The Barracuda are coming! The Barracuda are coming!

There were moments during the 2023-24 season where William Eklund, then a rookie, felt helpless to stem the tide of the San Jose Sharks’ losing. The Sharks won just 19 games that season and sported an NHL-worst -150 Goal Differential. There was help coming for Eklund, but it wasn’t clearly on the horizon yet.

What a difference that two years make.

Eklund is better, but now, the Sharks have got Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith as regular contributors. And tonight, though they lost 4-2 to the Seattle Kraken, they also appear to be armed with San Jose Barracuda alumni Collin Graf and Igor Chernyshov. San Jose outplayed Seattle most of the night.

I’ll talk more about Chernyshov, just three games into his NHL career, in another article.

On Graf, this is the most confident NHL game that I’ve seen the 23-year-old winger play, especially offensively.

San Jose Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky corrected me: “In all three zones.”

And indeed, the 6-foot-1 winger scored a goal off a turnover that he forced, set up Chernyshov for multiple chances, and outbattled the Kraken all over the ice.

In 2023-24, Graf received an NHL cup of coffee, after choosing the San Jose Sharks from the 20-or-so teams that pursued the college free agent out of Quinnipiac. But he was not yet ready for the best league in the world, so he started the next season in the AHL.

Now 23, Graf has played his way to the forefront of the Sharks’ rebuild, alongside Eklund and company. Celebrini isn’t the only reason why the Sharks are a surprising 17-16-3 and battling for a wild card spot.

“He’s getting better and better every day. I think that’s been the case for a lot of guys this year, and that’s something that we really needed,” Eklund said. “He’s one of them. He’s taking big, big steps here.”

The San Jose Sharks may not make the playoffs this year, but the faster-than-expected development of Graf, and just maybe, Chernyshov, is going to help put them back into the post-season sooner than expected. This isn’t basketball, you can’t win with just one Celebrini, you need difference-making depth. That’s looking like Graf and Chernyshov on the wing.

It’s also noteworthy that both Graf and Chernyshov were not top-10 picks, and their growth is at least some tribute to the San Jose Sharks development and Barracuda coaching staffs.

“I think tonight was a culmination of maybe the last 20-or-so games. I think I’ve been playing better,” Graf said.

Graf has eight goals and 16 points in his last 24 games, since he played a season-low 9:40 on Nov. 1, becoming a staple top-nine winger for the Sharks. And of course, he’s on the first line now with Celebrini and Chernyshov, and has been a top-choice penalty killer all year.

“I started to focus on just trying to execute as many plays as I can, just take it one play at a time, don’t get flustered by anything if something goes wrong, and don’t get too high if it goes right, just have a short memory,” Graf said. “Just trying to make the right play when it’s available.”

Ryan Warsofsky

Does Chernyshov look like he belongs at this level?

Warsofsky: “Yes. He looks really good.”

— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) December 21, 2025

Warsofsky, on Chernyshov:

He’s a big man that can take pucks to the net. We saw that early in the first. He’s really picking up our structure. I know it’s very similar to the Barracuda, but he’s not out of position very often. He’s a smart player. I think he’s gonna have a really high ceiling.

Liljegren is day to day, doubtful for Vegas

— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) December 21, 2025

Collin Graf

Graf, on playing well, but losing:

Disappointed. It’s probably the best word to describe it. We played well, but it’s a results-oriented business. We want to win games. We want to keep being in that playoff hunt. It’s more fun. It’s exciting…

There’s no more…moral victories. I mean, maybe occasionally, you have one. We want real victories.

William Eklund

Eklund, on Chernyshov:

Really good hockey player. Obviously, coming up here, it’s not easy, but he’s made it look easy. Every night, he’s been really competitive. He’s playing really good hockey.

Is #SJSharks‘ confidence waning?

Eklund: “No.”

Eklund, by the way, had a game-high 8 shots, and 14 shots over the last 2 games. He had a lull in his play after a good start, but he’s playing good hockey again. The goals are coming

— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) December 21, 2025

Adam Gaudette

Gaudette, on Chernyshov:

He’s been great. He’s big, he’s fast, he plays hard, and he can shoot the puck. I’ve been impressed with him. He goes out there and he’s noticeable every shift. He’s a great fit on that line. He wins pucks.

He skates hard, that’s what I’ve noticed most about him, is his speed on the outside. Then he’s not afraid to get to the dirty areas and get to the front of the net. He’s been doing really well, especially first three games in the league, and he’s got a bright future ahead of him.