The Sharks have named their leadership group for the upcoming 2025-26 season. The Sharks will forgo naming a captain and instead operate with five alternates throughout the season.
Tyler Toffoli will be the main alternate captain for both home and away games, while Mario Ferraro and Alex Wennberg will serve as alternates for road games, and Barclay Goodrow and Macklin Celebrini will serve as alternates for home games.
The Sharks' decision not to name a captain isn’t much of a surprise; they have spent much of the past two seasons without a captain on the ice, though technically Couture was still the captain, even though he was not expected to contribute much at any point last year. They will do so for at least one more full season.
Tyler Toffoli is operating as the de facto captain despite not getting an official C on his sweater. Signed in free agency last offseason, Tyler Toffoli instantly brought veteran leadership to the clubhouse and was an excellent fit with a young Sharks team. Toffoli took Celebrini and Smith under his wing last season, and is doing the same with Michael Misa this season. The veteran also backed up his leadership with his play on the ice, scoring 30 goals for the 3rd straight season, and at 33 years old, he has shown no signs of slowing down.
Ferraro, Goodrow, and Wennberg also bring strong leadership to the Sharks; all three players wore A’s last season at points, while Ferraro is the longest tenured Sharks player both on the roster and as a leader. While Ferraro has acted as the primary alternate over the last 2 seasons, given his contract situation and current role with the Sharks, it makes sense to dial back his role, given his future uncertainty with the Sharks.
Celebrini will be wearing a letter for the first time in his young career. While some may have expected him to be named captain, given that he is the face of the Sharks franchise, it makes sense to slow-play naming him captain and let him learn alongside experienced veterans.
The Sharks will be opening the season against Vegas on October 9th. Regular-season hockey is finally on the horizon for the Sharks!