Prospect Will Smith enjoys watching highlights of the San Jose Sharks’ epic comeback in Game 7 of the first-round series against the Vegas Golden Knights in 2019.
Smith was only 14 years old and living on the other side of the United States when this encounter took place. Now he is, with the recent first team selection Macklin Celebrini, a source of optimism among the Sharks, the worst team in the National Hockey League (NHL) for five years.
“How loud it was,” Smith said of the 2019 game, in which the Sharks erased a 3-0 deficit in the third period to defeat the Golden Knights 5-4 in overtime.
Smith has asked his new teammates about it now that he is set to make his Sharks debut.
“Seeing the SAP Center like this is pretty crazy. They told me it was so loud that their ears were ringing all the time. Our goal is to return [en séries]“, he said.
The Sharks made it to the West Finals that year. It was the fifth appearance in the third round in 14 playoff appearances over a 15-year span. During that time, the Sharks led the NHL in season wins and were second in playoff wins.
Since then, the organization that is known for coming so close without winning the Stanley Cup has been the worst team in the league, winning only 19 games in 2023-24.
The Sharks have scored 147 fewer goals than they have allowed. It’s the 12th worst differential in NHL history and the worst in 30 years. They set mediocrity marks for the team with 2.18 goals scored and 3.98 goals conceded per game.
“I think we hit rock bottom last year as an organization,” said general manager Mike Grier. I think everyone is eager to get started, to turn the page and see what this year has in store.”
The tough season came with a great consolation prize: the No. 1 overall draft pick.
The Sharks used it to recruit Celebrini, the Hobey-Baker Trophy winner as the best college player last season. His name was added to that of Smith, the team’s first selection in 2023, and to a promising pool of prospects.
With the addition of Celebrini, the Sharks experienced their highest season ticket renewal rate since their appearance in the Stanley Cup Final in 2016. Single-game tickets and full-season packages are sell at a much higher rate. Several games are already on the verge of being sold out.
“It’s been a long time since we felt the excitement of going to the arena,” said captain Logan Couture, one of the last remaining players from the team’s most glorious team. People are excited. We all know that the last few years have been extremely difficult.
“I think this organization is going to take a step forward.”
