Joe Thornton, left, poses for a photo with Macklin Celebrini after being selected by the the San Jose Sharks with the first overall pick during the first round of the 2024 Upper Deck NHL Draft at Sphere on June 28, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
The San Jose Sharks released their 2024-25 regular season schedule on Tuesday, setting the stage as the club prepares for a crucial developmental phase.
San Jose opens at home against the St. Louis Blues on Oct. 10, a game that may feature the debut of No. 1 overall pick Macklin Celebrini. The Sharks next host Anaheim on Oct. 12 before hitting the road Oct. 15-18 for a three-game trip to Dallas, Chicago and Winnipeg.
The season will be split by the brand new Four Nations Faceoff held from Feb. 12-20. The NHL regular season breaks for two weeks as teams representing Canada, Finland, Sweden and the United States face off in a seven-game tournament.
The Sharks will play Pacific Division opponents Anaheim and Vegas three times each while facing all other division teams four times. San Jose will play Central Division teams three times apiece and all Eastern Conference squads twice.
Here’s what fans can look forward to as the Sharks enter a new era:
Joe Thornton jersey retirement
The Bay Area legend known as “Jumbo Joe” will be doing more for the Sharks than just announcing Celebrini’s draft selection.
The future Hall of Fame center will return to SAP Center for his jersey retirement night on Nov. 23 against the Buffalo Sabres. Thornton will join Patrick Marleau as the only players in San Jose franchise history to have their number retired.
Thornton and Marleau played together in San Jose for over a decade. The ceremony will formally recognize Thornton’s storied 15-year career with the Sharks.
Tomas Hertl’s return
Thornton’s jersey retirement won’t be the only reunion the Sharks will experience this season.
Hertl, the team’s alternate captain from 2019-24, will return to the Bay Area as a member of the Vegas Golden Knights on Dec. 27. He was traded to Vegas on March 8 after a decade-plus tenure with San Jose.
Hertl made All-Star teams in 2020 and 2024 and was a member of the Sharks’ Western Conference championship team in 2016.
Eight-game homestand
The Sharks will have an extended run of home games in March.
San Jose faces eight opponents from March 8-29 at SAP Center. The New York Islanders, Nashville Predators, Chicago Blackhawks, Washington Capitals, Carolina Hurricanes, Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs and New York Rangers will all come to San Jose during that time.
The homestand comes immediately after the Sharks’ longest trip of the season.
Seven-game trip
Speaking of which, San Jose will make history with its longest road sojourn in 2024-25.
The Sharks leave home from Feb. 23 to March 6, immediately after the break for the Four Nations Faceoff. San Jose plays the Calgary Flames, Winnipeg Jets, Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators, Toronto Maple Leafs, Buffalo Sabres, and Colorado Avalanche on the trip.
It is the longest consecutive road stretch the Sharks have had since 2014-15, excluding the shortened 2020-21 season.
Originally published at Christian Babcock