NHL announces date for San Jose Sharks’ home opener
San Jose Sharks will also be in Chicago for the Blackhawks’ home opener on Oct. 17, a game potentially featuring Connor Bedard and Macklin Celebrini
SAN JOSE – The San Jose Sharks’ first game of the 2024-25 regular season at SAP Center will be on Oct. 10 against the St. Louis Blues, as the NHL announced the home opening games for all 32 teams on Monday.
The Sharks will also be in Chicago for the Blackhawks’ home opener on Oct. 17, potentially featuring the last two No. 1 overall draft picks. Connor Bedard, who was just named the Calder Trophy winner as the NHL Rookie of the Year, was selected first overall by Chicago last year, and the Sharks just took Macklin Celebrini first overall at the NHL Draft in Las Vegas on Friday.
The Sharks will also be in Los Angeles on Oct. 24 when the Kings have their home opener.
The NHL is slated to release every team’s full 82-game schedule on Tuesday.
Celebrini has not yet announced whether he will sign with the Sharks or return to Boston University for his sophomore season. He and Sharks general manager Mike Grier both said there is no specific timeline for when that decision will be made.
Whatever happens, the Sharks will be looking to get off to a better start this season than the last two. San Jose went 0-5-0 to begin 2022-23 and started 0-10-1 this past season on its way to a 19-54-9 record, the worst in the NHL.
The Sharks are also playing six preseason games, with the first at home against the Vegas Golden Knights on Sept. 22. They also play at home against the Anaheim Ducks on Sept. 24, against Utah HC on Oct. 1, and against the Ducks again on Oct. 4. The Sharks also play in Anaheim on Sept. 26 and close the preseason in Las Vegas on Oct. 5.