Pacific Notes: Warsofsky, Flames, Lewandowski
The San Jose Sharks took a step forward in 2025-26, upping their points total from a league-worst 52 to 86 this season, just four points short of a Western Conference playoff spot. Sharks GM Mike Grier gave Warsofsky a vote of confidence in his end-of-season media availability. Per The Mercury News’ Curtis Pashelka, Grier said Warsofsky has “done a good job” and added that “there’s no reason to think that he won’t be the coach [in San Jose] when the season starts next year.”
While the Sharks parting ways with Warsofsky seems somewhat out of question given the team’s dramatic year-over-year improvements, the reality is this past NHL season has been marked by teams pulling the trigger on coaching changes in non-traditional situations. The Vegas Golden Knights fired Stanley Cup-winning head coach Bruce Cassidy with less than a month remaining in the season, while the New York Islanders fired head coach Patrick Roy with just four games remaining in 2025-26. NHL teams hold their coaches to extremely high standards, though it is important to note that the Sharks are in an entirely different stage of their competitive cycle than Vegas is, for example. But with the emergence of key contributors in San Jose such as star Macklin Celebrini, the competitive bar has been raised, and it’s up to Warsofsky to meet that bar next season.
Other notes from around the Pacific Division:
- The Calgary Flames enter the offseason committed to a long-term, patient vision in constructing their team, according to what GM Craig Conroy said to the media on Friday. Conroy was asked about what kind of teambuilding direction he’d take moving forward, and said “It is about the long term. It’s not about getting into the playoffs one year, not in the next, in one year, then out. We want to be there consistently.” Calgary has missed the playoffs for four straight years, and appear to have a substantial amount of work ahead of them when it comes to building the club into a true Stanley Cup contender. Based on what Conroy told the media, it appears the team will embark on a patient, draft-and-develop road back to contention, rather than trying to move aggressively in free agency or in trades to add NHL-ready talent to their roster.
- The Edmonton Oilers signed prospect forward David Lewandowski has joined the team’s AHL affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors, on an ATO. The 19-year-old made his North American professional debut last night against the San Jose Barracuda and earned his first AHL point, a secondary assist. The 19-year-old German forward was selected in the fourth round, No. 117 overall, of the 2025 NHL Entry Draft. The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler ranked Lewandowski as the No. 5 prospect in Edmonton’s system, calling him a “a reliable, almost veteran player, even though he’s still a teenager.” Lewandowski spent most of 2025-26 with the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades, where he scored 65 points in 57 regular-season games and nine points in 11 postseason contests.
Injury Notes: Sharks, Flyers, Danault, Erne
Two San Jose Sharks forwards left yesterday’s dramatic comeback victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins with injuries: Philipp Kurashev and Will Smith. Smith left the game after a hit from Penguins defender Parker Wotherspoon, while Kurashev also left the game with his own apparent upper-body injury. Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky did not have any update to give regarding the status of either player.
Since the Sharks have a day off Sunday, it’s likely the earliest the club announces an update related to the injury suffered by either player is Monday. If either player misses time, that would be a serious blow to the Sharks’ competitive hopes. Smith, the 2023 No. 4 overall pick, has scored 12 goals and 29 points in 33 games this season. His growing chemistry with franchise face Macklin Celebrini has made Sharks hockey must-watch television.
While Kurashev isn’t quite as important to the Sharks’ present and future as Smith, he nonetheless has been having himself a quality campaign. The versatile Swiss forward scored 18 goals and 54 points in 2023-24 playing alongside Blackhawks star Connor Bedard. Playing once again on a team with one of the game’s emerging superstar talents has clearly had its benefits for Kurashev. He’s scored 15 points in 31 games this season, a 40-point full-season scoring pace. That represents a significant improvement over last season, when Kurashev only managed 14 points in 51 games, a performance that got him non-tendered by the Blackhawks over the summer. With key injury updates likely set to come Monday, the Sharks will have to hope that their two forwards have only suffered something minor.
Other injury notes from across the NHL:
- Philadelphia Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet told the media, including the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jackie Spiegel, that injured Flyers blueliners Rasmus Ristolainen and Cam York will travel with the team on its upcoming road trip, and are each nearing a return to the lineup. Tocchet said specifically that he expects York to play either today against the Carolina Hurricanes or Tuesday against the Montreal Canadiens, while he expects Ristolainen to return soon as well. York has been sidelined with an upper-body injury and last played Dec. 3, while Ristolainen has not yet played in 2025-26 as he’s been recovering from 2024-25’s season-ending surgery.
- Some eyebrows were raised yesterday when it was revealed that Los Angeles Kings forward Phillip Danault would not play in the Kings’ Saturday contest against the Calgary Flames, due to the player’s name popping up in trade rumors over the last week. But while Danault remains a possibility to be traded, his absence yesterday was not for trade-related reasons; the veteran forward was ill, and unable to play as a result. It was reported on Dec. 8 that the Kings were exploring their options to provide Danault with a change-of-scenery type trade, but no deal has since materialized. The 32-year-old has scored at least 40 points in each of his four full seasons as a King, but has just five points in 30 games this year. He’s under contract at a $5.5MM AAV through next season.
- Dallas Stars forward Adam Erne is continuing to progress in his recovery from his lower-body injury, and is now considered day-to-day, according to Stars head coach Glen Gulutzan. (via The Dallas Morning News’ Lia Assimakopoulos) Erne last played Nov. 11 and has missed 16 consecutive games. The 30-year-old winger signed a one-year, two-way deal with the Stars in October and scored three points in 14 games before his injury. Erne played in just 10 games last season, all coming in the AHL with the Hartford Wolf Pack. He has nearly 400 career NHL games to his name, but hasn’t played a full season entirely at the NHL level since his 2021-22 campaign with the Detroit Red Wings.
Snapshots: Kings, Mukhamadullin, Karlsson, Palat
The Los Angeles Kings will start the season with some cap juggling, per John Hoven with LA’s Mayors Manor. Hoven shares that the team will begin the year with depth forward Andre Lee on the roster, in an effort to reach cap compliance while they sort out injuries to Drew Doughty and Arthur Kaliyev. Both players could be candidates for long-term injured reserve, though that’d be a last resort as the team considers the juxtaposition of cap versus salary. Making matters even more complicated in Los Angeles’ preference to carry eight defenders, including summer signee Caleb Jones, who’s making his return to the NHL after splitting time between the major and minor leagues last year.
The Kings will have a complicated path to walk. They’re entering the year with just $546.67K in cap space, hardly enough to handle the day-to-day logistics of running a team. That’s largely thanks to their summer acquisition of goaltender Darcy Kuemper, and Quinton Byfield‘s five-year extension – two moves that collectively cost the Kings $11.5MM in space. Both players will serve pivotal roles for the lineup in the early going, especially as the team prepares for an extended period without top-defender Doughty.
Other notes from around the league:
- Top San Jose Sharks prospect Shakir Mukhamadullin has finally made his way into the team’s camp practices, shares Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News, after a lower-body injury held him out of all of the team’s rookie camp and training camp to this point. Mukhamadullin was expected to be one of the top young Sharks pushing for the roster this fall, though new head coach Ryan Warsofsky acknowledged that the injury puts him a step behind. Mukhamadullin made his NHL debut last season, recording one assist in three games to go with his 34 points in 55 AHL games. He’ll be among the many young players fighting for NHL ice time when he has healthy legs back under him.
- Star Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson is expected to be ready for the team’s season opener after missing much of the preseason with an upper-body injury, shares the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Matt Vensel. Karlsson added that the season opener has always been his target, and that his recovery briefly slowed down in the middle of camp to, “let a few things settle down.” The future Hall-of-Fame candidate is set to enter his 16th NHL season, coming off yet another season of double-digit goals and over-50 points. He’ll look to return to those heights once again, with head coach Mike Sullivan already confirming that he’ll be a fixture of the team’s power-play, per Tribune-Review Sports’ Seth Rorabaugh.
- New Jersey Devils forward Ondrej Palat missed the team’s second game of the season to attend to the birth of his second child. He is expected to rejoin the team when they return to North America. Palat appeared in nearly 14 minutes of New Jersey’s season opener in his native Czechia, recording one shot, one block, and two hits. He’s continued to find ways to be productive late into his career, netting 11 goals and 31 points in 71 games last season. Palat will continue to serve as a winger New Jersey can lean on as they look to continue their bout of early success.
Carolina Hurricanes Name Brock Sheahan AHL Head Coach
Per a team release, the Carolina Hurricanes have named Brock Sheahan the head coach of their AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves.
Sheahan, 38, becomes a professional hockey coach for the first time. He got his coaching start with Notre Dame in 2013-14 as an assistant coach, serving just one season. For four seasons from 2014 to 2018, he spent time as an assistant and associate coach for the College of the Holy Cross before getting a job with the USHL’s Chicago Steel for 2018-19.
The Steel promoted him to their head coaching role during the 2019-20 season and he never looked back. Sheahan guided the 2020-21 Chicago Steel to a Clark Cup championship, working with current NHL prospects such as Sean Farrell, Matt Coronato, Mackie Samoskevich, and Josh Doan.
The Wolves themselves are coming off a Calder Cup-winning season, spearheaded by high-end veteran firepower and elite goaltending. It was enough to get their previous head coach, Ryan Warsofsky, an assistant job with the San Jose Sharks. Sheahan will need to keep the team’s structure intact after an offseason that’s seen a lot of turnover at all spots in the Hurricanes organization.
San Jose Sharks Announce 2022-23 Coaching Staff
Today, the San Jose Sharks announced their full coaching staff for the 2022-23 season via a team release. In addition to the previously announced or reported hirings of David Quinn as head coach and Ryan Warsofsky as an assistant coach, the team has hired Scott Gordon as an assistant coach, Thomas Speer as their NHL goaltending coach, and Nick Gialdini as video coach.
Quinn spoke on the hires today:
I am thrilled to announce our coaching staff for the upcoming season. Scott brings an immeasurable amount of experience and knowledge of the game to our staff, and Ryan is a passionate individual who has proven himself as an up-and-coming head coach, winning the Calder Cup with the Chicago Wolves this past season. Thomas has a great track record with each of the goalies he has worked with, and Nick has earned the opportunity at the NHL level after having been with the Sharks organization for the last several years. We are excited to have each of them with us.
Gordon, 59, is a former AHL Coach of the Year winner in 2008 with the Providence Bruins. After that, he served as the head coach for the New York Islanders from 2008-09 before being replaced midseason in 2010-11 by Jack Capuano. Most recently, Gordon was the head coach of the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms from 2015 to 2021, including a stint as interim head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers in 2018-19.
Speer, 35, is a decorated goalie coach in the North American minors. Speer won back-to-back Kelly Cup championships with the ECHL’s Allen Americans in 2016 and 2017, and won a silver medal at the 2018 U18 World Junior Championship with the United States. For the past three seasons, Speer has been the goalie coach for the AHL’s Stockton Heat. He replaces Sharks legend Evgeni Nabokov in that role, who the Sharks noted has been promoted to Director of Goaltending.
Gialdini gets his first NHL job after spending the last six seasons as the video coach for San Jose’s AHL affiliate, the Barracuda. He’d also served as the team manager since 2019.
San Jose Sharks Expected To Add Ryan Warsofsky To Coaching Staff
The Sharks recently made their hire of David Quinn as their next head coach official, and now Quinn’s staff is starting to take shape. According to San Jose Hockey Now’s Sheng Peng, the Sharks will hire Ryan Warsofsky as an assistant coach with the responsibility of running the team’s defense and penalty kill.
Warsofsky, 34, is one of the fastest-rising coaching prospects in hockey. 2021-22 was Warsofsky’s second season behind the bench of the AHL’s Chicago Wolves, and it ended in a Calder Cup championship for the team. The win was Warsofsky’s second Calder Cup victory, as he won his first as an assistant on Mike Vellucci’s Charlotte Checkers staff. Warsofsky got his first experience as a head coach as the bench boss for the ECHL’s South Carolina Stingrays.
Warsofsky has won at every level he’s coached at, and he boasts a combined 193-91-30 record in 314 games of head coaching experience across two professional leagues and three teams. His Chicago Wolves squad last season had the fifth-best penalty kill in the AHL and had the fourth-least goals against, meaning he has a strong resume in the areas he’ll be asked to focus on in San Jose.
The expectation for GM Mike Grier, Quinn, and the entire Sharks organization is to deliver winning hockey to the San Jose market in 2022-23. Adding Warsofsky should certainly help them get there.
Minor Notes: Warsofsky, Comets, Wilkins
The AHL Calder Cup Playoffs are an important scouting event for clubs all across the league, who want to see how their young players respond in high-pressure situations. But it can also be a proving ground for someone else: coaches. Ryan Warsofsky, for one of the youngest coaches in the league, it’s been exactly that. Patrick Williams of NHL.com writes that Warsofsky, who has led the Chicago Wolves to the finals, could soon start to receive interest from higher up after experiencing so much success.
Under Warsofsky, who took control of the Wolves when the Carolina Hurricanes switched their affiliate in 2020, Chicago has won 71 of their 109 games, posting an overall record of 71-25-13. Given his previous success in the ECHL, where he led the South Carolina Stingrays to the Kelly Cup Finals in his first year and then posted a .722 winning percentage in year two, it seems Warsofsky is on the fast track to becoming a staple in the NHL coaching community. The Wolves will continue their quest for the Calder Cup tomorrow night.
- The Utica Comets have announced several AHL contracts today, retaining captain Ryan Schmelzer along with two others. Samuel Laberge and Mareks Mitens have both agreed to terms in order to return, while Schmelzer has locked in for two seasons. Utica was one of the best teams in the league this season, posting a 43-20-9 record but were eliminated in the North Division Semifinals by the upstart Rochester Americans.
- Josh Wilkins, who left the AHL after the 2020-21 season to pursue a contract in Sweden is coming back to North America, agreeing to terms with South Carolina in the ECHL. The 25-year-old Providence College star actually signed a two-year entry-level contract with the Nashville Predators when he turned pro but wasn’t issued a qualifying offer in 2021 when it expired and is now an unrestricted free agent.