Sharks Locker Room: After Triumphant Summer, Real Work Begins for San Jose

The San Jose Sharks still have a long way to go.

Even with Macklin Celebrini leading the way, which he did with a goal and an assist tonight.

I think we all know that, but the 4-2 preseason-opening loss to the Vegas Golden Knights is a good reminder of it.

We’re talking both short and long-term.

Immediately, the Sharks’ objective of cutting down the defensive breakdowns — their -150 Goal Differential last year was the worst since the 1993-94 Ottawa Senators’ -196 — well, that didn’t happen. Golden Knights were left in front by themselves. They had breakaways.

“The first two periods we didn’t play fast enough and kill enough plays,” newly-minted alternate captain Tyler Toffoli said. “It’s one of those things we were talking about early in camp was trying to kill plays and move the puck quick.”

In the first two periods, the Sharks were outshot 21-10, which felt pretty familiar.

Long-term, top San Jose Sharks prospects Celebrini, Luca Cagnoni, Quentin Musty, Sam Dickinson, Ethan Cardwell, and Collin Graf dressed, all showing real promise but also some of their inexperience.

Even 2024 first-overall pick Celebrini, who lived up to his billing with a power play goal, a spectacular assist, and a solid defensive effort, still has a lot to work on.

“Did some really good things, obviously, with the puck,” new San Jose Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky said of his teen phenom. “Some things he needs to work on defensively without the puck and the speed of the game.”

All this might sound harsh, considering it’s just the first preseason game.

But after a summer of highs for the Sharks — getting the No. 1 pick, signing Toffoli and Will Smith, trading for Yaroslav Askarov, dominating Rookie Faceoff — the real work begins.

After the game, Celebrini talked about his SAP Center debut and how his teammates stood up for him, Cagnoni discussed his adjustment to pro hockey, and Toffoli gave us the behind the scenes of that highlight-reel pass from Celebrini.

Warsofsky, in his first post-game availability, spoke on how Celebrini, Musty, Cagnoni, Dickinson, and Graf could improve.

Macklin Celebrini

Celebrini, on the hard hit by Kaeden Korczak, then Klim Kostin and Givani Smith standing up for him:

Those hits are gonna happen. Didn’t really hurt. So I didn’t really think much of it, it’s part of hockey. It’s just the game.

Yeah, we have a really good group in here, those guys. They’re amazing people, and I appreciate what they did. It just shows how tight our group is.

Celebrini, on the SAP Center crowd:

Yeah, it was amazing. It wasn’t sold out, but it was definitely loud and you could hear the fans that were in the building. So that was cool to hear.

Celebrini, on Cagnoni:

Just watching him, he’s a very good skater. He’s an amazing player. What he’s done in the Rookie Faceoff, and then here and tonight, you can tell the skill he has and the hockey IQ he has, it’s off the charts. It’s been fun to play with him.

Luca Cagnoni

Cagnoni, on the difference between the WHL and here, and what he can improve:

It’s like another notch. It’s kind of from juniors to the American League. It’s just like another speed, got to get used to more [physicality].

I thought I could maybe close quicker. Still working my D-zone and stuff.

It’s always a challenge, putting [the opposition] up in the glass. I’m just trying to cut guys hands off, trying to separate the puck from their stick. I’ve been getting pretty good at that. And then just keeping them away from the net.

Tyler Toffoli

Toffoli, on how the San Jose Sharks can build off this loss:

The first two periods we didn’t play fast enough and kill enough plays. It’s one of those things we were talking about early in camp was trying to kill plays and move the puck quick. Third period, we did a really good job of that, played a lot more desperate.

Toffoli, on Celebrini:

You saw this evening, tonight, the things that he can do, not only scoring goals and the pass that he made to me, but I thought he did a really good job of staying low in the D-zone and being really responsible. It’s only one game, but he’s been great throughout camp so far.

Toffoli, on the Celebrini pass on his goal:

We kind of talked about it, maybe before that power play, maybe before the other one, and it was just really good execution. I thought the power play, in general, we were moving it really well.

Ryan Warsofsky

Warsofsky, on Celebrini’s game:

He was good. Did some really good things, obviously, with the puck. Some things he needs to work on defensively without the puck and the speed of the game for him. But obviously, he scores a big goal, gets us momentum, and did some really good things offensively, for sure.

If you want to be a really, really good player, superstar playing this league, those guys do those things. You look across the NHL, there’s those types of players. I think he’s on his way to being one of those guys, but obviously he has some things to work on.

Warsofsky, on how Givani Smith stood up for Celebrini after the Korczak hit:

We’re gonna stick up for each other. That’s gonna be a big thing for us. We’re gonna be a team. We’re gonna stick up for each other…I like what Givani did, for sure.

Warsofsky, on Cagnoni and Sam Dickinson:

To play in this league as a young defensemen, it’s very difficult. It just takes time. You can see him and Dickinson. They had their struggles at times, just the speed of the game. This is new for them.

There’s moments where you think you’re in a good position, and a blink of an eye, there’s a 2-on-1, 3-on-2, and you got to make a quick read. It’s no fault of their own

I thought Cags and Dickinson had some really good moments, and some moments they gotta learn from.

Warsofsky, on Quentin Musty’s performance:

Thought his third period was the best period I’ve seen him play. It’s just a pace. It’s the same thing as a defenseman. It’s a fast, up-tempo style this game is played at right now, and he needs to get used to that again. When he has a puck on his stick, he can make things happen. It’s when he doesn’t have a puck on his stick.