SAN JOSE – San Jose Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said the team still has not finalized a decision on whether to keep defenseman Sam Dickinson in the NHL past the nine-game threshold – which would burn the first year of his entry-level contract – or return him to the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League.
Of course, there’s little question about what the 19-year-old Dickinson – who has done just about everything he can do in the OHL — wants right now.
“I think for anybody, being here, you learn more just with everything that’s here,” Dickinson said on Wednesday about staying with the Sharks. “The coaches, the people, and the players, there’s just more to be learned here for anybody. For me personally, I’d like to say that this is the place for me, and that I’m prepared to make the jump to this level full-time. But again, that’s not my decision and out of my hands.
“Every game, every day, every practice, just work as hard as I can, compete and prove that I’m able to stay here.”
A Sharks’ decision on Dickinson by general manager Mike Grier is needed soon.
Since cracking San Jose’s roster earlier this month, Dickinson has already dressed in eight NHL games, and the Sharks (2-6-2) continue their homestand against the New Jersey Devils on Thursday, the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday, and the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday.
The Sharks then play at Seattle on Nov. 5, and return home to play the Winnipeg Jets, last season’s Presidents’ Trophy winners, on Nov. 7 and the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers the following day. As daunting as that schedule is, the Sharks would likely be reluctant to scratch their still-developing 11th overall pick from the 2024 NHL Draft for several games in a row.
Dickinson was on the ice for the Kings’ first goal against, as he was unable to block a shot from defenseman Brandt Clarke that Corey Perry later tapped in. But Warsofsky thought Dickinson’s play improved afterward, although he finished with 12:04 in ice time, less than the 14:19 he had averaged in his first seven games.
“The big thing is, is he making the same mistake over and over that we’ve kind of just talked to him about, or do we see growth in that area?” Warsofsky said. “Do we see fewer mistakes throughout the game? It is a game of mistakes, so you have to balance that out. There’s teams that are probably a little bit more challenging than other teams as far as matchups.
“So we’ve seen some growth in his game. I think he’s gotten better, especially last night, got better as the game went on. He’s done some good things. There are some things he’s going to continue to work on.”
The Sharks have to decide what’s the best path forward for Dickinson, who is coming off a season for the ages with London. In a combined 72 games, regular season and playoffs, Dickinson had 122 points and was a big part of the Knights’ run to the Memorial Cup before he was named the Canadian Hockey League’s top defenseman.
Is there any benefit of returning Dickinson to major junior hockey at this point, or, worse, potentially seeing him regress against competition that he’s already dominated?
“It’s tough,” Warsofsky said. “A lot of it is habit-based. Can we get the habits trending in the right direction? Nothing against the OHL, but you can go there, and he plays 35 minutes a night. You can really create some bad habits by doing that. He can get away with a lot there that you can’t get away with here in the National Hockey League. So that’s something that we’ll have conversations about. We already have had some conversations about that.
“It’s a game of mistakes. But are the habits starting to trend upward toward NHL habits, or do we still see the junior habits?”
The Sharks have also not finalized a decision on whether to keep forward Michael Misa or return him to the OHL. Misa had just 10:10 in ice time against the Kings in his sixth NHL game. But whereas Dickinson is still searching for his first NHL point, Misa has a goal and two assists in six games.
“He’s done some good things,” Warsofsky said. “He’s going to be a really good player, and I think it’s the first time he’s gone through something that’s really challenging, as is Sam, and as we saw last year with (Will Smith and Macklin Celebrini), in a sense.
“It’s going to come down to, can he get to his strengths more times than not. Is he going to hit speed bumps along the way? For sure, every young player is going to. But is the game starting to slow down, where he can get to his tool set, and we’ll have that conversation when we have to. He’s done some good things in games, and sometimes he’s got a little bit of the deer in the headlights.”
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There is a financial component to the Sharks’ decision, as well.
Celebrini and Smith, whose respective salary cap hits are a shade under $1 million, will soon be due significant raises as they are slated to become restricted free agents after the 2026-2027 season. If Dickinson and Misa burn the first year of their entry-level deals, which are similar to Smith’s and Celebrini’s, they could be RFAs after the 2027-28 season and might also be in line for a much bigger payday.
Right now, the Sharks’ decision on both players is all about hockey and what’s best for their long-term development.
“There’s conversations about, where does it put the team, where does it put the roster? At the end of the day, what’s best for the player and what’s best for the team?” Warsofsky said. “If they can handle it, and if we believe they can handle it, they’ll stay here. If not, then we’ll go through those processes.”
