proper wing Collin Graf (51) shoots and scores the game-winning aim previous Minnesota Wild goaltender Filip Gustavsson (32) throughout time beyond regulation of an NHL hockey sport, Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Picture/Abbie Parr)
