The San Jose Sharks announced their opening night roster, which includes top prospects Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith.
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Here is the entire 23-man roster:
Shakir Mukhamadullin, Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Thomas Bordeleau, and Logan Couture will start on the injured/non-rostered list, freeing up space for 15F, 6D, 2G.
Winger Danil Gushchin tied New York Islanders center Mat Barzal for the NHL’s lead in points during the preseason with nine. Gushchin has been one of the best players for the entire Sharks training camp.
“It felt awesome,” Gushchin said. “I’ve come here for my whole life. Work hard. Play hard. Finally, I’m here.”
Gushchin finished his preseason with an exclamation mark of a game. He let the Sharks come back against the Vegas Golden Knights with five assists. Luke Kunin scored the team’s fourth and fifth goals, and Gushchin had primary assists in both.
“I think I did everything I could to make this team, but that game, it was fantastic,” Gushchin said. “It was a special moment. Obviously, it’s preseason, but still, I think they had their full roster, so it’s nice to beat that team.”
Gushchin was one of the borderline players who made the opening night roster, and it is safe to say he grabbed his spot because of his performance.
“I think he’s earned it, right? He’s earned to be here,” Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky said. “He’s earned [it] through his summer training, preseason, [and] practices. His attention to detail is growing. It was a big third period in Vegas, and he’s earned the right to be here.”
It is unknown if Gushchin will be in the lineup for Thursday’s season opener against the St. Louis Blues. Gushchin was in the fourth-line rotation during today’s practice with Nico Sturm and Ty Dellandrea.
Warsofsky emphasized the details of Gushchin’s game, which he liked the most.
“Away from the puck, coming back in his D zone. In the D zone, making reads with speed coming at you through the neutral zone. Making sure we’re getting angles. You got to push these guys to the outside,” Warsofsky said. “He’s picking those things up pretty quickly, and he’s making things happen on the other side of the puck. He’s got to continue to work on it, just like everyone else, but he’s taking some steps.”
The Sharks open their season on Thursday against the St. Louis Blues.
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