Editor's note: Sheng Peng is a regular contributor to NBC Sports California’s Sharks coverage. You can read more of his coverage on San Jose Hockey Now, listen to him on the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast, and follow him on Twitter at @Sheng_Peng.
LOS ANGELES — It’s time to look ahead for the Sharks.
The Sharks’ NHL Rookie Faceoff sweep — they walloped another team Monday, doubling up the Colorado Avalanche 6-3 — is, of course, exciting. San Jose dominated the tournament, going 3-0 and outscoring opponents a combined 16-7.
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But the fruits of this labor probably won’t be obvious for a few seasons yet. Most of the Sharks prospects in this tournament aren’t close to NHL-ready.
Training camp, however, opens Thursday for the Sharks.
Which top Rookie Faceoff prospects will start the 2024-25 NHL season with the Sharks or Barracuda?
Here are our predictions, from most to least likely.
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Macklin Celebrini
Celebrini needed only one game to show the Sharks he didn’t have to play the Rookie Faceoff anymore.
He’s only 18, but the centerman looks strong and defensively sound enough to make an NHL impact immediately.
He’s also got No. 1 overall skill.
“I thought Macklin was uber competitive,” Sharks Rookie Faceoff coach John McCarthy said. “I re-watched the game [he played]. Every loose puck, he's inside, he's winning.”
Celebrini is breaking camp with the Sharks.
Will Smith
Smith is noticeably more deliberate with the puck than Celebrini, but that’s not a bad thing. The No. 4 overall pick of the 2023 NHL Draft has the talent to be just as productive as Celebrini, if not more so, in the pros.
“I thought Will did a really nice job in the offensive zone, seeing the ice, letting plays develop, super poised with the puck on the stick,” McCarthy said.
Smith should break camp with the Sharks, but his off-puck play is still raw, so there will be some obvious defensive growing pains.
Ethan Cardwell
The 5-foot-11 winger keeps adding muscle, which McCarthy noted, without losing any pop in his step.
Cardwell was an impact player in this tournament, though he should be as a 21-year-old.
His NHL debut appears to be just around the corner, and his speed and complete and direct game make him a dark horse to break camp with the Sharks. More likely, Cardwell should be one of the Barracuda’s top players and perhaps earn a late-season call-up to San Jose.
Collin Graf
Graf made his NHL debut last year, but the playmaking winger likely needs some seasoning in the AHL before becoming a full-time NHL’er. His offensive game suggests that he needs to have a top-nine role to succeed, which will make it harder for him to establish himself in the Sharks’ lineup right now.
Like Cardwell, the 21-year-old Graf was expected to excel in this tourney, and he did.
He’s expected to produce with the Barracuda this season.
Filip Bystedt
The 6-foot-4 center is still getting used to the North American game, so it’s hard to see him breaking camp with the Sharks. Instead, the 2022 first-round pick is expected to flourish in a middle-six role with the Cuda.
Bystedt had a solid weekend and showcased San Jose’s center depth in this tournament, as he went from third-line center (when Celebrini and Smith played on Friday) to second-line center (when Smith played on Sunday) to first-line center (when neither Celebrini nor Smith played).
Luca Cagnoni
The Sharks had the choice to either assign Cagnoni back to the WHL for his overage season or make him a pro.
It looks like he’s going pro: San Jose Hockey Now learned on Monday that the Sharks believe that he’s ready.
It’s going to be a big step for the 5-foot-9 offensive defenseman to go from the WHL to AHL, so expect a healthy adjustment period.
Quentin Musty
Unfortunately, because Musty is younger than Cagnoni, the Sharks don’t have the choice to keep him in the OHL or promote him to the AHL or NHL.
So it’s NHL or bust for the 19-year-old Sudbury Wolves star.
My guess, if the Sharks had their choice, they’d assign the 6-foot-2 offensive dynamo to the Barracuda so he can iron out his game away from the puck.
But his NHL-competitive size and strength do make him a dark horse candidate to break camp with the Sharks.
Musty scored a hat trick on Sunday, which certainly didn’t hurt his case. I wouldn’t expect anything close to that type of offensive production to translate immediately to even NHL preseason, but if it does, the Sharks will have a decision on their hands.
My guess, he goes back to the OHL.
Kasper Halttunen
Along the same lines as Musty, Halttunen is a dynamic OHL offensive winger who’s still looking to improve his two-way play.
Unlike Musty, the Finn with a big shot is eligible to go the AHL immediately. But he doesn’t skate quite as well as Musty and might have more to work on all around, too.
Monday’s Rookie Faceoff performance, where he took three admittedly “stupid penalties,” underscore that.
Not singling out Halttunen, but McCarthy noted, “All young players have to learn the same things, right? It's less hack, whack ... stick on puck is the way to go. You're going to stall a lot more players that way, whether it's on a forecheck or a track.”
Sam Dickinson
Like Musty, it’s either NHL or bust for the star London Knights blueliner.
While Dickinson’s 6-foot-4 frame and skating already could fit in the NHL, the 2024 11th-overall pick still has a lot to learn about the fine art of defending at the highest level.
The 18-year-old Dickinson was dominating at times here, which is what you expect to see from such a high pick. But considering how tough it is to break in to the NHL as a defenseman, it’s hard to see the Sharks trying him there this season.
Nolan Burke
Artem Guryev
Gannon Laroque
Valtteri Pulli
Georgi Romanov
Mitchell Russell
These prospects all are signed to the Sharks and hoping to have breakout seasons with the Barracuda.
Burke opened some eyes with a strong Rookie Faceoff, supporting his case that he played hurt last year in the Nashville Predators organization. He was consigned mostly to the ECHL last season.
Guryev didn’t play in the Rookie Faceoff, but San Jose Hockey Now has heard that he’s healthy -- he’s just resting his shoulder for the beginning of main training camp on Thursday. Guryev’s season was cut short last year because of shoulder surgery.
Laroque, because of injuries, has played just 22 games over the last two years; four with the Victoria Royals, nine with the Wichita Thunder and nine with the Barracuda. Laroque reports that he’s the healthiest he has been in three years, going back to his breakout 2021-22 campaign.
Jeremie Bucheler
Gabriel Carriere
Luke Grainger
Braden Hache
Lucas Vanroboys
Donovan Villeneuve-Houle
These prospects all are signed to the Barracuda and trying to earn NHL contracts.
McCarthy praised all the Sharks in this tournament, but he did single out Grainger, Hache, and Vanroboys for praise.
Nathan Misskey
Colton Roberts
Carson Wetsch
These prospects all are expected to be assigned back to their junior clubs.
Dawson Cowan
Nathan Pilling
Julius Sumpf
These tryouts, best guess, will not be signed by the Sharks.