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Latest On Sam Dickinson

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The Team Canada World Juniors roster appears set, with two final dominos falling: San Jose will not loan defenseman Sam Dickinson, per Frank Seravalli, and Seattle won’t loan forward Berkly Catton either, also noted by Seravalli. 

Dickinson was a real candidate, as he would have brought key experience to Team Canada’s back end, as the only returning defenseman on the team. The 19-year-old has the distinction of being the only d-man under 20 to not be loaned out, other than Matthew Schaefer, which is to no surprise. Dickinson has not made quite the same impact as last summer’s first overall pick, as he has just three points in 27 games. Although helping lead Team Canada in a push for gold for a final time could have been a breath of fresh air for the exciting two-way defender, San Jose opts to hold onto Dickinson and not lose a true lineup contributor who continues to develop. 

Similar to Dickinson, Catton has not exactly had a Schaefer-like impact yet either, with five points in 21 games, all assists. However, as emphasized by Seravalli, Catton is set to return from injury soon, and with Mason Marchment traded to Columbus, he will have a larger role on the Kraken once healthy, enough to keep the skilled forward from a Team Canada return. 

Elsewhere across the league:

  • Despite rumblings, Predators forward Ryan O’Reilly is not open to being moved at this time, as shared by Pierre LeBrun in an article for The Athletic. The respected veteran center is a pending free agent on an affordable ($4.5MM) contract, so naturally the appeal is there. However, although he has no such trade protection, O’Reilly and Nashville have a mutual agreement to treat it as if so, and for now, the 34-year-old will stay put. O’Reilly has 28 points in 34 games, continuing to play at a high level on both ends. However, GM Barry Trotz brought him in prior to 2023-24, when the Predators appeared firmly in a rebuild, before their attempted revival. Therefore, while on paper it would be wise to bring in a haul, O’Reilly’s impact in the locker room was always a major focus. Things could be revisited closer to the Trade Deadline, but O’Reilly simply playing out the deal is a real possibility, especially as the Ontario native has already won a Stanley Cup. 
  • Ahead of tonight’s game, Maple Leafs Head Coach Craig Berube told reporters, including David Alter of The Hockey News, that Easton Cowan and Calle Jarnkrok would be scratched, while Max Domi and Steven Lorentz entered the lineup in Dallas. Cowan’s designation comes as a bit of a surprise as he was in the starting lineup on the first line last night in Nashville, notching 16:17 of ice time, with an assist. The 20-year-old has 11 points in 26 games, but according to Berube, a reset is needed. Jarnkrok has been a solid third liner for years, but at 34, he has just four goals on the season and his scratching is less of a surprise. Meanwhile, Domi jumps right into Cowan’s slot on the first line, eager to find his game in a bid to extend his Leafs tenure. Finally, Lorentz returns to a fourth line deployment, a role familiar for the 29-year-old. 

Snapshots: Grzelcyk, Vatrano, Liljegren

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Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Matt Grzelcyk was fined $2,604.17 by the NHL Department of Player Safety for cross-checking Ottawa Senators’ center Tim Stutzle on Saturday. It is the maximum allowable fine under the CBA for this infraction. Grzelcyk cross-checked Stutzle in the face during a scrum in front of the net and was awarded a double-minor penalty. He will avoid suspension for the incident, allowing him to stick in a true utility role for the Blackhawks. Grzelcyk has averaged over 20 minutes of ice time in his last five games, far above the 16 minutes he’s averaged across the full season. He’s a veteran two-way defender with six points, all assists, and a plus-three in 35 games this season.

Other quick notes from around the league:

  • Anaheim Ducks forward Frank Vatrano was also fined $5,000 by the NHL DPS for unsportsmanlike conduct against Dallas Stars winger Jason Robertson. Vatrano ragdolled Robertson after a shoving match in front of the net turned into a scrum on the boards. He has 34 penalty minutes in 35 games this season, to go with only five points and a minus-11. This news will keep Vatrano in a daily, depth role for the Ducks.
  • The San Jose Sharks could be without defenseman Timothy Liljegren when they face the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday. Liljegren was designated as day-to-day and doubtful for Tuesday due to an upper-body injury, per Curtis Pashelka of Mercury News. Liljegren has averaged top-line minutes over in 28 games this season, though he only has four assists and a minus-10 on the year. Still, the 26 year old has stepped into an important, veteran role on a young Sharks lineup. He’ll be tough to replace, but rookie defender Sam Dickinson and depth defender Vincent Iorio could be the one to benefit from the need for a bigger presence.

Sharks Notes: Dellandrea, Gaudette, Skinner, Kurashev

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The San Jose Sharks will see the return of depth forwards Ty Dellandrea and Adam Gaudette in Thursday night’s game against the Dallas Stars, per Max Miller of The Hockey News. Dellandrea sustained a hand injury after blocking a shot in Tuesday’s win over the Calgary Flames. He left the game briefly but returned before things wrapped up – though still carried a questionable tag through the rest of the week. Gaudette sat out on Tuesday after sustaining a lower-body injury last Saturday.

Both returnees are slated to fill out San Jose’s third-line alongside winger Ethan Cardwell. Gaudette snapped a four-game scoring drought with a goal before his injury on Saturday. He has seven goals and 11 points in 29 games this season. Nearly half of those points – five – came across an eight-game streak between late November and early December. Dellandrea is having a career year, with 10 points in 34 games. That’s well above the scoring pace from the 2022-23 season, when he set a career-high 28 points in 82 games.

Other notes out of San Jose:

  • To make room for Gaudette and Dellandrea, the Sharks will once again send veteran winger Jeff Skinner to the press box. Skinner has been in-and-out of the lineup through much of the last two months. He’s appeared in five of San Jose’s eight games in December. The Sharks won four of those games but Skinner didn’t manage any scoring. He has just seven points in 22 games this season, a career-low scoring pace. Skinner will continue to serve as a plug-and-play winger for the Sharks.
  • A timeline has also become clear for Sharks forward Philipp Kurashev, who sustained a long-term upper-body injury last week. He is expected to be back to full health before the NHL’s February break, and should be prepared to take the ice for Team Switzerland should he be named to the team, per Curtis Pashelka of Mercury News. Kurashev has found a surprising bit of offense with a move from the Chicago Blackhawks to the Sharks. He has six goals and 15 points in 31 games on the year, putting him on pace for 40 points across 82 games. That will be a tough mark to reach on the other side of a long injury, but could be enough of a scoring spark to catch the eye of Switzerland’s management. Kurashev has represented Switerland at the last four World Championships – dating back to his age-18 season, when he played in both the World Championships and World Junior Championships. He has 15 points in 32 total games at the World Championships.

Sharks Notes: Dickinson, Dellandrea, Gaudette

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Earlier today, the Sharks officially loaned forward Michael Misa to Canada’s entry for the upcoming World Juniors.  Not included in that announcement was defenseman Sam Dickinson, who is also eligible to participate.  However, the team still hasn’t made a final decision on whether they will loan him out for the event, notes Sharks Hockey Digest’s Max Miller.

The 19-year-old has played fairly regularly this season, getting into 26 games though he was a scratch last night against Calgary.  However, his minutes have been somewhat limited and sheltered as he’s averaging a little under 15 minutes per game of ice time.  He would play a much bigger role on Canada’s back end, potentially as their number one defender.  However, head coach Ryan Warsofsky also noted that he doesn’t want Dickinson to potentially slip into some bad habits if he were to be loaned out so that’s something they’ll have to weigh over the next few days before making a final decision.

More from San Jose:

  • Center Ty Dellandrea is listed as questionable for tomorrow’s game against Dallas due to an upper-body injury, relays Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now (Twitter link). The 25-year-old was injured while blocking a shot on Tuesday but managed to stay in the game.  Dellandrea has already surpassed his production from last season (10 points compared to eight) in half the games played while also averaging just under three hits per game.  A pending restricted free agent with an affordable $1.3MM AAV, Dellandrea could be an intriguing under-the-radar trade target should the Sharks decide to listen to offers.
  • Center Adam Gaudette is good to go for Thursday’s contest after missing last night’s game with a lower-body injury, Peng mentions (Twitter link). The 29-year-old had a breakout year last season with Ottawa where he had 19 goals in 81 games, earning a two-year, $4MM deal for his efforts.  Gaudette is scoring at a similar clip this season with seven goals through 29 games while averaging 12:01 per night, his highest ATOI since 2019-20.

Sharks Activate Michael Misa, Loan Him To World Juniors

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The reigning No. 2 overall pick is officially on his way to the 2026 World Juniors. The Sharks announced they’ve activated center Michael Misa from injured reserve and subsequently loaned him to Team Canada for the event, which begins next week.

With only Misa’s name included in today’s announcement, it seems set in stone that defenseman Sam Dickinson is staying on San Jose’s roster and won’t be loaned out to Canada for the tournament. Dickinson, 19, had two assists in five games for the Canadians last year at the event and had another year of eligibility left, but he’ll be sticking around on San Jose’s roster for the next several weeks despite sitting as a healthy scratch in last night’s win over the Flames.

Misa’s limited playing time this season made him a logical candidate to be allowed to go to the event, much like the case of Calgary star defense prospect Zayne Parekh. The 18-year-old broke camp with the Sharks but was in and out of the lineup, never playing more than three games in a row, until he sustained a lower-body injury in early November.

Before exiting the lineup, Misa made his first seven NHL appearances, scoring one goal and three points with a -1 rating. It’s worth noting he isn’t joining Canada’s training camp cold. The Sharks loaned him to their AHL affiliate on a conditioning stint at the beginning of the month as he neared a return, recording an assist in two games for the San Jose Barracuda before rejoining the Sharks for practice.

Now fully cleared, Misa will get his first and only chance to represent Canada’s national team at the under-20 level. He was a rather shocking snub from last year’s roster amid a 62-goal, 134-point season for the OHL’s Saginaw Spirit that made him the leading scorer across all of the country’s top junior leagues.

The question now becomes whether Misa returns to Saginaw or remains with the Sharks when the WJC wraps up in January. As an under-20 player subject to the NHL-CHL transfer agreement, he’s ineligible for a full-time assignment to the AHL and must be loaned back to his junior team if he’s not on the NHL roster (or injured reserve).

Sharks Notes: Smith, Kurashev, Mukhamadullin, Gaudette

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The San Jose Sharks have played themselves into contention for a playoff spot this season, their biggest concrete step forward in the standings since their rebuild began at the start of the decade. A key member of the team powering their ascent is 2023 No. 4 overall pick Will Smith. Unfortunately for the Sharks, Smith was injured Saturday in the team’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, and is now set to miss at least a week, according to Sharks Hockey Digest’s Max Miller. Per Miller, Smith will be re-evaluated on Monday.

The loss of Smith is not only a blow due to the fact that the Sharks are losing what Smith himself provides on the ice; it’s also a loss due to his chemistry with franchise face Macklin Celebrini, chemistry that won’t be easily replicated by another player. Smith has scored 29 points in 33 games so far in 2025-26, and is emerging as a legitimate star forward. The Sharks are set to play their first game since losing Smith tonight against the Flames. It appears Smith’s spot on the team’s first line alongside Celebrini will be taken by 2024 No. 33 overall pick Igor Chernyshov, who will make his NHL debut tonight.

Other notes from the Bay Area:

  • Miller also reported that veteran forward Philipp Kurashev, who was also injured Saturday against Pittsburgh, will be out on a week-to-week basis. It’s a tough break for Kurashev, who was in the midst of a solid bounce-back season. After scoring 18 goals and 54 points playing alongside Connor Bedard with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2023-24, Kurashev only managed 14 points in 51 games in 2024-25, paving the way for his exit from the Windy City. The Sharks signed Kurashev and he has rewarded them by scoring 15 points in 31 games, a 40-point full-season scoring pace. A pending arbitration-eligible restricted free agent, Kurashev will hope to recover as quickly and completely as possible in order to resume his season in the best fashion possible.
  • Sharks blueliner Shakir Mukhamadullin is back in the lineup tonight, according to San Jose Hockey Now’s Sheng Peng, after missing Saturday’s game due to injury. Mukhamadullin has been managing an upper-body injury, and has missed five of the last six Sharks games. He’s slated to play on San Jose’s third pairing tonight alongside former Washington Capital Vincent Iorio. In 15 games this season, Mukhamadullin is averaging 16:32 time on ice per game including a role on the club’s penalty kill.
  • Veteran forward Adam Gaudette won’t play against the Flames tonight as he’s day-to-day with a lower-body injury, per Miller. Gaudette missed a few games earlier this season with an upper-body injury but has otherwise had a healthy, reasonably productive debut campaign in the Bay Area. The 29-year-old was signed by the Sharks off the back of his 19-goal season with the Ottawa Senators in 2024-25, and he’s under contract at a $2MM AAV through next season. He’s scored 11 points in 29 games this year. Gaudette played fourth-line center with some power play time on Saturday, and his role now appears likely to be filled in his absence by fellow former Senator Zack Ostapchuk.

Sharks Place Will Smith, Philipp Kurashev On IR

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The Sharks will be without forwards Will Smith and Philipp Kurashev for at least their upcoming three-game homestand, if not longer. The team announced both have been placed on injured reserve with undisclosed issues and did not issue timelines for their return. Their roster spots have gone to wingers Ethan Cardwell and Igor Chernyshov, who were recalled from AHL San Jose.

Smith and Kurashev both departed Saturday’s 6-5 comeback win over the Penguins prematurely. Smith was forced out early in the third period after taking a crushing hit from Pittsburgh defender Parker Wotherspoon (video via JD Young of Locked on Sharks). Kurashev left in the second period after losing his balance on the forecheck and sliding hard into the boards.

Smith’s absence is of special concern to the Sharks, who are hanging onto the second wild-card spot in the West despite continued league-worst underlying numbers. The 2023 No. 4 overall pick has firmly emerged as a top-line piece, stapled to Macklin Celebrini’s wing since the beginning of the campaign. Unsurprisingly, he’s second on the team in scoring with 12 goals and 29 points in 33 games, averaging 17:55 of ice time per game. That’s up by more than two minutes over his rookie outing last year, putting him on pace to easily surpass his 18-27–45 scoring line in 74 games in 2024-25.

That is, of course, assuming his absence isn’t an extended one. The Sharks have a relatively easy upcoming schedule with three out of their next five games against teams that didn’t make the playoffs last year. Getting out of that stretch with three wins, particularly if Smith doesn’t miss much more than the week required by IR, would be a major gain in their still-slim but increasingly realistic playoff hopes.

Kurashev’s absence is also of significant consequence. He’d logged time with Celebrini and Smith this season on occasion when Tyler Toffoli wasn’t with them on the top line. He would have been the first name to step in alongside Celebrini and Toffoli with Smith out, leaving San Jose without two top-six options for the time being.

The 26-year-old was non-tendered by the Blackhawks last summer. San Jose picked him up on a one-year, $1.2MM deal when free agency opened. So far, it’s been one of the better buy-low signings of the offseason. He hasn’t recaptured the heights of his 54-point campaign with Chicago two years ago, but he has been a versatile piece for the Sharks, providing valuable secondary scoring. He’s seventh on the team with 15 points (six goals, nine assists) in 31 outings while averaging over 16 minutes per night, routinely featuring on their second power-play unit.

San Jose, still not fully exited from its rebuild, still has a pair of fairly high-ceiling options to replace them with. Cardwell, 23, has already worked his way up into being a trusted recall option for the Sharks after being a fourth-round pick in 2021. He’s got 10 NHL appearances to his name over the past year and has scored his first two NHL goals. It’s his second recall of the campaign after being summoned for more than a week in early November.

Cardwell was an immediate scoring threat in the minors, scoring 23 goals in 71 games for the Barracuda as a rookie in 2023-24. He’s kept his point production up and has nine points (three goals, six assists) in 14 appearances this year. A high-motor winger, he doesn’t have the raw offensive skillset to truly stand out in a San Jose prospect pool ripe with first-round picks and more high-end sleepers, but he hasn’t looked out of place at all in his first few NHL chances.

The real headliner, though, is Chernyshov. The 20-year-old Russian was the first pick of the second round in 2024 at No. 33 overall, later than most thought he would go. So far in his development, he’s proven the Sharks – and the public – right. After spending his pre-draft development in his native Russia, Chernyshov immediately signed his entry-level deal with San Jose and came to North America for the 2024-25 campaign. While an injury limited him to 23 games with the OHL’s Saginaw Spirit, he was the top scorer in major junior hockey on a per-game basis. With 19 goals and 36 assists for 55 points, he racked up an incredible 2.39 points per game.

What’s perhaps most intriguing is the niche he fills in San Jose’s prospect pool. At 6’3″ and 205 lbs, he could bring a needed power forward element to the Sharks’ top six forward group in short order. Now making the jump to the pros this year, he’s well on his way toward doing so. He leads the Barracuda in scoring with 11 goals and 23 points in 25 games. He entered the season as the Sharks’ No. 7 prospect (according to Steven Ellis of Daily Faceoff) but has moved up at least two spots with Yaroslav Askarov and Sam Dickinson graduating to full-time roles.

If the Sharks don’t want to do major surgery on their lineup, it stands to reason Chernyshov could get dropped into the fire as a direct replacement for Smith on the top line with Celebrini and Toffoli, while Cardwell fills in a familiar depth role.

Afternoon Notes: Misa, DiVincentiis, Team Canada

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San Jose Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky elaborated on why top prospect Michael Misa missed the start of Team Canada’s World Junior Championship training camp. Misa is not too injured to miss any World Juniors time, but was still considered recovering day-to-day, per Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now. That was enough for San Jose to keep Misa with the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda for a couple more days, and a couple more practices.

Misa taking in a tad more pro coaching before headed to camp will be no bad news for Team Canada. They will be bringing in a potential tournament MVP in Misa, who scored an incredible 62 goals and 134 points in 65 OHL games last season. That earned Misa the second-overall selection in the 2025 draft, behind New York Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer, who will not head to World Juniors camp. Misa will form a formidable top-line with Gavin McKenna and Porter Martone and look to bring Canada their first World Junior Gold since 2018.

Other notes from around the league:

  • The Winnipeg Jets have reassigned depth goaltender Domenic DiVincentiis in the wake of Connor Hellebuyck’s return. DiVincentiis served as backup for a few days after Thomas Milic – who earned three starts in Hellebuyck’s absence – was reassigned earlier in the month. DiVincentiis did not make his NHL debut. He has six wins and a .915 save percentage in 13 AHL games this season, and will battle with Milic for the Manitoba Moose’s starting role.
  • Hockey Canada will announce their men’s Olympic roster on New Year’s Eve per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Team Canada has already locked six players into the lineup – Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Connor McDavid, Brayden Point, and Sam Reinhart. They also hosted an orientation camp that invited 42 players to prep for Olympic selection. The camp roster only featured three goalies – Jordan Binnington, Adin Hill, and Sam Montembeault. All three goalies have struggled in the season since, which could make for some interesting decisions come the last day of the year. With Crosby, McDavid, MacKinnon, and Makar getting ready for their first Winter Olympics, Canada will be the early favorite for 2026 Gold.

Will Smith, Philipp Kurashev Leave Game With Injury

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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.

Askarov (Illness) Rejoins Sharks In Toronto

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  • Sharks goaltender Yaroslav Askarov didn’t play last night due to illness but he has rejoined the team at the next stop of their road trip in Toronto, relays Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News. As expected, it has been an up-and-down year for San Jose’s top goalie prospect but he has posted a respectable 3.14 GAA with a .901 SV% in 19 starts so far.  The Sharks used an EBUG as the backup on Tuesday in Philadelphia and the fact no netminder has been recalled since suggests they expect Askarov will at least be able to serve as the backup on Thursday.

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