The San Jose Sharks are done with training camp scrimmages.
They’ll still be in two groups on Saturday, but Teal and Black won’t be playing each other.
How did 2026 No. 2 pick Ivar Stenberg look against higher competition? Has Michael Misa taken a leap? Which young defensemen stood out?
Here are some of my scrimmage observations, along with thoughts from head coach Ryan Warsofsky and more.
But before we get to all that, these were the lines for both scrimmages. They looked the same on both days, and though they do provide some window into the coaching staff’s planning, keep in mind that opening night is still two weeks away.
Here’s Team Teal:
Marchment-Celebrini-Smith
Goodrow-Ostapchuk-Cardwell
Felhaber-Gasseau-Sherwood
Houle-Giles-Wetsch-Huo
Nurse-Kesselring
Orlov-Cagnoni
Sahlin Wallenius-Hajek
Karmanov
Askarov
Comrie
Here’s Team Black:
Stenberg-Wennberg-Graf
Chernyshov-Misa-Toffoli
Gaudette-Dellandrea-Barre Boulet
Leason-Huntington-Vincent
Gustafson
Dickinson-Trouba
Allan-Pohlkamp
Sinn-McKeown
Oliphant
Nedeljkovic
Davis
Knowling
It’s not too hard to project a 23-man roster from these lines:
Marchment-Celebrini-Smith
Chernyshov-Misa-Toffoli
Stenberg-Wennberg-Graf
Goodrow-Ostapchuk-Sherwood
Gaudette-Dellandrea
Nurse-Kesselring
Dickinson-Trouba
Orlov-Cagnoni
Allan
Askarov
Nedeljkovic
Stenberg Showing Out
I expected Ivar Stenberg to pick up the pace from his Rookie Faceoff performance, and I think he did, against superior competition.
During Friday’s scrimmage, he scored off a catch-and-release blast and crossed Michael Kesselring over in a one-on-one at the left dot, setting up a slot pass to Alex Wennberg. He also protected the puck with confidence and was dangerous with the puck in tight quarters.
Of course, the scrimmages have NHL-level pace but not with high-end physicality.
That said, Collin Graf illuminated why I thought Stenberg would elevate his game with better players and against stiffer competition.
“His decision-making, the way that he thinks it, he just thinks at NHL-level,” Graf said. “He keeps up with the pace, mentally.”
That, combined with Stenberg’s physical gifts, puts him in good shape to crack the opening night roster. Let’s see how the Swedish winger passes the next test, pre-season game action.
Can’t Miss Misa
Ex-Saginaw Spirit linemates Michael Misa and Igor Chernyshov were flying together on Friday.
“He had his pace going,” Warsofsky said of Misa. “We’re going to see a player that’s going to drive offense this year, for sure.”
But being a playoff-caliber second-line center, the long-term vision for Misa, isn’t just about offense.
“It’s going to come down to Misa’s play away from the puck,” the San Jose Sharks bench boss said. “We got to see the play away from the puck, the way he defends, the way he’s seeing the game in front of him to always be in good spots.”
That said, the 19-year-old wasn’t driving offense like this last training camp, his first NHL exposure.
So it’s good to see obvious growth from the 2025 No. 2 pick, whether he seizes the second-line center job from Alex Wennberg this season or not.
Love for Luca
Luca Cagnoni is off to a good start, in his quest to break camp with the San Jose Sharks.
“Stacked two really good days,” Warsofsky said.
The 5-foot-9 defenseman was moving the puck with authority in the 5-on-5 scrimmages.
“Another guy who looks a little bit bigger and stronger and quicker conditioning-wise,” Warsofsky said. “He did a lot of work this summer training and looks confident with the puck, so he’s going to get a good opportunity.”
Cagnoni has more than a good opportunity: Right now, he’s the organization’s best candidate to run the top power play unit. That’s a chance to run a PP which features superstar Macklin Celebrini, an opportunity of a lifetime.
The Sharks need badly for Cagnoni to succeed.
There other likely options for power play quarterback, Dmitry Orlov, Darnell Nurse, Jacob Trouba, Sam Dickinson, and Michael Kesselring, are better suited for PP2.
That said, it’s honestly a big ask of 21-year-old rookie Cagnoni.
But he has run top AHL power plays over the last two years.
The Sharks do have two available spots on the blueline, and Cagnoni is the best-suited for a key role, which should help him claim one vacancy. It feels like it’s his job to lose.
What about the other open spot, for No. 7 defenseman?
Nolan Allan is a mostly no-frills defender and isn’t waiver-exempt anymore. Since the 23-year-old is a little older, frankly, if he sits from time to time, you can live with that.
The 6-foot-2 blueliner has also been solid in the scrimmages, outplaying Eric Pohlkamp.
Unlike Allan, Pohlkamp, who just left the University of Denver, doesn’t have 190 NHL/AHL games under his belt.
So that explains Pohlkamp’s hiccups with the elevated pace, so far.
Some seasoning in the AHL won’t hurt.
Of course, we’re just two days into camp. No available roster spots have really been decided. So Pohlkamp can still move the needle. GM Mike Grier also lumped 2024 second-round pick Leo Sahlin Wallenius with this group of young defensemen.
But Cagnoni, because the Sharks really need the power play help, and Allan, because he’s not waiver-exempt, look like favorites to round out the team’s defense.