William Espy
Collin Graf has impressed more than the San Jose Sharks organization.
Of course, it starts with the Sharks, who signed the 22-year-old winger out of Quinnipiac, after a gaudy 49 points in just 34 games in 2023-24.
On Tuesday, the Sharks recalled Graf from the San Jose Barracuda for the first time this season.
Graf has enjoyed a tremendous beginning to his first full pro season, after a cup of coffee in the NHL last year. At 26 points, he’s tied for the AHL rookie scoring lead with the Texas Stars’ Justin Hryckowian.
But it’s not just about scoring for Graf, as Barracuda head coach John McCarthy made clear to Josh Frojelin of San Jose Hockey Now in San Diego on Wednesday. NHL scouts around the league, outside of the Sharks organization, have also taken notice, at least a couple of them.
First, however, let’s talk about the offense.
“I think the biggest thing for me was just making plays faster, like the speed that the game is played at. I think that really helped me last spring, [and] has helped me a lot in the start of this year down in the Barracuda,” Graf said on Tuesday afternoon. “I think that I’ve been successful because of it.”
“He’s a smart player. I think he sees the ice really well. He’s found some chemistry with Poturalski and they’ve been able to have some success that’s showing up on the scoresheet,” McCarthy said.
AHL veteran Andrew Poturalski leads the Cuda with 30 points.
“Graf has been pretty consistent this year in my viewings,” Scout #1 told SJHN. “Don’t see a high ceiling, but like his skill and compete.”
That’s not a scout insulting Graf, that’s a scout being realistic. NHL history has been littered with forwards who could score at the junior, NCAA, and even AHL levels, but couldn’t translate it to the best league in the world.
“Consistent” and “compete” are not just buzzwords, those are the keys for Graf to carve out an NHL career.
That’s what caught McCarthy’s eye more than the offense.
“What’s more impressive is…his tenacity, his penalty killing, things like that. Tools that he’s added to his toolbelt that make him more recallable,” McCarthy said. “He’s been one of our most engaged guys, night in and night out. Showing up in the identity areas: Puck battles, tracks, playing hard.”
“I actually talked to my college coach about it. I was like, ‘Why didn’t you choose me on the PK?'” Graf joked. “He’s like, ‘Yeah, I probably should have,’ but that’s been one big thing where I’ve tried to add things to my game. I think that that’s been probably the biggest add is going from no PK to [killing penalties] a lot with the Barracuda.”
“He’s skating a lot more,” San Jose Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky said of his viewings of Graf. “More than when he came in end of [last] year.”
Graf posted two assists in seven NHL games last year.
“Those kind of short debuts that guys make after college, they’re always kind of tough because they’re coming off a full college season. They’re coming into a team, learning a whole new system. It’s oftentimes not a great sample size to judge somebody’s whole game off of,” McCarthy said. “I think he had a good summer.”
In October, Collin Graf said he gained about 10 pounds in the off-season.
Graf said on Tuesday that he could feel those gains in strength and quickness so far this season.
“That’s what I’ve seen so far,” McCarthy said. “He put on some strength and has found a way to kind of navigate that physicality. Get inside, using his leverage, winning pucks.”
Physically and mentally, McCarthy isn’t surprised that Graf has found instant pro success: “I think he has the right approach. I think he’s coachable. I think he’s an intelligent player. Uses his brain. He’s one of the guys that we tell him to do something once, and he does it. It doesn’t take three, four times for him to realize it. I think he adjusted well to the way we do things around here, and it shows.”
So what’s next for Graf?
Immediately “is to force our hand, and when he plays, he makes us want to keep him here,” per Warsofsky.
Graf could be an option for his Sharks’ season debut on Thursday against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Long-term?
“[Has to find] his identity as a National Hockey League player, which takes time for some players,” Warsofsky said.
“He just needs some experience. He just needs to keep playing professional games against bigger, stronger players,” McCarthy said. “And keep honing in on the penalty kill, that skill-set. Basically keep doing what he’s doing, just need a little bit more of it.”
Scout #1 said: “Can see him having a chance in a third-line [NHL] role.”
Scout #2 wasn’t as enamored, calling Graf “a very good offensive minor leaguer — nothing more.”
Scout #3 says that Graf has stood out as a “solid prospect” and has a future in the middle-six of an NHL line-up.