MONTREAL — When the San Jose Sharks visit the Montreal Canadiens, defenseman Sam Dickinson will be in the building of his childhood team for a game for the first time.

Although the Sharks defenseman is a Toronto native, the 19-year-old grew up a Habs fan. His father’s family is French Canadian, so by association, he jumped on the Canadien fan train. He passed that down to Dickinson, and now the two will get to enjoy a big Saturday night matchup.

“My first time ever being in the rink or anything like that, so I’m pretty excited. This definitely makes it a little more special to have my first time here be a game,” Dickinson said. “It’s just been excitement for the last little bit. I’ve definitely had this one circled on my calendar.”

Dickinson confirmed that his father will be in attendance for the game and will wear San Jose Sharks colors. Saturday night in the Bell Centre is something Dickinson has only watched on TV and heard stories about. While the theatrics and hype behind the game are great, Dickinson wants to make sure his team walks away with two points.

“They’re definitely going to draw from the atmosphere and draw from the fans. It’s big to have a hot start and get into it quickly. Try to almost suck the energy out of the building, out of the fans, out of the atmosphere,” Dickinson said. “Even if they do start to get into it, you just kind of have to block it out.”

Dickinson will partner with Vincent Desharnais, who is a native of Montreal. A popular player for the area, Dickinson and Desharnais have built terrific chemistry that can help them stay calm on the ice tonight.

“I think we’re both just excited that [my dad is] a Sharks fan now. I think that’s more important,” Dickinson smiled. “Hopefully, he can teach me some French, and I can speak some of it tonight.”

While Macklin Celebrini gets many headlines as the San Jose Sharks’ top player, there’s a chance Dickinson walks away with a famed Hockey Night in Canada towel. If he gets that after a strong performance, it would be a dream come true.

“That’d be pretty cool. I think, like everybody in Canada, I watched every game on Hockey Night in Canada. Every Saturday night, all the Canadian games and the panel, all that stuff,” Dickinson said. “It’s definitely pretty exciting just to play in a game like this.”