Sharks Locker Room: 4 Questions at End of Pre-Season (+)

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Sharks Locker Room: 4 Questions at End of Pre-Season (+)

Sharks Locker Room: 4 Questions at End of Pre-Season (+)

Sheng Peng · San Jose Hockey Now

Sun, Sep 27, 2026 ·

5 min read

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The San Jose Sharks closed the pre-season with a 4-2 win over the Vegas Golden Knights , but they've still got lots of questions.

That's normal, of course, for training camp. And they've got a little time to answer these questions. The Sharks submit opening night rosters on Sept. 28 at 2 PM PT and drop the puck on their season on Oct. 1.

Here are four key questions: Is Yaroslav Askarov ready to take next step? What is Collin Graf doing differently on the penalty kill? How are Sam Dickinson and Nolan Allan trending? Why should we slow down the Michael Misa and Ivar Stenberg hype?

Askarov Takeover?

Askarov stopped 27-of-29 shots, and was especially brilliant in the first two periods, when Vegas outshot San Jose 25-5. This caps off a strong pre-season for the Sharks' hopeful No. 1 starter, who finishes it with a .942 Save %.

"He just has a real focus about himself right now. I think we saw that tonight, especially in the first period, looked calm, made some huge saves," San Jose Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky said. "Made big save after big save, and that's what great goaltenders do."

Askarov, save for an outstanding November, was not especially sharp last year, his first as Sharks starter.

But the 2020 No. 11 pick is just 24, enormously talented, and should benefit from a year of NHL experience and an improved team around him.

San Jose needs Askarov to be a star. Is this his time to shine?

How To Turn PK Around?

There's been lots of talk about the San Jose Sharks power play, 16thin the NHL last year, and how they need to level up to get the team back into the playoff picture.

But the penalty kill was worse, 26thin the league.

Here's how they killed tonight, perhaps a sign of things to come:

#SJSharks penalty kill looks like…

PK1: Goodrow-Graf-Nurse-Kesselring
PK2: Sherwood-Ostapchuk-Allan-Trouba
PK3: Chernyshov-Wennberg

Graf took the initial draw.

— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) September 27, 2026

Notably, Collin Graf took the draw at the beginning of every PK. Matched up against one of the best faceoff men in hockey, Tomas Hertl , Graf won just 2-on-6 faceoffs.

"He's a heavy, hard center there in the dot," Warsofsky said. "[Graf] held his own. I thought he did a pretty good job."

That said, I'm not sure if that's a sustainable way to kill penalties, to start it with an inexperienced faceoff man.

Anyway, here's how Graf assessed how they killed.

"I think in zone, it was good. A lot of the chances came off the rush and their goal too. We'll keep working on [opposition] entries. We [have to] mix it up a little bit," Graf said. "So just trying to get all the guys out there together and getting some reps was good."

Figuring Out D?

Sam Dickinson has had an up-and-down camp, inconsistent enough that it's conceivable for him to start the season on the bench.

Dickinson responded with more offensive aggression and solid one-on-one defense tonight, especially in the second half of the game. The Sharks outshot the Golden Knights 11-4 in the final frame.

"Sam, it was probably his best game of the training camp," Warsofsky said. "I thought he was more engaged. There was a lot we can build off of."

That said, Nolan Allan, who's taken Dickinson's early training camp spot next to Jacob Trouba , keeps impressing Warsofsky.

"Al was blocking shots, composed, just plays, just competes," Warsofsky said. "I really like what he's done tonight and through camp."

There's no comparison in ceiling between Dickinson, 20, and Allan, 23, but the question for opening night is who's better right now?

Slowing Down Hype?

Ivar Stenberg and Michael Misa have had productive three-game pre-season stints: The 2026 No. 2 pick has three goals and five points and the 2025 No. 2 pick has three goals and six points.

But tonight was their first true NHL-caliber test: In their first two pre-season games, they faced off against the Golden Knights and Anaheim Ducks ' B-teams.

Results were mixed.

Stenberg was ambushed with the puck a couple times by the Golden Knights, an 18-year-old getting acclimated to NHL pace. On the other hand, he made a forechecking impact against the stars of Vegas, the signs of a meaningful B-game, even if the offense isn't there.

"Ivar was pretty good. I think he's smart. I think that was really his first test, obviously over here in North America at that pace, but that type of experience on the other side," Warsofsky said. "The game was quick, so we'll look at it."

Meanwhile, Misa scored a goal, but he's still working on being heavier with the puck and his two-way game.

"It's a little inconsistent, to be honest with you. I think we see it in spurts," Warsofsky said. "There's a long ways to go, and we have to remember he's still a young player. He's still figuring it out. He's going against some tough centers tonight."

Misa appears to be another level dangerous with the puck at top speed this year and he's showing more confidence in his shot, but there's more to being a playoff-quality center than carrying the puck with pace.

"There's some things we got to clean up, not just with him," Warsofsky said, "but our whole group."

The post Sharks Locker Room: 4 Questions at End of Pre-Season (+) appeared first on San Jose Hockey Now .

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