With a shortened preseason, it seemed clear that the San Jose Sharks would be making some transactions sooner than later. On Monday afternoon, the organization announced [https://www.nhl.com/sharks/news/sharks-reduce-training-camp-roster-2026-27] that they've sent three players back to their respective teams in the Canadian Hockey League. 7-foot-1 defenseman Alexander Karmanov is heading back to North Bay, where he'll spend one more season with the Ontario Hockey League's North Bay Battalion before heading off to the collegiate ranks with Penn State for the 2027-28 season. Goaltender Brady Knowling will be joining Karmanov in the OHL, as he's slated to make his major junior debut this season. He's joining the Saginaw Spirit for one season before he also joins the NCAA, as he's committed to Boston University for the 2027-28 campaign. Last, but certainly not least, San Jose native Jake Gustafson will be heading back to the Western Hockey League's Portland Winterhawks for one final season in major junior hockey before, like the others, he moves to collegiate hockey with Colorado College. There were certainly no surprises in this round of roster cuts, but hopefully each prospect learned some ways to take their game to the next level during their first experience at a professional training camp.
