San Jose Sharks forward Will Smith took contact during Monday\u2019s optional practice for the first time since he suffered his upper-body injury.<\/p>\n
Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky<\/a> didn\u2019t officially rule out Smith as a possibility for Thursday\u2019s matchup against the Washington Capitals either.<\/p>\n \u201cTaking it day-by-day. This is step one of the process is to get him out of that [non-contact] jersey [and] get some contact today,\u201d Warsofsky said. \u201cI\u2019ll get an update this afternoon.\u201d<\/p>\n Optional skate today for the #SJSharks<\/a>. On the ice currently: Iorio, Klingberg, Mukhamadullin, Askarov, Ned, Misa, Leddy, Goodrow, Desharnais, Regenda, Skinner, Grad, Chernyshov, and Smith (who is in a normal teal)<\/p>\n \u2014 Max Miller (@Real_Max_Miller) January 12, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n After a tough loss to the Vegas Golden Knights 7-2 on Sunday, many of the Sharks opted to get out and skate despite just playing a back-to-back. The San Jose Sharks have completed two sets of back-to-back games and have two more sets on the road before returning for just one home game.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re not skating tomorrow, we\u2019re just gonna fly. There\u2019s a little bit of that. We\u2019ll skate on Wednesday in Washington,\u201d Warsofsky said. \u201cJust to get out there, there are some guys that didn\u2019t play last night. There are some guys who played less minutes. Obviously, some things in our game we have to continue to work on and clean up.\u201d<\/p>\n Adding Smith back into the Sharks\u2019 lineup could be a big boost. Smith\u2019s linemate, Macklin Celebrini<\/a>, is excited about the return of not only his winger but also his best friend<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI think he\u2019s just happy he\u2019s almost back,\u201d Celebrini said. \u201cI think he\u2019s feeling pretty good and obviously strong. He\u2019s just excited to be on the ice again, skating with the guys, practicing with us. He\u2019ll be back soon.\u201d<\/p>\n Philipp Kurashev is further behind Smith<\/p>\n Another injured San Jose Sharks forward is Philipp Kurashev. Kurashev suffered an injury in the same game as Smith against the Pittsburgh Penguins. While it is known that Kurashev has been skating, he has yet to join the team.<\/p>\n Per Warsofsky, Kurashev won\u2019t travel with the Sharks at the start of the road trip, but there is a chance he could join at the end of the four-game road trip.<\/p>\n \u201cHe won\u2019t come on the trip. There\u2019s a possibility he could join us at the end of it,\u201d Warsofsky said. \u201cLike I said, he was always a little bit further away than Smith.\u201d<\/p>\n Celebrini is also excited to eventually get Kurashev back in the Sharks\u2019 lineup. Smith and Kurashev were Celebrini\u2019s wingers during that game against the Penguins.<\/p>\n \u201cI think Kurashev is pretty close as well. We\u2019ve missed those guys,\u201d Celebrini said. \u201cThey\u2019re two of our top offensive guys, skill guys. It just helps having them in the lineup.\u201d<\/p>\n Vincent Desharnais<\/a> and Shakir Mukhamadullin<\/a> also participated in Sharks practice and are expected to join the team on the road.<\/p>\n Read more news and stories about the San Jose Sharks on\u00a0Sharks Hockey Digest<\/a>! Bookmark the page and follow Sharks Hockey Digest on Twitter @SharksHKYDigest<\/a>!<\/p>\n