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SAN JOSE – Nolan Allan vividly remembers his NHL debut. He was a 21-year-old with the Chicago Blackhawks, who were playing their 2024-25 season opener against the newly relocated Utah Hockey Club at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City.
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“I think the building was three-quarters full for warm-up,” Allan said Saturday. “It was a pretty cool rookie lap.”
Fast forward two years, and there appears to be a good chance that the now 23-year-old Allan, if he stays healthy, will be in the Sharks’ opening-night lineup on Thursday when they face the Florida Panthers at SAP Center.
“It’d be awesome,” Allan said. “That’s what I’ve been striving for. Ever since I played that year in Chicago, I’ve been trying to get back.”
Allan, a Blackhawks first-round draft pick in 2021 who was traded to San Jose in January, impressed the Sharks’ front office and coaching staff during training camp with his steady and physical style.
The Sharks recently rewarded Allan, who signed a two-year contract with San Jose in June, by moving him into a top-four role in practice alongside veteran right-shot defenseman Jacob Trouba.
Allan and Trouba were slated to be paired together during Saturday’s preseason finale against the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena. The game will largely feature NHL rosters and was expected to be a good measuring stick for Allan and other young Sharks players.
“Just his composure, the way he plays, shift in and shift out,” Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said of the 6-foot-2, 195-pound Allan. “He takes hits to make plays. He’s physical. He has an identity to himself. He’s really come into his own.”
Warsofsky was particularly impressed with Allan during the Sharks’ 10-0 win over the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday in San Jose. Allan had an assist and was a team-high +5 in the one-sided game, but Warsofsky noted that even though it was a blowout, “he’s still playing really hard. I thought that was good to see, to be honest with you.”
Even though he is no longer waivers-exempt, Allan isn’t taking anything for granted in his bid for a full-time NHL job. He played 43 games for the Blackhawks during the 2024-25 season, but spent all of last season in the AHL, including 35 games with the Barracuda.
Some thought the Blackhawks, who have several young defensemen in their pipeline, might have given up on Allan too soon. The Sharks acquired Allan, goalie Laurent Brossoit and a 2028 seventh-round selection from Chicago for the contract of defenseman Ryan Ellis, defenseman Jake Furlong, and San Jose’s 2028 fourth-round pick.
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The 22-year-old Furlong, a fifth-round pick by the Sharks in 2022, was recently assigned to Rockford of the AHL after just a few days of camp.
Regardless, the trade marked a fresh start for Allan, who wasn’t sure where he fit in the Blackhawks’ organization,
“You go from playing in the NHL to being in the AHL for a whole year, and it’s tough,” Allan said. “It’s two different situations. Chicago had a lot of other young defensemen that they wanted to get in, and they wanted to see play, too. So you wonder, but you just have to focus on yourself, try and be the best version of yourself in the AHL and hope the opportunity arises.”
He’s getting that opportunity now, perhaps at the expense of Sam Dickinson, a Sharks’ first-rounder in 2024 who is entering his second full season as a pro and might not have had as strong a camp as Allan.
Dickinson, 20, began Saturday’s game with Dmitry Orlov on the Sharks’ third pair, and it would be a surprise not to see him start the year in the NHL when the Sharks announce their opening night roster on Monday. But whether Dickinson plays against the Panthers is another story.
Along with Allan, defenseman Luca Cagnoni is also trending toward being on the Sharks’ 23-man roster and has quarterbacked the top power-play unit for most of camp. If he and Allan are with the big club, along with Orlov, Trouba, Darnell Nurse and Michael Kesselring, where does that leave Dickinson?
Asked Saturday if it’s possible that Dickinson will be scratched on opening night, Warsofsky just said, “We’ll see. That’s a few days away.”
For now, Allan, two years after his NHL debut, simply wants to get on solid footing with the Sharks.
“I’m just trying to get into the league,” Allan said. “Doesn’t matter where it is or what the depth chart looks like, or whatever. It’s just trying to be the best version of myself, and try to force my way into the NHL.”
NOTABLE
Forward Adam Gaudette, who missed most of training camp with an upper-body injury, skated Saturday morning but remains day-to-day, Warsofsky said. The Sharks do not practice again until Tuesday. … Forward Jimmy Huntington and goalie Eric Comrie, placed on waivers on Friday, both cleared and were assigned to the Barracuda. who hosted Bakersfield in a preseason game on Saturday.
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This story was originally published September 26, 2026 at 1:45 PM.