Jeff Skinner has had six 30-goal seasons over his 15-year NHL career.

His numbers dropped to 16 goals last year with the Edmonton Oilers, playing limited minutes on a top team that went to the Stanley Cup Final.

Now with the San Jose Sharks, the experienced winger is getting settled into his new team.

Skinner spoke about Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith, the start to training camp, and returning to his past goal-scoring form.

On skating with Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith…

Those two guys (are) really exciting young players, have a lot of talent. I wasn’t here, but you see them from afar. They’ve got all the tools. Being around them the last week or two, you see the work ethic they have. When you have that work ethic and that skill set, it’s a good combination. It’s going to be exciting to see them take the steps they’re going to take coming up, because they’re still young, and they’ve got some bright futures ahead of them. It’ll be fun to to be a part of that.

On what makes Smith so dangerous…

He’s got the physical tools. He sees the game. He’s a smart player. He knows where to be and how to anticipate. All the things that good offensive players have, he has. I’ve only played a couple days with him in real speed. The more you play with someone, the more you’re able to see that come out, because the level is going to keep rising. Him and the other young guys that are really talented on this team, their level will continue to rise as the pace goes up. Everyone can see he’s got the tools, he’s got the skill set, and he makes plays out there, and as a teammate or a linemate it’s fun to play with guys like that.

On how he’s using the start of training camp…

Coming to a new spot, you’ve got to get used to a lot of things. There’s different things systems wise, and the coaching staff do video before the practice, and we’re working on specific things out there, and just being in the right spots, knowing where to be. Because once the game starts, you don’t have as much time to think where you should be. And then the pace. You can train as much as you want in the summer and go out and skate as hard as you can. Once you get all NHL players, or all guys trying to be in the NHL, out there playing on game speed, it’s a different level, and you’ve go to continue to push the envelope to get used to the pace. It’s a day by day thing. The first day is good pace. Guys come in a little bit adjusting to the pace. And then second day, you try and get a little bit better and so on.

On getting back to scoring levels he’s had before…

There’s a lot of variables throughout the season. Every season is different for every guy. It’s hard. (You) can’t really think there’s a set recipe you’re just going to follow, and things will fall into place. You try and control what you can, try to come into camp in a good spot, and then throughout camp, try and get better every day. And then once the season starts, try to help the team win as best you can. That’s part of my game, so hopefully I can get that going.

On getting all of the new players on the same page…

There’s things you can do to try and speed that process up, but anytime you’re in a new environment, a lot of new pieces, its going to take some time to come together. You communicate as much as you can. At least from my point of view, what I’ve observed is a lot of quality guys, quality character guys in here, and that makes things a little bit easier. Guys who are looking out for each other. Guys who are talking to each other if they don’t know where to go or what spot they should be in. So there’s definitely things you can do to help, but it’s still a process, and we’ll continue to work at it.

On renovations to Sharks Ice…

It’s nice. I know it’s brand new, and all the returning guys hadn’t seen it until a couple days ago. There’s everything you could could need here. We’re fortunate that we have this new facility. It’s a nice place to come and get to work.