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Pre-Season Preview/Lines #5: Graf Forcing His Way Onto Sharks’ Opening Night Roster

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4 months ago

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Credit: Derek Bahn

Collin Graf is forcing his way back…into the San Jose Sharks locker room?

Because of the size of the training camp roster, Graf has been dressing with the non-NHL Sharks players, like Michael Misa and Sam Dickinson, who haven’t sewn up an opening night roster spot yet.

But Graf, who’s got 40 NHL games on his resume, is playing more like a veteran than a rookie in camp. He’s on track to break camp with the Sharks.

This is significant, considering the 23-year-old is still waiver-exempt. The 6-foot-1 winger is probably going to push a vet out from the 23-man opening night roster.

San Jose Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky reported that Graf has excelled in camp, and he’s backed that up by keeping Graf on NHL-caliber lines this fall.

“You could arguably say he’s definitely elevated himself among those [roster bubble] guys,” Warsofsky said. “Has picked up our penalty kill, which we obviously need some guys to step up in that role. He understands what it takes to do that. That’s where he’s going to start, it’ll be a guy probably first over the boards on our penalty kill.”

Graf had five goals and 11 points in 33 games with the San Jose Sharks last year. He was also a San Jose Barracuda star, putting up eight goals and 35 points in just 40 AHL appearances.

“We believe there’s more offense. He showed it in college,” Warsofsky said of Graf, signed out of Quinnipiac as a sought-after college free agent in Apr. 2024. “It’s coming.”

But it’s the details of Graf’s game that’s making him feel like a lock for the Oct. 9 season opener.

“From a coach’s standpoint, the trust, that’s what kept him here last year,” Warsofsky said. “This trust, at the end of the day, we’re going to put the guys that we trust the most on the ice, and I’d say Graffer is right up there with all of them.”

That’s truly meaningful praise from an NHL head coach, especially for a young forward.

That said, Graf has a lot to improve, and it’s not just about the offense.

“There’s times where he can track [defensively] a little bit more,” Warsofsky said.

This will help Graf match up defensively one day against the opposition’s top lines, which the San Jose Sharks hope is his ceiling. Could Graf become a playoff-caliber two-way middle-six winger?

Graf has already gotten better this off-season, looking faster.

“I do feel a little bit quicker. It’s also just me putting a focus on skating faster. Not trying to slow the game down all the time, trying to drive play, and just move more,” Graf said. “I’m staying in motion. If you are already moving, it’s easier to get to top speed a little bit faster.”

Graf and Warsofsky also believe that he’s gotten stronger along the boards, a make-or-break area for a winger’s future in the NHL.

“I’ve been winning a good amount of battles, I’d say, all over the ice, just keeping pucks alive, stuff like that,” Graf said. “Trying to have a good stick and basically create more time for our team with the puck.”

“The board play is gonna be big, right? If we’re gonna play him late in games, got to win pucks in the walls. He’s gotta make the next play,” Warsofsky said. “He’s come a long way from when we signed him, that’s for sure.”

It’s not a long way for Graf to become a bona fide NHL player. First step this season, break camp with the San Jose Sharks.

“I think I’ve made a good case for myself,” Graf said.

San Jose Sharks (1-3-0)

Alex Nedeljkovic will start.

Vegas Golden Knights (3-3-0)

Where To Watch

Puck drop between the San Jose Sharks and Vegas Golden Knights at 7 PM PT at T-Mobile Arena. Watch it live on San Jose Sharks digital platforms. Listen to it on the Sharks Audio Network.

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