SAN JOSE – Middle Michael Misa and defenseman Sam Dickinson have been naturally each elated to be on the San Jose Sharks’ roster to start the common season.
Now it’s a matter of after they’ll make their NHL debuts, and in the event that they stick round all yr, how usually will they play?
Misa, 18, and Dickinson, 19, every came upon they’d cracked the Sharks’ season-opening 23-man roster on Monday and went via their first practices as NHL gamers on Tuesday. Nonetheless, there isn’t a assure they’ll play towards the Vegas Golden Knights in Thursday’s season-opener, which begins a three-game homestand.
Dickinson was on the fourth protection pair Tuesday with Vincent Desharnais, and Misa was omitted of the Sharks’ preliminary line rushes. The Sharks had Macklin Celebrini, Alexander Wennberg, Ty Dellandrea, and Adam Gaudette as their 4 facilities in Thursday’s follow, with Misa later changing Gaudette on the fourth line that had wingers Barclay Goodrow and Ryan Reaves, a line Misa wouldn’t be with in a recreation.
Sometimes, such patterns point out who attire for the following recreation, however Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky cautioned to not learn an excessive amount of into Tuesday’s follow.
“Just kind of getting some different looks at some guys,” Warsofsky mentioned.
No matter occurs, arriving at this level has been a thrill for each teenage prospects.
From the second he was chosen No. 2 total at June’s NHL Draft in Los Angeles, Misa, a Memorial Cup champion in 2024 and the CHL’s main scorer final season, mentioned he was targeted on taking part in within the NHL this fall and never serious about going to the NCAA like different first-round picks in his draft class.
“That was always the plan,” Misa mentioned inside his new locker stall at Sharks Ice in San Jose, “to sign here and try and make the team right away.”
Misa excelled on the Rookie Faceoff final month in Anaheim, and though he didn’t have some extent in 4 preseason video games, he had good moments, Warsofsky mentioned. Dickinson had two assists in 5 preseason video games, sometimes logging massive minutes because the Sharks’ teaching employees felt he confirmed super progress from his draft yr till now.
“I was trying to get into as many pro habits as I could last year, doing the right things on the ice,” mentioned Dickinson, who was drafted eleventh total by the Sharks final yr. “Obviously, there are a lot of things to feel out and understand what’s going to work here compared to what worked before. But I think I’ve done a pretty good job sort of going with the flow, just learning by trial, learning by practice.”
With the Sharks not anticipated to make a critical run at a playoff spot this season, persevering with to develop their high younger gamers should be amongst their high priorities. Figuring out the perfect method for Misa and Dickinson, who is probably not within the lineup each evening, is a piece in progress.
“There’s no magic stamp. There’s no magic button,” Warsofsky mentioned of each gamers’ growth.
“We as an organization have a good idea of how we want to do things. We’ve seen it from the Collin Grafs and the (Shakir) Mukhamadullins. We’re starting to develop some players, but I think every player is on a different plan.”
The Sharks additionally had two youngsters make the staff as first-year professionals final season in Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith, who have been each placed on growth plans by the Sharks after every performed one full season within the NCAA. Misa and Dickinson come from the Ontario Hockey League, the place they usually performed roughly twice as many video games as the everyday school participant does.
“I think they’re on (slightly) different plans,” Warsofsky mentioned of Misa and Dickinson in comparison with Celebrini and Smith. “But we’ve learned a lot from going through that with two 18- and 19-year-olds, and we have a good idea of how we want to approach it. But we’re going to take it day by day. We really are.”
The Sharks can ship Misa and/or Dickinson again to the OHL at any time this season, and if they continue to be within the NHL, there’s an opportunity each will likely be launched to play on the IIHF World Junior Championship in Minnesota in December. In the event that they play 10 or extra NHL video games, their entry-level contracts will start.
“It’s hard to (say exactly), ‘Hey, they’ve got to do this to stay,’” Warsofsky mentioned. “They’re each putting a lot of work into it, a lot of video, a lot of one-on-one meetings, a lot of work on ice, a lot of work off the ice, in the gym. So we’ll take it day by day, and when they get in there and they show that they’re ready to rock, then we’ll keep them in there and they’ll keep going. But we’ll just (start) with practice (Wednesday) and see how it shakes out.”
CAPTAIN ANNOUNCEMENT COMING
Warsofsky mentioned the Sharks will announce their management group earlier than Thursday’s season opener, however wouldn’t affirm if the staff would have a captain this yr.
The Sharks have some candidates for the captain position, notably Tyler Toffoli and heart Macklin Celebrini. Toffoli is coming into his 14th NHL season, his second with the Sharks, and is signed via the 2027-28 season. Celebrini, 19, is coming into his second NHL season and figures to be a cornerstone of the Sharks franchise for years to come back.
Logan Couture served because the Sharks’ captain from 2019 to 2025 however introduced in April that his taking part in days have been over as a result of a persistent groin/pelvic space harm. With Couture unavailable to play final season, the Sharks had a number of alternate captains, together with Mario Ferraro, Toffoli, Luke Kunin, Barclay Goodrow, and Mikael Granlund. After Kunin and Granlund have been traded, Alexander Wennberg was named an alternate.
ROSTER NOTES
The Sharks positioned Couture and defenseman Ryan Ellis on injured reserve. They designated ahead Egor Afanasyev, defensemen Lucas Carlsson and Jack Thompson, and goalie Carey Worth as injured non-roster gamers.
Thompson and Afanasyev have been each injured in Friday’s preseason recreation towards the Golden Knights and are thought-about day-to-day with lower-body accidents, Warsofsky mentioned. Except the Sharks create room for them on their roster, Afanasyev and Thompson might want to go on waivers as soon as they’re wholesome.
Worth, acquired final month from the Montreal Canadiens, and Ellis, acquired from the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday, are additionally not anticipated to play once more.
Initially Revealed: October 7, 2025 at 5:19 PM PDT
