Fear The Fin
A San Jose Sharks Community where fun must be always
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No. 20 Nolan Allan: Depth defenseman of the future?
The San Jose Sharks have done a very good job of building the prospect pool through the draft. In fact, the first five players on our list were all selected by General Manager Mike Grier and his team in the past few drafts. That said, sometimes you have to use the assets that you acquire to fill positions of need. And that’s the case with the 20th player on our list, Nolan Allan, who was added to the Sharks through trade rather than through the draft. The Sharks traded for Allan in Januar...
No. 21 Haoxi Wang: High risk, high reward pick
A defenseman does not have to be the flashiest player on the ice to become an important part of a winning team. Sometimes, his biggest value comes from making the difficult parts of the game look routine. That is where Haoxi Wang comes in. The Sharks selected Wang 33rd overall in the 2025 NHL Draft, making him the highest-drafted Chinese-born player in NHL history. At 6-foot-5, he already has the size that separates him from many of the other defensemen in San Jose’s system. Now, the focu...
No. 22 Cole McKinney: San Jose’s future Swiss Army Knife?
San Jose Sharks General Manager Mike Grier has always believed that when building a championship team, there are roles that players play, and you need to find the best players for each of those roles. You have your top-six forwards and your bottom-six and both are equally as important on a team. The question is whether you can fill those roles with the best players available and develop those players within your program. Currently, the Sharks have gone out and found players to fill the bo...
No. 23 Carson Wetsch: Prepping for his first pro season
Joining his childhood buddy Macklin Celebrini in San Jose for the first time, Carson Wetsch is getting ready to carve out his own professional career. The 20-year-old signed his first entry-level contract with the San Jose Sharks in the spring and is expected to start with the San Jose Barracuda this fall. Wetsch joins the Barracuda after a good season with the Kelowna Rockets in the WHL. He scored 72 points (22 G, 50 A) in 65 games and finished a plus-14. He also had 80 penalty minutes. ...
No. 24 Mattias Havelid: Looking to make strides in year 2
Sometimes with hockey prospects, you have to be patient, and that’s just what might need to happen with San Jose Sharks prospect Mattias Havelid. Since he was drafted in 2022, the 22-year-old defenseman hasn’t made many waves the way other prospects in our pool have. In fact, he’s dropped down our Top 25 Under 25 list every season since his draft year, going from 13th to 22nd to 23rd and now he’s at 24th. Havelid’s slow decline has some to do with the Sharks adding top-end talent that’s pushed...
No. 25 Christian Kirsch: Sliding onto the list for the first time
2024 was a good draft year for the San Jose Sharks. Headlined by Macklin Celebrini, Sam Dickinson and Igor Chernyshov, the players lower in the draft don’t get talked about a lot. But the 2024 draft is starting to bear some fruit below the headliners, and the first on our list is goaltender Christian Kirsch. Position: Goaltender Height: 6’4″ Weight: 209 lbs. Age: 20 Date of Birth: June 18, 2006 Draft Year: 2024 (116th overall by the San Jose Sharks) Catches: Left 2026-27 Team: Quinnipiac ...
Top 25 Sharks Under 25 honorable mentions 2026 edition
Thank you to everyone who voted in this year’s Fear the Fin Top 25 Sharks Under 25 fan poll. We received well over 100 votes and after looking at the list, I can honestly say there are a lot of good reasons to be hopeful about the present and the future of the San Jose Sharks. A quick note about our process before I jump into the honorable mentions. While more than 100 people voted, not everyone filled out the entire form. Some people only chose their top ten Sharks. That’s okay. The trou...
Too early look at Sharks 2026 forward lines
It looks like the dust has settled on free agency and the San Jose Sharks have settled on the forward lines for the time being. The biggest addition on the first day of free agency was forward Mason Marchment. Two days later, the Sharks signed first-round draft pick Ivar Stenberg to his entry-level contract. While it’s not a guarantee that the forward will play for the Sharks on opening night, most experts are pretty sure that the kid will be on the 23-man roster. The subtractions include...
2026 Top 25 Sharks Under 25 survey now open
The top 25 under 25 Sharks survey is back for another season, and it’s another good season to be an optimistic San Jose Sharks fan. Once again, the prospect pool is loaded with riches, and the under-25 crowd is chockful of talent. Before we jump into the new additions, let’s take a look at what last season’s list looked like. 1. Macklin Celebrini 2. Will Smith 3. Michael Misa 4. William Eklund 5. Yaroslav Askarov 6. Sam Dickinson 7. Shakir Mukhamadullin 8. Igor Cherny...
Sharks lock up Macklin Celebrini through 2032
Today, the San Jose Sharks took care of arguably one of the team’s most important pieces of business this offseason, especially in this offer sheet era. General Manager Mike Grier announced this morning that Macklin Celebrini agreed to a new, five-year contract that will keep the young forward with the team through the 2031-32 season. The deal will make Celebrini the highest-paid player in the league (for now) and carries a cap hit of $18.8 million per season when it goes into effect in 2027-2...
Checking in on San Jose’s RFAs and UFAs
Heading into free agency, the San Jose Sharks had a lot of restricted free agents and unrestricted free agents that General Manager Mike Grier had to re-sign to new contracts or allow to explore free agency. With all the craziness of the last few days, it’s hard to keep track of what happened to all of them, so here’s a quick rundown of where they went and who is still looking for a contract. Egor Afanasyev, Forward Afanasyev never really got a shot with the Sharks and as such, he wa...
Scrimmage Chaos, New Faces, and a Rebuilt Blueprint Signal a Turning Point for the Sharks Summer
The annual prospect scrimmage had the usual mix of chaos and promise, but it landed against a backdrop of a Sharks offseason that already feels different. Heavier, deeper, and more intentional after a busy stretch of free agency reshaped the roster around its young core. As the Sharks navigate one of the busiest stretches of the offseason, balancing free-agent additions, trade speculation and the continued growth of one of the NHL’s deepest prospect pools, Thursday’s team Thornton vs. Mar...
San Jose Sharks trade for Darnell Nurse
In a bit of work that seemed to develop out of thin air, General Manager Mike Grier traded restricted free agent Shakir Mukhamadullin and 2025 draft pick (124th overall) Zachary Sharp to the Edmonton Oilers for defenseman Darnell Nurse. The Sharks took on the entire cap hit of Nurse’s contract, which lasts through the 2029-30 season. How does Nurse’s contract break down? Nurse’s contract comes with a $9.25 million AAV, but the actual cost of the deal is a bit less for the Sharks. Tha...
San Jose Sharks sign Jacob Trouba to $33M contract
The San Jose Sharks have locked in a right-shot defenseman to hopefully carry the team through in the short-term until 2026 first-round draft picks Keaton Verhoeff and Ryan Lin are ready to make the transition to the NHL. The Sharks announced on July 1 the team signed Jacob Trouba to a four-year deal worth $33 million. The deal comes with an annual cap hit of $8.25 million. Breaking down the contract According to Puckpedia, the contract is front-loaded. It includes a no-trade clause ...
Development Camp Day 1 Recap
Following the 2026 National Hockey League draft, the San Jose Sharks had the pick of the litter with three first-round picks – and came home with building blocks for a dominant future. Draftees and prospects hit the ice at Sharks Ice in San Jose yesterday: first-round picks Ivar Stenberg (No. 2), Keaton Verhoeff (No. 9) and Ryan Lin (No. 21) stole the show. Led by Barracuda Head Coach John McCarthy, alongside Sharks legends Joe Thornton and Evgeni Nabokov, day one was a plate full of exci...
Sharks re-sign Ostapchuk, Kesselring
Lost in the mix of an excellent draft weekend was General Manager Mike Grier getting some key pieces of business done. The San Jose Sharks announced on Saturday that the team signed restricted free agent Zack Ostapchuk to a four-year extension. The next day, restricted free agent Michael Kesselring signed a three-year extension of his own. Locking up a fourth-line center and a mid- to bottom-pairing defenseman for the next few years is tidy work for the general manager after pulling off s...
Sharks take Ivar Stenberg second overall; Keaton Verhoeff ninth overall; trade up to take Ryan Lin at 21st
Was there ever any doubt? Soothing the souls of San Jose Sharks fans everywhere, Mike Grier and company have selected Ivar Stenberg as the second overall pick in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft. A forward, Stenberg played in the Swedish Hockey League last season, an 18-year-old playing against a bunch of men and still putting up points. He managed to have 33 points in 43 games and took home the Rookie of the Year trophy at the end of the season. Among all of the players left on the draft board, ...
Every San Jose Sharks pick in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft
It’s draft day, San Jose Sharks fans, and General Manager Mike Grier has been wheeling and dealing to get the team not one, not two, but three picks in the first round of this year’s draft. As of the time of this posting (I make no guarantees about what happens after), the Sharks have the following picks: #⃣ Got our (updated) numbers. pic.twitter.com/gTPCY8WTdm — San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) June 24, 2026 With three picks in the first round … for now … the Sharks are set to...
Sharks’ options at number 9 overall
San Jose Sharks General Manager Mike Grier has once again made life interesting for Sharks fans. Not only did the Sharks luck into today’s second overall pick, but just days before the draft, Grier also traded for the 9th overall pick , giving the Sharks two top ten picks in 2026. Since Grier traded William Eklund to get that 9th overall pick from the Ottawa Senators, we can be pretty sure that the Sharks plan to take Ivar Stenberg at second overall. He’s one of only two players in this draft ...
Sharks trade William Eklund to Ottawa Senators
The San Jose Sharks have traded the team’s longest tenured forward to the Ottawa Senators. This afternoon, the Sharks organization announced it traded William Eklund, Kasper Halttunen and Brandon Svoboda to the Senators for the 9th overall pick in the upcoming draft. The deal comes one day after the Senators acquired the ninth overall pick (along with a few others) from the Florida Panthers for Brady Tkachuk. What the Sharks lose in this deal Obviously, the biggest loss in this deal ...
2026 NHL draft: The case for Carson Carels
Virtually all avenues are open to the San Jose Sharks with the second overall pick in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft, but as they told Spiderman, “With great power comes great responsibility.” Despite the fact that General Manager Mike Grier can select virtually anyone with this draft pick, there are only a handful of players that truly stand out as qualified to be selected with the second overall pick. Everyone is assuming that the Toronto Maple Leafs will select Gavin McKenna at number one ov...
2026 NHL draft: The case for Keaton Verhoeff
With the second overall pick in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft, the San Jose Sharks have a lot of options. We explored the possibility of San Jose picking forward Ivar Stenberg at second, and we also looked at defenseman Chase Reid in previous posts. Both of these options seem like very real possibilities, given how closely together in skill the top five or so prospects seem to be grouped. For many scouts, it’s a matter of opinion and value. Do you value skating more than shooting skills? Do you...
2026 NHL Draft: The case for Chase Reid
The San Jose Sharks have a killer group of young forwards that have made them the deepest prospect pool in the NHL. With Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith, Michael Misa, Quentin Musty, Kasper Halttunen, Collin Graf, Filip Bystedt and more, the Sharks are the envy of many an NHL general manager. In the net, Yaroslav Askarov appears to be the goaltender of the future with Joshua Ravensbergen and Christian Kirsch there to catch him if he falls. What Team Teal does not have is a top-of-the-line d...
2026 NHL Draft: The case for Ivar Stenberg
Since coming to San Jose to helm the Sharks, General Manager Mike Grier has never wavered from his promise of drafting the best player available (BPA). He’s always said that he will draft the BPA and no matter what the noise around him is, he’s stuck to that promise. It happened last season when the Sharks selected Michael Misa despite having a need for a defenseman and even more so when, with the 30th overall pick, the team selected goaltender Joshua Ravensbergen because he was next up on the...
Laila Edwards headlines PWHL San Jose’s draft day
From Olympic Gold medalist to first-round draft pick, Laila Edwards is the newest member of PWHL San Jose. The defender headlined the first-ever draft class for PWHL San Jose, bringing the total number of players for San Jose’s team to 16. A few days ago, the rumors started swirling that Edwards might fall to fourth overall because PWHL Las Vegas was interested in taking a center with the third pick in the draft. Those rumors were confirmed when the team selected Tessa Janecke at number t...
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