Warsofsky Setting New Tone for Sharks With ‘Very Hard’ Training Camp

New San Jose Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky is setting a different tone in training camp.

“The first two days, you guys have seen it, it’s hard. It’s a very hard camp, probably the hardest two days of camp that I’ve had,” six-year NHL veteran Nico Sturm said on Friday.

It’s now been a week of training camp, and there hasn’t been much, if any let-up.

Hour-long practices, not a moment wasted, a Warsofsky mantra. Lots and lots of skating and small-area battles. Some of the finest athletes in the world, younger and older, bent over in exhaustion at the end of that hour, everyday.

The San Jose Sharks certainly aren’t easing their way into the season. And why should they?

San Jose has missed the playoffs for five straight seasons, bottoming out last year as the worst team in the NHL, the first time they’ve held that “distinction” since their 1991-92 expansion campaign.

So why not hit training camp running?

“[The first days of camp] were pretty tough, but that was the message coming into camp is that we’re going to be a competitive team this year,” 11-year NHL veteran Cody Ceci said on Saturday. “We’re trying to take a step forward from last year, and that’s a good way to do it, is just to come and compete everyday against each other, and so we’re not too shocked when it comes to the season.”

The San Jose Sharks have stumbled out of the gate in back-to-back campaigns, and Warsofsky has been a first-hand witness to it, as an assistant coach on David Quinn’s staff.

In 2022-23, the Sharks were down 0-5-0 to begin the year. In 2023-24, San Jose was basically out of the playoffs by Halloween after a 0-10-1 start.

But for Warsofsky, it’s not just about October and how the Sharks kick off their season. It’s about a much-needed culture shock for the entire organization.

“There’s some ruins from the years before that we have to break and kind of correct and fix and move forward with some foundational winning habits. And that’s why we keep pushing,” Warsofsky said. “To get this organization going in the right direction and to get respect back from other teams and the National Hockey League, that’s the bottom line.”