San Jose enters 2026-27 with Macklin Celebrini driving the attack, a deeper group of finishers around him and three veteran defensemen brought in to help close the gaps at both ends of the ice.
SEO Title: San Jose Sharks 2026-27 Notebook: Celebrini, New Blue Line and NHL EDGE Trends
SEO Description: Macklin Celebrini’s shooting and skating numbers headline San Jose’s 2026-27 outlook, while Jacob Trouba, Darnell Nurse and Michael Kesselring reshape the Sharks defense.
San Jose Sharks notebook: Celebrini leads a more dangerous roster
Celebrini’s second NHL season put him at the front of the League’s shooting data. The 20-year-old led all players with 25 goals from the mid-range area and 159 shots on goal from that zone. As a rookie in 2024-25, he had been tied for second in the NHL with 119 mid-range shots.
The 2024 first-overall pick also showed a shot that can beat goaltenders from multiple looks. His 97.89 mph top shot ranked seventh among forwards last season, and he led forwards with 150 attempts in the 70-80 mph band. He added 81 attempts between 80 and 90 mph, seventh most at his position, plus six attempts from 90-100 mph, placing him in the 97th percentile. His average shot speed of 62.26 mph landed in the 95th percentile among forwards.
Celebrini led the NHL with 27 wrist-shot goals and had five slap-shot goals, tied for 11th among forwards. He also produced three long-range goals, tied for 10th at his position, while posting 28 long-range shots on goal. Around the net, he scored 13 high-danger goals and put 59 high-danger shots on target; both marks were in the 83rd percentile for forwards.
His workload without the puck was just as notable. Celebrini covered 293.72 miles at all strengths, eighth in the NHL and second among forwards, and skated 47.80 miles on the power play, third most in the League. He finished tied for 10th with 33 power-play points, logged 872 bursts between 18 and 20 mph, fifth among forwards, and recorded 186 bursts above 20 mph, good for the 93rd percentile. With that all-around profile, he enters the season as a serious Hart Trophy and Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy contender.
Finishing depth showed up across the lineup
The Sharks were not a one-player shooting team last season. They finished ninth in the NHL with 132 high-danger goals and tied for 10th with 84 mid-range goals, with several forwards contributing from different scoring areas.
Collin Graf posted career highs of 21 goals and 46 points in 81 games. His 15 high-danger goals placed him in the 90th percentile among forwards, and his 70 high-danger shots on goal ranked in the 91st percentile.
Will Smith also reached new personal bests, scoring 24 goals and producing 59 points despite missing 13 games. His 89 mid-range shots on goal were in the 97th percentile for forwards, while his nine mid-range goals ranked in the 89th percentile. Smith was also a major power-play skater, covering 33.09 miles with the man advantage, a 91st-percentile total. His hardest recorded shot reached 90.26 mph, in the 84th percentile.
Kiefer Sherwood’s production split sharply after his Jan. 19 arrival from the Vancouver Canucks. He scored 17 goals in 44 games with Vancouver, then had six in 28 games after joining San Jose. Still, his underlying shooting profile remained among the Sharks’ best: a 95.79 mph top shot, seven attempts in the 90-100 mph range and a 58.94 mph average shot speed. Those figures ranked in the 98th, 98th and 88th percentiles, respectively, among forwards.
Sherwood also generated 31 long-range shots on goal, 15 high-danger goals, 59 high-danger shots and 46 mid-range shots. He has been the NHL’s most physical forward over the past four seasons as well, leading the League with 1,138 hits.
Tyler Toffoli remained a reliable shooting option even as his 2025-26 total dropped to 19 goals. The nine-time 20-goal scorer has 49 goals through two seasons in San Jose. He tied for third among forwards with four long-range goals and posted 24 long-range shots on goal, 69 high-danger shots and 47 mid-range shots, all strong marks for his position.
New blue line faces a defensive correction
San Jose’s offseason work focused heavily on the defense corps, bringing in Jacob Trouba, Darnell Nurse and Michael Kesselring. The need is plain: the Sharks allowed 3.54 goals per game last season, 30th in the NHL, and surrendered 29.6 shots per game, tied for 27th. Their defensemen supplied only 29 goals, 27th in the League, and 141 points, 28th overall.
Trouba arrives with 906 regular-season games, 84 goals, 274 assists and 358 points, plus 85 Stanley Cup Playoff appearances. The 32-year-old finished fifth in the NHL with 107 long-range shots on goal last season. He scored four long-range goals, recorded 10 high-danger shots and scored twice from high-danger territory.
His shooting remains a weapon from the back end. Trouba registered 66 attempts between 80 and 90 mph, 12 between 90 and 100 mph and a top speed of 96.47 mph. Since entering the League with the Winnipeg Jets in 2013-14, he has blocked 1,943 shots, the most in the NHL, and ranks eighth among defensemen with 1,846 hits.
Nurse joined the Sharks from the Edmonton Oilers on July 1. The 31-year-old brings 798 regular-season games, 88 goals, 236 assists and 342 points, along with 100 playoff games. Last season, he recorded 77 long-range shots on goal, 29 from the mid-range and eight from high-danger ice.
His skating can change the look of San Jose’s transition game. Nurse reached a maximum speed of 23.20 mph, ranking in the 96th percentile among defensemen. He had 101 bursts above 20 mph, a 95th-percentile mark, and six bursts over 22 mph, also in the 96th percentile.
Kesselring is coming off an injury-shortened season in which he played 34 games for the Buffalo Sabres. His previous year with Utah showed the shooting upside San Jose hopes returns in a full campaign. Kesselring played all 82 games in 2024-25 and had the NHL’s third-hardest shot, second among defensemen, at 103.77 mph.
That season, he logged 23 attempts in the 90-100 mph range, 68 from 80-90 mph and 98 from 70-80 mph. He also recorded 40 mid-range shots on goal and four mid-range goals, all among the stronger defensemen marks in the League.
The Sharks have now added experience, pace, physical play and point-shot power to a young roster built around Celebrini and Smith. The larger assignment is turning those ingredients into enough structure to end a playoff absence that has reached seven seasons.
