Opening night at the SAP Center is slowly getting closer, as we’re now just 71 days away from the Sharks kicking off their 2025-26 season. The number 71 has been on the back of three different players, however it’s safe to say its current player is the best of the bunch after just a single season in the NHL. Macklin Celebrini, the Sharks’ teenage superstar just finished his rookie season but he’s on pace to be the face of the organization in the very near future. In his rookie season, Celebrini finished with an impressive 25 goals and 63 points through 70 games while also being reliable defensively. The longest-tenured number 71 so far has been defenseman Nikolai Knyzhov who wore it from 2020-2024. He played 81 games for the Sharks during that period, and recorded 12 points. Since leaving the Sharks organization, Knyzhov has bounced around between the ECHL and the American Hockey League. He signed with the Abbotsford Canucks for the 2025-26 season. The first player to wear the number 71 for the Sharks only played five career NHL games. That was forward Daniil Tarasov, not to be confused with the Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender. Since leaving the Sharks, he went back to the Russian Kontinental Hockey League and, most recently, played with SC Csikzereda of the Romanian league. Photo Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
