Sam Dickinson has played eight NHL games for the San Jose Sharks this season and held his own.

The 19-year-old doesn’t have a point yet in his young NHL career, but he’s not worried about that. Dickinson doesn’t appear to be playing his ninth game of the season on Thursday, but that’s not certain. Once the Sharks deploy their top prospect in his ninth game, the team must decide to either keep him in the NHL all season or send him back to the OHL.

While he understands the decision is out of his control, Dickinson feels he’d be a better fit to be in the NHL for the long haul.

“There’s just more to be learned here for anybody. I think for me personally, I’d like to say that this is the place for me, and that I’m prepared to make the jump to this level full-time,” Dickinson said on Wednesday. “But again, that’s not my decision and out of my hands. “Every game, every day, every practice, just work as hard as I can, compete and prove that I’m able to stay here.”

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Warsofsky said nothing has been finalized in terms of keeping Sam Dickinson with the Sharks past the nine game threshold. Same with Michael Misa— Curtis Pashelka (@CurtisPashelka) October 29, 2025

As much as the San Jose Sharks defenseman wants to stay, his play needs to back up his words. As it stands, Dickinson is holding his own and then some. Sure, he wants points, but even he knows defense comes first.

“I’m a defenseman, so I better be pretty good at defense,” Dickinson said. “That’s been a big thing for me. Making sure I can defend first. My offense has always come from good defending and good defensive plays.”

According to MoneyPuck.com, Dickinson’s underlying numbers indicate he’s been slightly unlucky on offense. The Sharks’ d-man has the highest on-ice expected goals percentage at 53.1%.

If Dickinson is already producing positive analytical results, it is only a matter of time before he starts impacting the game offensively. His confidence will grow, and production will follow.

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– Gaudette is a surprise to me given his career impact.
– Klingberg has been as bad as you think he’s been.
– Misa has been stellar in limited minutes.
– Celebrini, Liljegren with some work to do still
– What a start for Sam Dickinson pic.twitter.com/6HejYtKtYi— rooster trick (@FowleBall15) October 29, 2025

Dickinson has done everything a player can do individually at the Junior hockey level. From being named team MVP, OHL Defenseman of the year, or being named to Team Canada’s World Junior team, Dickinson has done it.

Going back to play in the OHL could also hurt the defenseman’s development. Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky says the front office is keeping that front of mind as they have discussions about where Dickinson will play.

“A lot of it is habit-based. Can we get the habits trending in the right direction? Nothing against the OHL, but you can go there and he plays 35 minutes a night, you can really create some bad habits by doing that,” Warsofsky said. “[He] can kind of get away with a lot there that you can’t get away with here in the NHL. That’s something that we’ll have conversations about.”

Whether it is watching film, looking at analytics, or just experiencing different plays in the NHL, the San Jose Sharks must continue to give Dickinson the tools to become a successful NHL defenseman.

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“One of the really good traits I have is [that] I learn quickly. Anytime I’m told something from the coaches, I take it and process it. Process it quickly and try to implement it into my game as quickly as possible,” Dickinson said. “Habits here are a huge thing with just being in the right spot. It’s definitely been an adjustment, but something that I think I’ve prepared well for.”

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