What Macklin Celebrini, Sharks are saying about prospect Igor Chernyshov
San Jose Sharks prospect forward Igor Chernyshov played his first game in North America less than 11 months ago and promptly had a staggering 18 points in his first six games with Saginaw of the Ontario Hockey League.
Chernyshov then played his first regular-season game in the American Hockey League in October and, in just over two months, became the Barracuda’s leading scorer with 23 points in 25 games.
Now the prolific Chernyshov is taking his biggest step yet.
Filling in for an injured Will Smith, the 20-year-old winger will make his NHL debut on Tuesday as the Sharks face the Calgary Flames to begin a three-game homestand. Not only that, but he’ll also start the game on the Sharks’ top line alongside center Macklin Celebrini, the NHL’s third leading scorer.
In other words, it’s been a magical 2025 for Chernyshov, who did not expect to get this far this fast.
“I was shocked,” Chernyshov said Tuesday, recalling when Barracuda coach John McCarthy told him the news that he was going to the NHL. “I was shocked and so happy.”
Winger Ethan Cardwell, who, like Chernyshov, was recalled from the Barracuda on Monday when the Sharks announced that Smith and Philipp Kurashev were going on injured reserve, wasn’t necessarily surprised.
“He’s a big boy, a ton of skill. He’s got all the tools,” Cardwell said. “He’s a smart player. He can play defensively. He can do it all. So I’m excited to see him tonight.”
Chernyshov was thought to be a bit of a steal for the Sharks when they selected him 33rd overall, or the first pick of the second round, on the second day of the NHL Draft in Las Vegas last year.
After a solid 2023-24 season in which Chernyshov played 34 games with the KHL’s Moscow Dynamo, NHL.com had Chernyshov going 22nd or 24th overall, with Sportsnet.ca having him at No. 26.
On the day he was drafted, Chernyshov, through an interpreter, said he’s “a team guy, a leader, very hungry for the puck,” adding that he’s very confident that “in two to three years, I’ll be ready to play in the NHL” and do “everything possible to make that happen.”
Now, less than a month after his 20th birthday. He’s here ahead of schedule.
“He’s done some good things,” Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said of Chernyshov. “Obviously on the scoresheet, but his play away from the puck. He’s obviously been one of their best (penalty killers) as well. So we’ll see how it looks.”
Chernyshov, a native of Penza, Russia, is listed as 6-foot-2 and 195 pounds and has so far used his size to his advantage. He’s also a quick learner.
“He’s a big, strong kid. Skates well,” McCarthy said earlier this month. “I like that he processes well. He played in the KHL. So sometimes having some experience at that level can help your ability to process things.
“Basically, you tell them something once, and a lot of the time it’s fixed. A lot of times with younger players, you’ve got to revisit, and it’s an adjustment, and it takes time. With him, it clicks pretty quickly.”
Or, as Cardwell plainly said, “He can stick that ass out and kind of create a little bit extra room for himself.”
Whether he can do that in the NHL is unclear, but he’s getting an opportunity with the injured Smith still out for an indefinite amount of time.
“We’ll talk tonight. We’ll talk during the game,” Celebrini said when asked if he’ll direct Chernyshov on where to go on the ice. “Tough to really say right now, but just playing off each other, kind of developing some chemistry.”