The San Jose Sharks are regarded as one of the most entertaining teams to watch in the National Hockey League (NHL) because of their fast-paced style of play and the energy the players bring to every game. After years of rebuilding, the team finally feels alive again.
I grew up in a hockey household. If there was a game on, there was a good chance we were watching it. We usually watched one of two teams: the Montreal Canadiens, as my parents grew up in Montreal and my dad played hockey all through college, or the San Jose Sharks, because the local team needed some support.
I remember the 2015–2016 season when the Sharks went to the Stanley Cup playoffs to lose to the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 6. There was a lot of talent on that team, with players such as Brent Burns, Joe Pavelski, Logan Couture, Joe Thornton, and Patrick Marleau. Both Thornton, number 19, and Marleau, number 12, had their jerseys retired by the team, meaning no new players could wear their numbers. Thornton was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2025 and was a key center for the Sharks from 2005 to 2020, while Pavelski, the captain and leading goal scorer for the 2015–16 Sharks, will be eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2027.
As I got older, my love for the sport grew, and I became more interested in what was happening with the Sharks. Over the past couple of years, they have been in a rebuilding process, but their young talent has started to change things. The Sharks are currently the sixth-youngest team in the league. They have talent across all age groups, but most of it comes from the younger players. Macklin Celebrini was the first overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft. He will compete for gold in Milan this February, making history as the youngest player selected for Team Canada at age 19. As of January 2026, Celebrini’s NHL statistics for the 2025–26 season are 27 goals and 51 assists, for 78 points in 51 games. Another young player is Will Smith, the fourth overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft. As of January 2026, Smith’s statistics were 15 goals, 21 assists and 36 points in about 37 games. He missed 14 games midway through the season due to an upper-body injury. There is also William Eklund, drafted seventh overall in the first round of the 2021 NHL Draft. Colin Graf joined the team undrafted in 2024, and despite concerns about his size, he added offensive IQ and playmaking to the team, and has averaged about a point per game. Another rising talent is 18-year-old Michael Misa, who recently represented Team USA at the World Junior Championship.
While the excitement around the Sharks mostly centers on their young stars, the older players deserve just as much recognition. Players such as Alex Wennberg, Ryan Reaves, Dmitry Orlov, and Mario Ferraro bring experience and leadership into the locker room and onto the ice. They have seen winning seasons, losing seasons, playoff pressure, and rebuilding years, which gives them a perspective that the younger players are still learning. They help keep the team grounded and give the younger guys someone to look up to.
For fans who have been watching the Sharks for a while, this new era feels like the start of something special, one that could finally turn years of rebuilding into a run at the Stanley Cup. For Sharks fans, the future has never looked more promising and teal.
