Former Saginaw Spirit forward Igor Chernyshov made his NHL debut back on Dec. 16 with the San Jose Sharks. He’s five games into his NHL career, but he’s making an immediate impact in the big league alongside superstar Macklin Celebrini. 

Chernyshov began his NHL career on a line with Celebrini. He played 12:20 in his debut, but he’s quickly earning the trust of Sharks Head Coach Ryan Warsofsky to play more minutes. And why shouldn’t he? Chernyshov through five games is a point-per-game. 

The 6-foot-2 Russian forward recorded an assist in each of his first three games. After having his pointstreak snapped against Vegas on Dec. 23, the Sharks rookie had his best game Saturday night in Vancouver, helping San Jose skate by the Canucks with a 6-3 victory. 

On the power play in the third period, Chernyshov was left all alone in front of the net, took a pass off the wall from Adam Gaudette, and made no mistake finding the back of the net for his first career NHL goal. 

A milestone moment for the former OHL star, but it was also a massive goal for the Sharks in that game. Marco Rossi had made it a one-goal game just 36 seconds into the third, but Chernyshov restored his team’s two-goal lead. 

Later in the third, again after Vancouver cut the lead to one, Chernyshov used his big frame to shield the puck in the corner before finding his star centerman, Celebrini, in the slot. 

San Jose fans and reporters have been quick to say that the young Russian forward shouldn’t come out of the lineup when they have a healthy lineup. The Sharks currently have two regulars out of their lineup in Will Smith and Philipp Kurashev at forward. Chernyshov most likely will be sent down once one of them is healthy enough to return, but he’s taking advantage of his opportunity. 

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