Sheng Peng
The San Jose Sharks are hoping to introduce a number of rookies to their NHL roster.
An early step for that are the scrimmages during the first three days of training camp.
While these scrimmages aren’t quite NHL-caliber in terms of physicality, they do have more of the speed of the best league in the world, since Sharks and Barracuda veterans both participate.
So what did I think of Michael Misa, Sam Dickinson, and Quentin Musty?
San Jose Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky also shared his thoughts.
Michael Misa
Typically, when you think about an 18-year-old in the NHL, it’s a player who’s overwhelmed by its physicality and speed.
Not so with Misa…so far.
“He doesn’t look overwhelmed in practices. He looks comfortable with the puck,” Warsofsky said. “He’s paying attention in the meetings, and his attention to detail is really good.”
The 2025 San Jose Sharks’ No. 2 pick has impressed in the scrimmages, consistently breaking down defenses in the offensive zone.
The highlight was his assist, in traffic, on a William Eklund goal on Friday, but generally, Misa’s pace has been up to par with the scrimmages.
How will Misa handle the pace another level up, in pre-season games?
“He’s probably surprised me the most, as far as first-year training camp in the National Hockey League. It can be deer in the headlights. The bright lights are on, the big boys are out there, and the pace is high, and he doesn’t really look out of place right now,” Warsofsky said.
Misa hasn’t been mistake-free, case in point, forcing an ill-advised backhand pass through the neutral zone, after a forechecker took away his forehand option, but he’s made a lot more good plays than bad, and Warsofsky says he’s learning fast.
“He’s somewhere in a [Macklin Celebrini] sense, you tell him something once, and he gets it,” Warsofsky said.
Based on these scrimmages, Misa is on track to break camp with the San Jose Sharks and be a legitimate contributor this year.
Sam Dickinson
Dickinson’s offense, while tantalizing, isn’t carrying him to an everyday NHL job just yet.
“Sam, it’s going to be defending without the puck,” Warsofsky said, when asked how Dickinson sticks with the San Jose Sharks this year.
6-foot-4 Dickinson, 215 pounds, clearly has NHL-size and skating, but there are subtleties to playing defense beyond those enviable elements.
For Warsofsky, the Sharks’ 2024 No. 11 pick is still very much learning the art of defending.
“We’re working with him, obviously, with the one-on-one’s and his stick positioning, not wrapping his stick around for penalties,” Warsofsky said. “He hasn’t had to do that very much in London. Now he’s going to defend.”
The defensive potential is clear, his skating and reach responsible for multiple zone denials.
But beyond one-on-one defending, I still wonder about Dickinson’s decision-making. On Thursday, he tried to jump in front of an entry pass, but missed, losing his man, turning a 2-on-2 in front of him into a 2-on-1 behind him.
Based on these scrimmages, and not just this one play…defense is not easy to learn, on the job, in the best league in the world.
Quentin Musty
Credit to Musty, who looks like a brand-new player this fall.
“He’s probably one of the most improved players that we’ve had from year one to year two, as far as prospects-wise,” sophomore head coach Warsofsky said.
Last year, Musty impressed in development camp and Rookie Faceoff, but was clearly overwhelmed by the pace in training camp.
This year?
“He looks like a man on a mission,” Warsofsky said. “His pace, he’s starting to figure out he has to play with pace. You have to get going, you have to read the play. You have to be engaged mentally and physically from the start.”
Last year, it felt like the 2023 San Jose Sharks’ first-round pick was pressing to create offense.
“That’s not just Quentin, it’s a lot of the young players, they put a lot of pressure on themselves to produce and stick out and make an impact,” Warsofsky said. “We’re throwing a lot of information at them, so they’re making some mistakes within the system, then they beat themselves up over it. So you got to get over that hump.”
Musty actually hasn’t created a ton of offense in the scrimmages, but he’s played simple, pro-style hockey. Offensively, he’s consistently completed the next play, and he’s also been a forechecking menace.
“His play away from the puck is night and day from last year,” Warsofsky said. “He’s doing the things that the coaches have asked him to do. He’s doing it consistently. It’s not just a little flash on the radar on one day. We’ve put three days together.”
You know the offense will come for the skilled 6-foot-2 winger. But if Musty can become an all-around player, that’s going to make him far more valuable.
Ultimately, the Sharks roster might be too crowded for Musty this fall, but the 20-year-old could be on the fast track now to the NHL.