The San Jose Sharks's 2026 Training Camp is set to start on Thursday, so let's take a look at each individual player and discuss a question surrounding each of them heading into the 2026-27 season.
Forwards:
Alex Barre-Boulet: Can he bring elite scoring to the Barracuda, or potentially even steal an NHL roster spot?
Filip Bystedt: Is it finally his time to break into the NHL?
Ethan Cardwell: Has he been passed on the depth chart by too many players to ever have a chance at cracking the NHL roster?
Macklin Celebrini: How many of his own franchise records can Celebrini break this year?
Igor Chernyshov: It's clear he belongs in the NHL at this stage, so where does he fit and whose job does he take?
Ty Dellandrea: Can he hold off some young guns pushing for a roster spot or will be be buried in the AHL?
Tye Felhaber: Can Felhaber get back to his AHL scoring pace from the 2024-25 season?
Andre Gasseau: Historically, Rookie Faceoff standouts tend to regress in training camp against stiffer competition. Can Gasseau be the exception?
Adam Gaudette: Does Gaudette's edge on goal-scoring save him from being the 13th forward or does he sit on most nights?
Patrick Giles: What does Giles need to do to move from a fringe player to legitimately competing for an NHL job?
Barclay Goodrow: If enough young players outperform Goodrow in training camp, how far can his leadership and off-ice qualities go toward keeping him in the lineup?
Collin Graf: Considering Stenberg seems set for the first line in an ideal scenario and both Marchment and Chernyshov are expected to get top-six roles which line makes sense for Graf?
Jake Gustafson: How much can Gustafson learn in his first NHL training camp and what effects does it have on his WHL performance this season?
Donavan Houle: Can Houle establish himself as a full-time AHL option or is the ECHL in his future once again?
Jimmy Huntington: Can Huntington's experience and leadership help him earn a few depth call-ups this season?
Brett Leason: After a season spent mostly in the AHL, can Leason return to his previous form and force himself into an NHL role once again?
Cam Lund: While it's clear he's a talented player, can Cam Lund stay healthy enough to earn another chance in the NHL at some point this season?
Mason Marchment: Many on social media have stated that they feel signing Marchment was unnecessary given the Sharks' logjam of forwards, can he prove them wrong?
Michael Misa: The Sharks are banking on Misa being their second-line center of the future, but after a relatively disappointing Rookie Faceoff, can he take that role right out of the gate?
Quentin Musty: Does Musty's new style of play, which embraces the grit required to play a bottom-six role, help him break into the NHL?
Zack Ostapchuk: Even though his new contract carries a relatively low cap hit, signing any bottom-six player with just over 100 games of NHL experience for four years is risky. Can Ostapchuk show that he's worth that commitment?
Kiefer Sherwood: Sherwood's goal-scoring dropped off considerably after joining the Sharks, can he return to the same pace he had with the Vancouver Canucks last season?
Will Smith: Is this the season that Smith joins Macklin Celebrini in superstardom and massive contracts?
Ivar Stenberg: How quickly can he adapt to the North American style of play and do the Sharks follow the same development plan they've used with Smith and Misa?
Tyler Toffoli: Is age starting to catch up with Toffoli or was last season just an outlier?
Anthony Vincent: Can Vincent maintain his role with the Barracuda despite the new additions?
Alexander Wennberg: How long can Wennberg hold off Misa and remain the Sharks' 2C?
Carson Wetsch: Can Wetsch use his momentum from the Rookie Faceoff to snatch away a bottom-six role at the NHL level in his first professional season?
Defensemen:
Nolan Allan: Allan hasn't played in the NHL since the 2024-25 season when he appeared in 43 games for the Chicago Blackhawks, can he take the final defensive job?
Luca Cagnoni: Are the Sharks confident enough in Cagnoni's ability to play with on his off-hand side to give him the final spot on the blue line?
Sam Dickinson: Early last season, Dickinson seemed like he wasn't quite ready for the NHL but had to be there due to a lack of options. Is he truly ready now?
Libor Hajek: North American hockey fans haven't seen Hajek in roughly four years, is he an NHLer or AHLer at this stage?
Mattias Havelid: Havelid missed some time with the Barracuda last season, appearing in just 44 games. Can he stay healthy enough to provide a boost to the blue line?
Alexander Karmanov: Karmanov's size was a huge advantage and helped overcome his skating issues in the Rookie Faceoff, will he look out of place against NHL level talent?
Michael Kesselring: Last season, Kesselring struggled to get anything going in Buffalo. Will he bounce back to being the player we saw in Utah?
Roland McKeown: Can McKeown's leadership help the Barracuda when times get tough?
Darnell Nurse: Will Nurse's change of scenery truly be beneficial?
Mack Oliphant: Will Oliphant be able to secure himself a full-time role with the Barracuda or is he Wichita bound?
Dmitry Orlov: Heading into the final season of his contract, do the Sharks look to prioritize youth and play the veteran in a lower role or do they give Orlov substantial ice time on a nightly basis?
Eric Pohlkamp: Pohlkamp looked solid at the Rookie Faceoff and his shot seems to be a game-changer on the power play, can that elevate him into the NHL right away?
Leo Sahlin-Wallenius: How quickly can Sahlin-Wallenius adapt to North American hockey, especially in a rough league like the AHL?
Phillip Sinn: Coming out of the DEL, not much is truly known about Sinn at this point in time. What does he bring to the table and at what level?
Jacob Trouba: Trouba's contract has earned the Sharks a lot of flak this summer, can he prove that he's worth his cap hit?
Goaltenders:
Yaroslav Askarov: Can Askarov truly step up and prove that he deserves to be the Sharks' long-term starting goaltender or should they start looking toward a future with Ravensbergen?
Eric Comrie: While many feel like Comrie is destined for the AHL, he's been in the NHL for quite a while at this point. Can he use his experience to unseat one of the Sharks' other goalies?
Matt Davis: Can Davis do enough to convince the Sharks to sign him to a two-way deal or will he remain on an AHL contract moving forward?
Brady Knowling: At the Rookie Faceoff, Knowling seemed to be playing well above expectations. Can he keep the momentum rolling?
Alex Nedeljkovic: Can Nedeljkovic unseat Askarov as the starting netminder, will he remain the backup, or will he be passed by Comrie?
While quite a bit of the Sharks' roster already seems set, there are a lot of questions that still need to be answered and only time will reveal the true answer.
