Fear The Fin
A San Jose Sharks Community where fun must be always
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Quick bites: Sennecke, Ducks top Sharks 6-2
The San Jose Sharks didn’t send much of a regular-season lineup down to Southern California for the team’s first preseason game of the 2026-27 season. Looking at the rosters leading into the game, it looked like all the makings of a potential mess, with the Anaheim Ducks icing top players like Jackson LaCombe and Stian Solberg on the backend and Leo Carlsson, Beckette Sennecke, Cutter Gauthier and Roger McQueen up front. Meanwhile, the salary of the entire Sharks’ roster in SoCal barely added ...
No. 14 Quentin Musty: Is his future in teal?
San Jose Sharks’ prospect Quentin Musty is falling down our prospect pool boards. He was 5th overall in 2024. He was 9th overall in 2025. And this season, he’s 14th overall. But don’t let that fool you. His ranking this season has a lot more to do with San Jose’s draft luck and less to do with the player himself. Remember, Musty was drafted late in the first round of 2023. Since then, San Jose has had four top-ten draft picks and one just outside of the top ten, Sam Dickinson at 11th overall. ...
Sharks at Ducks preseason game 1: Lines, game thread and how to watch
Holy cow everyone, we’re back! Game one of the preseason is here and if it feels like it’s early, that’s because it is. This is a condensed preseason because then 84-game, that’s right, I said 84-game season, is starting in just a few weeks. The Sharks have four preseason games to start things off and given that this is an away game, we won’t see many of the top liners headed down to Southern California to face the Anaheim Ducks. While a team has to play a certain number of veterans in ea...
No. 15 Filip Bystedt: Ready for that next step?
It feels like we’ve been talking about San Jose Sharks prospect Filip Bystedt forever as a potential center to break through on the Sharks roster. So it’s hard to believe that the kid is just 22 years old, and he was only drafted four years ago by the Sharks. Bystedt was the first-ever pick by then-new General Manager Mike Grier. And while the young Swedish center hasn’t played in the NHL yet, the way that other first-round draft picks on Grier’s resume have, that could change soon. Posit...
More Good Players. Fewer Spots. A New Sharks Season
NHL veteran Alexander Wennberg looked around the Sharks’ locker room and saw a problem he didn’t mind having. “There’s so many good players. There’s just a few spots,” Wennberg said. For a team still finding its way, that wasn’t always the case. Now, with more veterans around a young core and competition throughout the lineup, the Sharks have something they haven’t had in years, players waiting for their chance. With injuries already testing the group before the season begins, t...
From Germany to San Jose, Phillip Sinn Takes the Next Step
Phillip Sinn left Germany with a new team waiting for him in San Jose. He left behind his family, friends and a hockey environment he had known his entire life. In their place was another chance to grow. For Sinn, the move was more about what he could learn next. But the decision to come to San Jose was a no-brainer for him. “Obviously the young core and the team they want to build … the coaching staff, like all those guys that played on the Sharks a couple years ago, lege...
No. 16 Zack Ostapchuk: Finding a place on the fourth line
Last year, when we checked in with Zack Ostapchuk, the kid had some potential, but it was hard to say what he was going to bring to the San Jose Sharks. There was size and grit, but not a whole lot going on in terms of ability to drive play or contribute to an impactful, checking fourth line. He was still young and finding his place in the NHL. Fast forward to this past season, when Ostapchuk found a way to earn his place in the Sharks lineup. Through a bit of luck and a lot of hard work,...
Sharks Close Rookie Faceoff With 3-1 Win Over Utah
The Sharks had one more game to show what they could do. San Jose defeated the Utah Mammoth 3-1 on Sunday at Tech CU Arena, closing the Rookie Faceoff with its second win of the tournament. After opening with an 8-1 win over Los Angeles, the Sharks faced another physical game against Utah and found a different way to finish it. Jake Gustafson gave the Sharks one more reason to remember him before the Rookie Faceoff ended. The sixth-round pick scored twice Sunday, including a goal wit...
PWHL San Jose signs first-round pick Laila Edwards to three-year contract
PWHL San Jose has locked in what will hopefully be the team’s cornerstone player for the foreseeable future. The yet-to-be-named team signed fourth-overall draft pick Laila Edwards to a three-year “standard player agreement” through the 2028-29 season. “We are thrilled to officially welcome Laila to San Jose and are excited about what her commitment means for the future we are building here,” said Troy Ryan, PWHL San Jose General Manager and Head Coach. “Laila is an exceptional talent who...
Sharks show connection in 8-1 win over Kings
The Sharks’ bench rose as 7’1″ Alexander Karmanov stepped in. Players stood together along the boards, watching as the young defenseman dropped the gloves after a moment on the ice. It was one of several times San Jose players responded for each other throughout the night. The game was only an exhibition, but the message was immediate. The Sharks were going to play for one another. The Sharks’ Rookie Faceoff opener game against the Los Angeles Kings at Tech CU Arena on Saturday ...
No. 17 Leo Sahlin Wallenius: Puck-moving defenseman with promise
For fans who don’t watch all of a team’s prospects play, it’s easy to lose track of the young players in the system, especially the defensemen who tend to take a little longer to develop. This can be especially true of European players. While you might hear their name on draft day, you sometimes don’t hear about them again for a year or two. Aside from a check in here or there, their development is a bit of a mystery. And, unless you’re a diehard hockey fan, you don’t see a lot of European hoc...
No. 18 Cam Lund: Patience could pay off with second round pick
Cam Lund’s first full professional season did not go completely to plan, but he did not let any setbacks derail his progression. The San Jose Sharks’ 2022 second-round pick spent the 2025-26 season with the Barracuda, producing 9 goals and 16 assists for 25 points in 37 games, while replacing an injured Filip Bystedt to earn an AHL All-Star selection. His own season was then cut short by an injury, making the numbers somewhat less representative of his earlier progress. Ultimately, however, Lu...
No. 19 Ethan Cardwell: It’s now or never
For 24-year-old Ethan Cardwell, this might be his last chance to show he has what it takes to make it on the San Jose Sharks’ roster. The young forward had a chance to force his way onto the roster last season, but an up-and-down showing when he did get the call up didn’t do him any favors. Instead, he was passed on the depth chart early in the season and, when the roster spots finally opened up in the spring, Cardwell was unavailable. The forward suffered a season-ending injury in February th...
Sharks sign goaltender Ilya Samsonov, but why four NHL goaltenders?
The San Jose Sharks have added another goaltender with NHL games on his resume to the team’s roster. The Sharks have signed Ilya Samsonov to a one-year, two-way contract. According to PuckPedia, the goaltender has a $850,000 cap hit whether he’s playing in the AHL or the NHL that drops down to $225,000 if he’s playing in the AHL. The 29-year-old Samsonov played in the KHL last season, where he appeared in 14 games of HK Sochi and finished the season with a 3.27 goals-against average and ....
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...
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