As Sharks’ Dickinson makes NHL debut, fellow top prospect bides his time

SAN JOSE – Rookie defenseman Sam Dickinson already knew he was going to make his NHL debut in the San Jose Sharks’ game against the Anaheim Ducks. But it still felt good to arrive at the team’s practice facility on Saturday morning and see his name listed in the lineup.

“It kind of only kicked in when I looked over at the board and saw that my name was there for the roster playing,” the 19-year-old Dickinson, who was taken 11th overall by the Sharks at last year’s NHL Draft, said Saturday morning. “It’s pretty cool to see that, and then obviously everybody around the rink today has been extremely happy for me.”

As Dickinson makes his Sharks debut, another one of the team’s top prospects, Michael Misa, may not need to wait much longer to play his first NHL game.

Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said this week that Misa, 18, will be in the lineup soon. San Jose hosts the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday, travels to play the Mammoth in Utah on Friday, and hosts the Pittsburgh Penguins the next night.

“Whatever they think is best for the team is what I want to follow,” Misa told Bay Area News Group on Wednesday after it appeared he would be scratched for Thursday’s season-opener against the Vegas Golden Knights. “For me, it’s motivation to keep practicing and working hard. I think my chance will come, and when it does, I’ve got to be ready to pounce on it.”

When Misa, drafted second overall by the Sharks in June, does enter the lineup, it’s a question of who comes out.

For the second straight game Saturday, the Sharks’ four centers were Macklin Celebrini, Alexander Wennberg, Ty Dellandrea, and Adam Gaudette. Assuming everyone stays healthy, a possible option for Warsofsky in the future would be for Misa to play as the Sharks’ third line center, move Dellandrea to the fourth line, and scratch Ryan Reaves.

Dellandrea, though, has earned rave reviews from Warsofsky for his play to this point, and his line with wingers Jeff Skinner and Collin Graf generated a goal and six shots on net in the Sharks’ 4-3 overtime loss to the Golden Knights.

“He completely understands, and we’re on the same page,” Warsofsky said Saturday of Misa, who played center throughout training camp and the preseason. “We’ve talked quite a bit, and he’s going to get in there, trust me.”

Dickinson was paired with veteran Dmitry Orlov at the start of Saturday’s game, as he became the 12th player from his 2024 draft class to play in the NHL. Forward Beckett Sennecke, who was drafted third overall by the Ducks in 2024 and is a childhood friend of Dickinson, debuted for Anaheim on Thursday and scored his first NHL goal in a 3-1 loss to the Seattle Kraken.

“Just play simple, get into the game right away,” Dickinson said of his mindset going into his debut. “Not going end-to-end the first shift, that’s for sure. But just get out there, get comfortable, make some hard passes, make contact, get my feet moving, and then kind of just build from there.”

MUKHAMADULLIN SITS

Defenseman Shakir Mukhamadullin had two assists in Thursday’s loss, making him the Sharks’ leading scorer before Saturday’s game. Still, he took two penalties, including one in the second period that led to a Pavel Dorofeyev power play goal, and had less than 13 minutes of ice time with only five shifts in the third period as the Sharks were trying to protect a one-goal lead.

Warsofsky said Mukhamadullin needs to work on his “puck battles, going back for pucks, getting first touch on pucks. When he’s skating, he’s very effective. So, start the game on time. He’s going to be a good player. Early in the season, we want to get some guys in there. I thought the other pairs were pretty good, fast team, so like our top four there.”

The Sharks kept their other defense pairs intact Saturday, as John Klingberg remained with Nick Leddy and Mario Ferraro played with Timothy Liljegren.

INJURY UPDATES

Defensemen Jack Thompson and Lucas Carlsson, who began the season on the injured non-roster list, both skated Saturday morning and are nearing full health, Warsofsky said. When they are healthy again, they could be placed on waivers, with NHL teams getting 24 hours to claim them. If they are placed on waivers and they do clear, they would be assigned to the Barracuda.

Forward Egor Afanasyev, also on the injured non-roster list, has been ill in recent days but skated early Saturday morning. He, too, would need to go on waivers if the Sharks wanted to send him to the AHL.