Sharks' biggest reasons for hope during 2024-25 season
12/14/2024 01:40 AM
The San Jose Sharks had an active offseason over the summer ahead of the 2024-25 season. The Sharks drafted Macklin Celebrini with the first overall pick in late June. San Jose went on to sign Tyler Toffoli to a four-year contract in NHL Free Agency. And the Sharks traded for Jake Walman in a surprising deal with the Detroit Red Wings.
Things did not get off to the best of starts for San Jose, however. In fact, they lost each of their first nine games, much like they did last season. Despite the brutal start, San Jose has turned things around. They entered play Friday with an 11-16-5 record on the year. It’s certainly a far cry from where the Sharks want to be. But it’s much better than where they have been in a few years.
San Jose could very well fall off a cliff at some point soon. The Sharks could finish with another brutal record that sees them pick in the top three of the NHL Draft. Even if this does happen, though, there is reason to have hope in this squad moving forward. Here are two of the biggest reasons fans should keep their faith in the Sharks.
Jake Walman may be better than advertised
Jake Walman had his heart broken by the Detroit Red Wings before the NHL Draft. The Red Wings traded Walman to the Sharks along with a second-round pick in exchange for future considerations. It was a head-scratcher for Detroit at the time. But the Sharks certainly won’t complain about the outcome.
Walman showed promise in 2023-24 with Detroit after a successful 2022-23 campaign. His production on both ends of the ice did drop off a bit, though. In 2024-25, this is not a worry in the slightest. Walman has skated in 27 games entering play Friday, scoring five goals and 22 points. This puts him on pace for 15 goals and 66 points this season, which would smash his career highs.
His defensive metrics aren’t the best, but he is solid in his own zone. More impressively, he is the only Sharks defenseman with a Goals For Percentage north of 50%, according to Evolving Hockey. Overall, he has been a tremendous addition to San Jose’s blueline. If he keeps it up, he could have an impact during a future playoff run for this team.
Young Sharks stars are leading the charge
The Sharks are a young hockey team and that’s extremely evident whenever you see them play. In fact, Jake Walman is more of an elder statesmen on the team at 28 years old. But don’t mistake the young stars on this San Jose team for being bad. They are leading the charge in 2024-25 despite their lack of experience.
22-year-old William Eklund is the second-highest point scorer on the team. He has five goals and 24 points through his first 31 games. Macklin Celebrini missed extended time with an injury. However, he has 10 goals and 19 games while having played only 20 games to this point. 25-year-old Fabian Zetterlund is also worth mentioning as he’s scored 20 points in 32 games.
The Sharks are unlikely to make a playoff charge this season. And with their current roster makeup, this is certainly understandable. Some players have a ways to go before they are ready to make a big playoff run. In any event, the young nucleus is coming together in San Jose. This only bodes well for them moving forward, both this year and in years beyond.
The post Sharks’ biggest reasons for hope during 2024-25 season appeared first on ClutchPoints.
