Eighteen-year-old Ivar Stenberg waited patiently on the left wing by the goal, with four minutes left in the third period on Thursday night. But there’s a difference between patient and too slow — something Stenberg has been learning to navigate in his first few weeks in the United States. The style of play is higher pressure than what he grew up with in Sweden.
So far, Stenberg has kept pace.
Stenberg waited for a pass to possibly set up his third goal of the night. When it finally came to him, he quickly sent it to an open Jimmy Huntington. It was quickly sent back. The puck hit Brett Leason’s stick, chipping behind him and toward Stenberg. This time, he was impatient. Ready.
He pounced and buried the puck, completing his hat trick at SAP Center.
The San Jose Sharks are chasing a new identity as they head into the regular season. After being notorious for overthinking in recent seasons, the team is finally shifting toward a style built on instinct and reaction.
In their final preseason game at home, the Sharks showed off the chemistry of their young core in a 10-0 win over the Anaheim Ducks. Stenberg, the 2026 second-overall pick, delivered in the blowout with a hat trick as he gradually adjusted to the pace of a more intense playing field.
The real test lies ahead for Head Coach Ryan Warsofsky. He wants to see a team that plays the right way, not simply a team that wins big. And an easy victory over a Ducks squad with more than half its roster Thursday made up of prospects and non-NHL starters doesn’t answer questions about whether the Sharks can keep its desired flow against greater pressure. To Warsofsky, identifying which players click on which lines and defensive pairings is tedious.
“You obviously don’t want to tinker with it too much,” Warsofsky said. “You want to try to get some fixed time. It’s not going to happen overnight … You’ve got to play around with it, try to get the right matchups, get the right chemistry going.”
The Sharks closed out the team’s home preseason with a 10-0 win over Anaheim, spreading the scoring across the lineup while keeping the Ducks off the board. Stenberg led the way with three goals, including the final goal of the night, as San Jose controlled the game from the opening period.
The goals came from throughout San Jose’s lineup, with Igor Chernyshov and Mason Marchment scoring twice each and Michael Misa, Leason and Filip Bystedt adding one apiece alongside Stenberg’s three. Stenberg also assisted on Misa’s goal, while Misa returned the favor on one of Stenberg’s, giving the young forwards several chances to create off one another.
“Sometimes you get caught thinking on some stuff,” Warsofsky said. “I thought we kind of reacted. We were on our toes a little bit more.”
The shift is also showing up in how San Jose is building its lineup. Warsofsky said the Sharks have more depth and competition throughout the group, with young players such as Chernyshov, Stenberg and Misa pushing for opportunities. Stenberg has continued to adjust to the pace of the NHL game, while the Sharks’ young defensemen are also making decisions harder for the coaching staff.
Warsofsky said the team’s back end has improved at moving the puck and getting it to its forwards, giving San Jose more options throughout the lineup. Their defense has also made progress moving the puck and getting it to the forwards more cleanly, giving the team more options as it settles into its structure.
For Warsofsky, the next part is figuring out which combinations actually work. He said that process will take time as the Sharks find the right matchups and chemistry.
“We have depth coming. We have competition through our lineup: Chernishov, Stenberg, Misa … everyone knows that the young talent is coming,” said Warsofsky.
Stenberg’s progress has been part of that competition. Warsofsky said the game is beginning to slow down for him, allowing the 18-year-old to use his instincts and make plays without looking overwhelmed. But with the roster still taking shape, the coaching staff has to determine which players work best together.
“It’s not going to happen overnight.”
The real test comes against a full NHL lineup. Warsofsky acknowledged Thursday’s Ducks team was “not fully NHL,” leaving questions about how San Jose’s new identity will hold up against greater pressure.
Scoring Summary: Anaheim Ducks at San Jose Sharks Sept. 24, 2026
First period
3:55 SJS Mason Marchment unassisted
5:29 SJS Ivar Stenberg from Michael Misa
9:29 SJS Igor Chernyshov from Filip Bystedt and Jimmy Huntington
11:33 SJS Michael Misa from Ivar Stenberg and Nolan Allan
15:45 SJS Igor Chernyshov from Luca Cagnoni and Sam Dickinson
Second period
3:04 SJS Ivar Stenberg from Michael Misa and Kiefer Sherwood
12:57 SJS Mason Marchment from Will Smith and Macklin Celebrini
Third period
7:54 SJS Brett Leason from Eric Pohlkamp and Michael Misa
16:57 SJS Ivar Stenberg from Brett Leason and Jimmy Huntington
17:23 SJS Filip Bystedt from Ivar Stenberg
