NHL EDGE stats: Stenberg’s early impact with Sharks

NHL.com's fantasy staff continues to cover the latest trends and storylines in the League through the lens of NHL EDGE puck and player tracker stats. Today, we look at three advanced stats storylines surrounding Ivar Stenberg’s early impact with the San Jose Sharks.

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Ivar Stenberg, the No. 2 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft by the San Jose Sharks, has had an impressive start to his rookie season with six points (two goals, four assists) in his first eight games backed by some impressive advanced stats.

Stenberg, a key part of San Jose’s young forward core with other recent top picks Macklin Celebrini (No. 1 pick in 2024 NHL Draft), Will Smith (No. 4 pick in 2023 NHL Draft) and Michael Misa (No. 2 pick in 2025 NHL Draft), has had multiple points in two of his past three games. San Jose has started the season 4-3-1 and looks to contend for a Stanley Cup Playoff spot in the Pacific Division.

Here are three EDGE stats storylines behind Stenberg’s productive start to his NHL career:

1. Power-play offensive zone time

Stenberg ranks in the 91st percentile among NHL forwards in power-play offensive zone time percentage (64.4), and it has translated to some of the best power-play production in the entire League. Stenberg leads NHL rookies in power-play points (five; tied for ninth in entire League) and power-play goals (has scored on two of his three power-play shots on goal) and is seeing plenty of time with the man-advantage (3:00 per game), mostly on the first unit with Celebrini and Smith.

NHL EDGE IQ insights: Of Stenberg's 19 inferenced shot attempts this season, 12 have come on offensive zone plays (at least five seconds after puck crosses offensive blue line), including six of his seven scoring chances (shot attempts of at least 5.0 percent Projected Goal Rate).

The addition of Stenberg has helped San Jose rank 11th in power-play percentage (23.1) through eight games, a slight improvement compared to last season (21.2; 16th). The Sharks are also improving in 5-on-5 shot attempts percentage (47.9; 20th) after finishing near the bottom of the League last season (47.0; 28th out of 32 teams).

2. Shot versatility

Both of Stenberg’s goals this season have come from high-danger zones (92nd percentile among forwards with two high-danger goals) on the power play. It’s also worth noting six of Stenberg’s 11 shots on goal have been from mid-range zones (82nd percentile) and eight have been wrist shots (tied for second among Sharks forwards behind Mason Marchment's 11), showing the 19-year-old could have some range and add to San Jose’s strong perimeter offense.

The Sharks lead the NHL in average shot speed (63.34 mph) this season, rank ninth in mid-range shots on goal (75) and are tied for sixth in long-range shots on goal (54). Last season, Celebrini led the entire NHL in both mid-range goals (25) and mid-range shots on goal (159). Stenberg has played mostly in the middle six as a rookie, with his most-frequent linemates being Misa and power forward Kiefer Sherwood.

3. Skating speed

The Sharks, as a team, are tied for sixth in 22-plus mph speed bursts (13) this season, and Stenberg is showcasing more of his speed in recent games as his comfort level grows at the NHL level.

Four of Stenberg’s five fastest speed bursts this season have come over his past four games (since Oct. 10), including his fastest max skating speed (21.65 mph; in line with NHL average among forwards). Stenberg is also above the NHL average among forwards in 18-20 mph speed bursts (48). Misa, Stenberg’s frequent linemate, has strong marks in skating speed categories like 22-plus mph bursts (three; 94th percentile), max skating speed (22.55 mph; 84th percentile) and 18-20 mph bursts (74; 88th percentile).

As Stenberg faces Gavin McKenna, the No. 1 pick by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2026 NHL Draft, for the first time Monday (7:30 p.m. ET; TVAS, SN+, NBCSCA), both players are among the upper echelon of Calder Trophy candidates a few weeks into the season. On a related note, McKenna set the record for fastest skating speed (23.34 mph on Oct. 8; 98th percentile among NHL forwards this season) by an 18-year-old during the NHL’s puck and player tracking era (since 2021-22).