Why Did Sharks Keep Sam Dickinson In The Nhl? What Does He Have To Prove?

Why did Sharks keep Sam Dickinson in the NHL? What does he have to prove? originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Sharks believe Sam Dickinson can handle the rigors of the NHL. That’s why the 2024 No. 11 pick still is on the roster.

So what do they like about Dickinson in the NHL now? And how can the teenage blueliner get better and better this year?

The Sharks had the option, about a month ago, of sending the 19-year-old back to his junior club, which would have been advantageous for them, contractually. The beginning of Dickinson’s three-year entry-level contract would “slide” to next season, meaning Year 1 of three would not kick off until 2026-27. That, consequently, would keep the top defensive prospect at a bargain ELC rate for longer.

Instead, the Sharks started the clock on Dickinson’s contract this season.

Physically, there’s already a lot to like about Dickinson. He’s 6-foot-4, NHL-strong, skilled, and can skate like the wind.

Per Stathletes, he’s actually a top-20 defenseman in the league in these four key 5-on-5 per 60 rate stats, as of Nov. 30: High-danger chances, inner slot carries, offensive turnovers created, and puck recoveries.

Dickinson is fifth in high-danger chances and fourth in 5-on-5 inner slot carries, speaking to how confident that he is with his skating and skill to carry the puck into the best scoring areas.

Top defensemen Matthew Schaefer, Cale Makar, and Dougie Hamilton are among the leaders in these categories.

Here’s an example:

Will Smith (2) picks off the Sam Malinski (70) pass. Dickinson (6) recognizes that this is the time to attack, and simply beats Joel Kiviranta (94) up the ice. Macklin Celebrini (71) sees Dickinson, and draws Malinski to him, before laying a perfect backhand pass for Dickinson to skate into.

Dickinson has just a goal and an assist in 19 NHL games, but the production is coming.

He’s 16th in OZ turnovers created, in part because his size and quickness make him effective pinching along the wall, preventing his opposition from exiting the zone.

Zach Werenski, Lane Hutson, and Rasmus Dahlin are among the leaders in this category.

He’s 16th in puck recoveries, a tribute to his skating and instincts, to know where the puck is going and get to it first.

Mackenzie Weegar, Jake Sanderson, and Shea Theodore are among the leaders in this category.

But perhaps more important than his physical attributes coming to the forefront in the best league in the world?

“He definitely gets rattled around a little bit, and it doesn’t seem like it bothers him, which is a real positive for a young man,” head coach Ryan Warsofsky said, after the Sharks’ decision to keep Dickinson.

To be a rookie defenseman in the NHL, you’ve got to be mentally tough. Your fault or not, it’s often the back of your jersey that fans see when a goal is allowed. It can be overwhelming for some youngsters.

Dickinson, to his credit, has bounced back from his worst games and plays this season.

Case in point, in October against the New York Islanders, when his turnover led to a Casey Cizikas goal:

Two shifts later though, an aggressive Dickinson read, which showcased his size and athleticism, led to an Adam Gaudette goal:

But Dickinson, for all his prodigious talents, still has plenty to learn, especially on the defensive side of the puck.

There’s a reason why the Sharks have limited his ice time, 14:30 a night, which is last among San Jose blueliners.

Two things stand out to Warsofsky right now.

“Starting the game on time is important. I think he sometimes feels his way through the game, which I understand as a young 19-year-old defenseman,” Warsofsky said.

“It’s tough. You get a lot coming at you right away. There’s the energy in the building. It’s loud. There’s a lot of things that go on mentally to get ready for the game,” he noted. “Your routine and everything, the schedule, the travel, where we’re at, did we skate? Did we not skate? So getting your body to feel right and mentally to feel right.”

Ex-AHL assistant coach Jack Han added, “As a big-minutes player in juniors, it’s understandable that someone like Dickinson would ease into a game at maybe 60-70 percent intensity and then ramp up as he gets warmed up and into the flow of things. However, at the NHL level, as a rookie, on a team that’s not very good at carrying play, he needs to hit the ground running.”

“I’ve been getting better [at] first shift, just being right on the gas, just trying to get into the game right away, not take time to get into it, or anything like that,” Dickinson said. “So whether that’s changing things up pre-game, I’ve definitely tried things and I think [I’m going in the] right.”

The second observation from Warsofsky?

“Reading rushes at this level happens in a millisecond and being able to meet the right read with the right habit of where your stick should be,” he said, “where your body position should be, and then [being] ready to make the next play in a blink of an eye, which happens really fast, and getting more comfortable doing that.”

Han found an example that addresses both of Warsofsky’s criticisms, from Dickinson’s second shift of the game on Nov. 13 at the Calgary Flames.

“He overcommits to his partner’s side of the ice and gives up a shot off the rush,” Han noted. “Shortly thereafter, he makes a somewhat careless pass on a back wall retrieval that almost leads to a Calgary scoring chance.”

“Those are the two big areas that we kind of narrowed in on,” Warsofsky said. “The offensive stuff and the stuff he can do on the blueline and join the rush, he has that, we’re not worried about that.”

Dickinson also turns the puck over too much.

According to Stathletes, Dickinson is NHL-worst among all blueliners in neutral zone giveaways at 5-on-5 per 60, and ninth-worst in DZ giveaways.

On a better team, Dickinson, frankly, probably isn’t ready for full-time NHL duty. He’s been a bundle of highs and lows, still working on becoming that reliable two-way blueliner that playoff-caliber teams depend on.

That’s not a shot at the 19-year-old: Teen defensemen who are ready to play regular minutes on a contender are few and far between.

That said, the Sharks didn’t necessarily keep Dickinson in the NHL for the player that he is now: They’re keeping him for the player that he will be by the end of this season, and in the coming years.

The NHL is a better place for Dickinson to develop than the OHL, and the Sharks believe he has the mental toughness to handle the best league in the world.

“Can we make this guy a guy we play 25, 26 minutes a night?” Warsofsky said. “That’s what we’re trying to do.”

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