San Jose Hockey Now Podcast

This week on the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast, we discuss all the standouts from San Jose’s dominant performance at the Rookie Faceoff tournament this past weekend. How did the likes of Quentin Musty, Macklin Celebrini, Luca Cagnoni and Will Smith fare against other teams’ top prospects? Find out this week! (06:20)

But before all that, we have some news! There’s a new host at NBC for Sharks pre- and post games, longtime Sharks fan Alan Hoshida. (02:55)

We talked about the defense first, then the forwards for this week’s rookie faceoff: 

Defenseman:

-Luca Cagnoni (06:20)

-Sam Dickinson (20:35)

- Artem Guryev  (25:35)

- Braden Hache (26:45)

- Gannon Laroque and Valtteri Pulli (31:00)

Forwards:

-Nolan Burke (37:07)

-Ethan Cardwell (40:40)

-Macklin Celebrini (47:35)

-Collin Graf (54:02)

-Kasper Halttunen (56:35)

-Quentin Musty (1:02:45)

-Will Smith (1:16:15)

-Carson Wetsch (1:23:35)

It’s been an exciting summer for the San Jose Sharks!

So it’s a good time for a pre-preseason subscriber’s mailbag!

Thank you so much for subscribing! Go here if you haven’t subscribed yet!

Ken Fischer: Now that Brodie Brazil is out at NBC, who are we going to get stuck with for Pre and Post-Game? (3:16)

James R: Any recent chatter about Joe Pavelski joining the San Jose Sharks’ front office or coaching staff in some capacity? (6:15)

Rothgar: What is Shakir Mukhamadullin’s preferred nickname?

Flying Frenchman: Can you talk about the phases of a rebuild and where the Sharks are? (12:28)

Bring Back Celebrini: Since Grier has taken over, he appears to have changed over about 60 percent of the organizational depth chart. Have you seen any other NHL club go through such a dramatic change in such a short period of time, and if so, how long did it take for those clubs to climb back into contention? (20:15)

Chris Boucher: How do the Sharks get into the position where they’re contending for a playoff spot by the 2025-26 season? (33:36)

Joshua: Who do you see as a realistic target for the Sharks to pursue or what position do you see them building upon? (39:50)

SJShorky: Do you think Mike Grier makes some big purchases or acquisitions next summer?

Matt Harrison: Who are some potential free agents or trade targets that you think may be on Grier’s radar in the next 1-3 years?

Stephen Akerson: How do you each view the balance between tanking and establishing a winning culture these next few seasons? I find it tempting to keep chasing top-five picks, but obviously that has to change at some point. (55:38)

Mark Bonham: Which top prospects are most likely to be on the opening night roster? (1:06:41)

Lizbeth DeSelm: Not really a question, but a vision that is both exciting and terrifying. I can’t help but look at the Leon Draisaitl extension and looming Connor McDavid extension and feel like I am looking at issues the Sharks will be facing in eight years with Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith (or William Eklund or Sam Dickinson). (1:08:45)

Meetyourmako: I was told that the San Jose Sharks’ goal horn is a foghorn taken from a decommissioned ship, I have been dying to know its provenance? Can you uncover the name of the ship that foghorn came from?

Alaskan_ice: At this point, there are quite a lot of ex-Sharks players around the organization. Some have issues with this process, I like it. Do you think it’s a good idea to bring back people that wore teal? (1:14:20)

TJ: Is there any concern that the Sharks alumni that Grier is hiring back, they never got over the hump and that may translate to the younger players they are developing? Always seemed like there was an element missing from those 2000s and 2010s teams despite all the success.

sharkzilla: Is there anything in the works to get another guest on the show like Pierre McGuire/Jimmy Murphy again (or better yet Greg Wyshynski) talking about the current state of the Sharks’ rebuild? (1:19:42)

Embrace_the_rebuild: How many more seasons would it take before Sharks get to the playoffs? Win a playoff series? (1:26:37)

Gary To: What do you think is Mukhamadullin’s biggest skill-set and what is his weakest skill that he needs to work on?

Jenna B: When should the holiday video return? Who is lowkey the funniest guy on the Sharks, staff or player? (1:36:25)

jacob b: Is this the off-season the best in San Jose Sharks history?

Steven Stoker: Is this the end of Logan Couture’s return? (1:51:18)

David Gotlieb: Who are the best mascots?

Patrick: Among the prospects, who are the potential busts? (2:00:10)

Zeke: What happened to Yaroslav Askarov in the playoffs?

Alex Genadinik: Who should the San Jose Sharks deal at the Trade Deadline? Any surprises there?

Any Askarov-like trade targets for a young defenseman? (2:07:00)

Eric Pichette: Who has the better offensive numbers this season, Eklund, Celebrini, or Smith?

Matthias893: Have there been any indications the Sharks or NBC would be interested in a more direct streaming model? (2:19:55)

Splash114: Of the veteran defensemen, who, if any, do you think will spend time with the Barracuda and/or on waivers? 

George West: What are the odds of Celebrini playing 1C for most of the year? And does Will Smith have a chance at being the 2C? (2:27:35)

El Gato Joe: Why didn’t they buy out Vlasic?

Chaz Marshall: Have the San Jose Sharks hired a Russia-based scout to replace Igor Eronko? (2:35:15)

Fin Coe: What players have benefited or suffered from the Sharks’ system? How has the Luke Kunin trade aged? (2:36:48)

Daniel Almaraz: With the announcement of Celebrini and Smith living with Thornton and Marleau respectively next season, I’m curious, have there been any other Sharks vet/rookie combos that we know about over the last couple years?

Tyler Toffoli joins the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast!

Toffoli talks about being junior teammates with Logan Couture and Cody Ceci, the San Jose Sharks/Los Angeles Kings playoff battles, his view of Couture and Drew Doughty’s “rivalry”, forming a new 70’s Line with Macklin Celebrini and William Eklund, and his NSFW nickname. (56:19)

But before we get to Tyler, let’s talk some San Jose Sharks news!

Keegan and Sheng chat more about the Yaroslav Askarov trade. (02:40)

They take a first look at some of the big roster battles upcoming in San Jose Sharks training camp. (25:00)

We also talk about the latest on Couture and Matt Benning’s injuries. (50:57)

And now, Tyler Toffoli! (56:19)

Toffoli talks about being teammates with Couture and Ceci on the Ottawa 67’s. He also talks about Couture and Doughty’s “war” of words back in the playoff rivalry days. (56:44)

What’s the difference between great or just good in the locker room? (1:01:12)

Toffoli shares his memories of the 2014 and 2016 San Jose Sharks/Kings’ playoff series. (1:05:55)

Who was Toffoli’s least favorite San Jose Sharks player to play against back then and why? (1:09:05)

Toffoli compares the Kings’ rebuild and the Sharks’ current one. (1:12:35)

Toffoli has surpassed 30 goals in back-to-back years, two of his three 30-plus goal campaigns. Why has he gotten better with age? (1:14:50)

What are his thoughts about a new 70’s Line with Celebrini and Eklund? (1:15:45)

What’s the worst part about moving? (1:17:15)

Toffoli discusses his NSFW nickname. (1:18:05)

The San Jose Sharks might have just traded for their goaltender of the future!

Sheng and Keegan share their initial reactions to acquiring Yaroslav Askarov from the Nashville Predators.

In a six-piece deal, the San Jose Sharks are getting Askarov, a 2025 third-round pick (via the Colorado Avalanche), and prospect Nolan Burke for prospects David Edstrom and Magnus Chrona, and a 2025 first-round pick (via the Vegas Golden Knights, top-10 protected).

Both Keegan and Sheng love this trade for the Sharks and GM Mike Grier on many levels. Why?

Regardless, what are the concerns about Askarov? There are real questions.

Also, is Askarov the best goaltending prospect in San Jose Sharks history? What about incumbent goalies Mackenzie Blackwood and Vitek Vanecek? How would we grade Grier's work as Sharks GM over the last two years? We talk about that and more!

Marco Sturm joins the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast!

Sturm was 19 when he started in the NHL with fellow teenager Patrick Marleau -- a situation that the San Jose Sharks will see this fall with youngsters Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith -- and he recounts that experience. The current Ontario Reign head coach also shared some stories about being interviewed for the Sharks’ head coach job this summer.

But before we get to Marco (1:13:24), we chat about the big Sharks news.

On Sunday, the San Jose Sharks acquired Cody Ceci and a 2025 third-round pick from the Edmonton Oilers for Ty Emberson.

Keegan was a lot colder on the trade than Sheng, Emberson being his big sticking point. (2:10)

How did we grade the trade? (43:02)

Are the San Jose Sharks also circling star goalie prospect Yaroslav Askarov? Askarov requested a trade from the Nashville Predators earlier this week. (45:50)

Sheng and Keegan bat around different trade proposals for Askarov, discuss their concerns about the mercurial netminder, and more.

And now, Marco Sturm! (1:13:24)

Sturm talks about what it was like to enter the NHL with fellow teenager Patrick Marleau in 1997. (1:14:00)

Who did Sturm live with? (1:19:30)

Sturm talks about how important it was to have solid veteran leadership around he and Marleau. (1:21:53)

Sturm had a great Sharks career, but he was also part of the biggest trade in franchise history, the Joe Thornton trade. Sturm recalls what he was going through personally at the time, and why he was upset with GM Doug Wilson about it for years. (1:25:55)

Sturm was part of two painful Sharks playoff losses, 2002 against the Colorado Avalanche and 2004 against the Calgary Flames. He shares his memories of both, and says if the Sharks had made the 2004 Stanley Cup Final, that maybe he could’ve played. (1:33:40)

What was special about the Shark Tank during the years Marco played? He says it's tough to see the Shark Tank attendance like it is now. (1:38:20)

In 2018, Sturm, now Team Germany head coach, led Germany to an Olympic silver medal, their first top-three finish in either the Olympics or World Championships since 1976. He shares what he did to help take German hockey to another level. (1:43:05)

When did Sturm realize that he wanted to be a head coach? It wasn’t during his playing career. (1:48:40)

Sturm talks about being interviewed for San Jose Sharks head coach, including coming to San Jose for an interview. Did he ever talk with Hasso Plattner during the process? He also shared some interesting insight about Mike Sullivan as a young coach. (1:57:15)

Joe Will joins the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast!

The San Jose Barracuda GM talks about the Barracuda goaltending situation, John McCarthy as a developer of talent, and San Jose’s AHL player turnover rate.

But before we get to Joe Will (53:15), we talk about this week in San Jose Sharks news!

Igor Chernyshov signs with the San Jose Sharks! He’s also playing for the Saginaw Spirit. Why not the AHL for Chernyshov? Will Russian native Chernyshov feel isolated in Saginaw? Sheng reached out to Chernyshov’s agent Dan Milstein about that. (2:28)

The San Jose Sharks impressed at World Junior Summer Showcase! Keegan talked about what he saw from prospects who impressed like Brandon Svoboda and Leo Sahlin Wallenius and Sam Dickinson, Quentin Musty being just okay, and Carson Wetsch and Axel Landen. (8:50)

Keegan discussed three Draft trends that he’s observed in the Mike Grier era. (19:31)

Sheng talked about what ex-San Jose Sharks GM Doug Wilson said about letting Joe Pavelski walk as a free agent in 2019. (26:29)

How has the Erik Karlsson trade to the Pittsburgh Penguins looked for the Sharks, one year later? (36:58) 

Last call for subscriber Andy Drexler, last chance to win your Sharks legend autograph! You have until the end of this week to reach out to Sheng via e-mail. (50:08)

And now, Joe Will! (53:15)

Will talks about the Barracuda’s big free agent signings this summer, Andrew Poturalski, Lucas Carlsson, and Jimmy Schuldt, and where they will slot in with the Cuda. (55:00)

Could the Barracuda add one more high-end veteran before camp? Will says yes, and reveals the positional fit.

How about the goaltending? Fans have been expecting a more veteran goalie to be added to the Barracuda…Will says that the San Jose Sharks organization, if anything, is looking for an older, more experienced prospect for that role. (57:17)

Could the San Jose Sharks find their No. 3 goalie in waivers? 

Will discusses stories that have circulated that some of the recent Cuda veterans and their wives haven’t been happy in San Jose. In his view, has player treatment been a problem in San Jose in recent years? (1:02:20)

Will suggests another reason why veterans might be unhappy.

How has treatment of players changed from Worcester to San Jose? Does Will have to make better contract offers with a Bay Area-based team?

Will defends head coach John McCarthy’s track record as a developer of talent. (1:08:43)

How did Barracuda prospects progress throughout last season, what were they asked to focus on this off-season? Going by position. (1:12:16)

Magnus Chrona (1:12:52)

Georgi Romanov

Will explains rolling with Eetu Makiniemi last year, his profile looks like what the San Jose Sharks are looking for right now, absent Makiniemi’s injuries. (1:15:10)

Thomas Bordeleau (1:17:18)

Danil Gushchin

Ethan Cardwell (1:20:23)

Filip Bystedt

Tristen Robins (1:26:12)

Shakir Mukhamadullin (1:27:22)

Jack Thompson (1:32:00)

Valtteri Pulli

Artem Guryev (1:35:38)

Gannon Laroque

Will discusses Luca Cagnoni and Kasper Halttunen, both eligible to return to the CHL, breaking camp with the Barracuda instead. (1:42:00)

Does Will expect this Barracuda team to make the playoffs? Or do they need more? (1:47:42)

Will was also San Jose Sharks interim GM throughout most of the 2021-22 season: Keegan asks him about re-signed Tomas Hertl to an eight-year extension. (1:50:40)

Colby Cohen joins the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast!

ESPN college hockey color commentator Colby Cohen jumps on to talk all things Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith! (54:34)

But first, this week in San Jose Sharks news!

The Sharks signed Thomas Bordeleau to a one-year contract. Where does he fit in on the forward lines and on the power play? (03:28)

The San Jose Sharks also re-signed Henry Thrun. Does the San Jose defense have too many left-handers? (13:35)

Keegan talks about his impressions of San Jose Sharks prospects at the World Junior Summer Showcase, chiefly Brandon Svoboda and Quentin Musty. He’s been impressed with Svoboda. Sheng also goes off on the phrase “face puncher”. (28:00)

Bret Hedican is joining the San Diego Gulls in a development role. (51:05)

And now, Colby Cohen! (54:34)

Cohen is a BU alum, how likely was it that Celebrini would go back to BU instead of signing with the Sharks? (57:00)

How NHL-ready and complete is Celebrini’s game, in Cohen’s opinion? (59:17)

Cohen notes one underrated thing that instantly stood out about Celebrini as an NCAA freshman. (1:04:00)

Cohen is a Hobey Baker voter…how was Will Smith not a Hobey Baker top-three finalist? (1:06:10)

What makes Celebrini so ready to be an NHL center immediately? (1:11:20)

Cohen shares what he’s heard about Celebrini off the ice and in the room. (1:14:15)

What will Celebrini’s biggest NHL challenges be in his rookie year? What does Cohen project? (1:19:40)

What does Cohen think about the players that Mike Grier has surrounded Celebrini and Smith with? (1:27:40)

What does Celebrini have to work on, improve? (1:30:50)

If Macklin Celebrini doesn’t pan out, why would that be? (1:33:30)

Cohen doesn’t shy away from comparing Celebrini to Sidney Crosby and Jonathan Toews. (1:39:40)

Old friend Jack Han joins the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast!

Before we get to the ex-Toronto Marlies assistant coach and tactics guru (1:43:12), Keegan and Sheng talk about the latest San Jose Sharks news.

Retiring Joe Pavelski revealed last week that the Sharks had reached out to him about coming back. But what about Pavelski joining the San Jose front office? (01:40)

The San Jose Sharks re-sign Brandon Coe, we discuss Coe’s development path and the 2020 Draft. (08:30)

Bret Hedican is leaving the San Jose Sharks’ broadcasting booth, who could replace him? (27:05)

There was a bit of a Twitter kerfuffle with something Sheng posted from our recent Jonathan Becher interview. (32:40)

What should the San Jose Sharks still try to add to this team?

How about Yaroslav Askarov, would Keegan make the trade that Sheng proposed earlier last week? (50:40)

The San Jose Sharks organization still need a No. 3 goalie, we talk remaining free agents, like Martin Jones. (1:19:00)

How about a defenseman? (01:27:00)

Finally, who won the Joe Thornton, Joe Pavelski, Patrick Marleau, and William Eklund autographs that SJHN is giving away for its fourth anniversary? (1:33:25)

Steve Sullivan, Lizbeth DeSelm, Andy Drexler, and Aaron Siek, in order, are your winners. Thank you for subscribing!

And here’s Jack Han! (1:43:12)

Jack talks about the San Jose Sharks’ structure, or lack thereof. How much was that on fired head coach David Quinn? (1:46:30)

After Jan. 31, the Sharks’ power play was seventh in the NHL. Was that real or just puck luck? (1:49:20)

Han is impressed with San Jose’s off-season acquisitions, especially Tyler Toffoli's subtle skills. (1:54:25)

How will Celebrini and Smith transition to the NHL, what’s their immediate impact? (2:09:45)

Han thought that Nikolaj Ehlers or Martin Necas could be a good fit for the San Jose Sharks. Is there another type of player that they should target? (2:13:10)

What about the top defensemen of the 2024 Draft? Han watched them all, including doing a Zayne Parekh video workshop, he thinks that they all have red flags. What does he think of the choice between Sam Dickinson or Zeev Buium? (2:16:35)

What’s the value of having a skills and development assistant coach like Jeff Ulmer around the bench now? (2:22:15)

In Han’s Hockey Tactics 2024, he talks about William Eklund’s skill-set. What does he think of Eklund’s development? (2:25:10)

Jonathan Becher joins the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast!

The San Jose Sharks’ president talks about the Macklin Celebrini effect and why it took the Sharks so long to embrace the rebuild.

But before we get to Becher (1:09:57), Sheng and Keegan talk about Celebrini signing his ELC.

Where does Celebrini fit into the San Jose Sharks’ line-up? What are our too early predictions for how many points that Celebrini scores in his rookie campaign? Who wins the 2025 Calder Trophy? (1:50)

Ty Emberson also signed…does Emberson take a top-four defenseman job on the Sharks by the end of the season? GM Mike Grier hasn’t added any blueliners via free agency, is that a sign of his confidence in younger D like Emberson, Shakir Mukhamadullin, and Henry Thrun? (36:26)

Finally, we turn our focus on the San Jose Barracuda: Why did Nathan Todd leave? How impressive were GM Joe Will’s free agent signings? (51:29)

And now, Becher! (1:09:57)

Three years ago, the San Jose Sharks seemed unwilling to go into a rebuild. Behind the scenes, what’s changed in recent seasons, that the Sharks now embrace a rebuild? (1:11:00)

How has owner Hasso Plattner’s attitude changed about rebuilding? (1:13:47)

Two decisions about the same player seem to speak to that shift of attitude? In Mar. 2022, the Sharks re-signed Tomas Hertl for eight years. Two years later, the Sharks traded him. (1:15:14)

Plattner was recently spotted at the Jul. 4 prospects scrimmage: How much more involved is Hasso with the Sharks now? (1:17:22)

What’s the Macklin Celebrini effect on the Sharks, from the Draft Party to jersey sales to prospects scrimmage attendance to more? (1:19:26)

What’s so valuable about having so many San Jose Sharks alumni back with the organization? (1:29:26)

Sheng has one more Hertl question for Becher. (1:32:38)

What’s going on with the Sharks’ SAP Center management agreement? Becher said the terms change unfavorably against the Sharks on Jul. 1, 2025. What does that mean for how long the Sharks will play at SAP Center? (1:33:57)

Finally, there’s an ongoing lawsuit against the Sharks, Sharks Ice, and former Jr. Sharks coach Kevin Whitmer for failing to follow proper procedures to protect Jr. Sharks players from alleged pedophile Whitmer. What’s the latest on the lawsuit? (1:39:00)

Becher urges fans to get Joe Thornton retirement jersey tickets now -- they’re selling fast! -- and shares that there will also be a Legends alumni game for Jumbo. (1:40:00)

Sam Dickinson joins the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast!

But before we get to Sam (2:04:47), we recap a busy week in San Jose Sharks hockey, including free agency and development camp.

What did we think of the Sharks signing Tyler Toffoli? (02:20) Alexander Wennberg? (09:54) Adding Carl Grundstrom and Ty Dellandrea? (16:45)

What’s our overall feeling about how San Jose Sharks GM Mike Grier had added to the club this off-season? (19:00)

What could the Sharks still be looking to add? Sheng has heard some whispers. (33:40)

Next, let’s talk about the Sharks adding Ryane Clowe as assistant general manager, and Doug Houda and Jeff Ulmer as assistant coaches. (43:20)

Finally, it was an exciting San Jose Sharks’ development camp and scrimmage! (1:01:40)

What did Keegan and Sheng think of some of the big-name and standout prospects?

Macklin Celebrini (1:06:05)

Sheng had a fun chat with Sam Dickinson at development camp! (2:04:47)

Why does Dickinson think that he’s the best defenseman in the 2024 Draft?

How did he answer the famous animal question by the Montreal Canadiens in his Combine interview?

His childhood friendship with Beckett Sennecke and a good laugh at Sennecke’s shocked reaction to being the No. 3 pick by the Anaheim Ducks in the 2024 Draft.

Something fun about London Knights teammate Halttunen that nobody knows?