SAN JOSE – Standing on the bench inside Avicii Arena in Stockholm last week, San Jose Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky admitted he didn’t witness the moment that USA Hockey had waited 92 years to experience. At least not live as it happened.
“I couldn’t really see because our whole bench was standing up,” Warsofsky said Friday of Tage Thompson’s overtime goal that gave the Americans a 1-0 win over Switzerland in the gold medal game of the IIHF World Championship on May 25.
“I’m 5-foot-8, so I was looking at the jumbotron, so I didn’t really see the goal go in, to be honest with you.”
Warsofsky didn’t have to, as the jubilation of the players in front of him — and the reaction of his assistant coaches — said it all as Team USA had captured the World Championship for the first time since 1933. Warsofsky, 37, the team’s head coach for the first time, shared the experience with Sharks forward Will Smith and assistants Thomas Speer and Nick Gialdini.
Now, Warsofsky wants to take what he learned from that memorable tournament, where the Americans won nine of 10 games, and apply it to his full-time job as he enters his second season as the Sharks’ head coach.
The Sharks hope to build on their 20-50-12 record from this past season, as they finished last in the NHL standings for a second consecutive year. Although making the playoffs might not be realistic, improvement is expected.
“I think the way we wore teams down was something that we want to build (in San Jose),” Warsofsky said. “It’s tough in the National Hockey League, with the grind of it and a lot of games.
“So it is different, and it’s a little unique this tournament, but I think teams that wear teams down are usually the teams that win.”
Smith and Macklin Celebrini will likely be central to any Sharks’ improvement in 2025-26, as they could start the season as San Jose’s top two centermen. Both benefited from the overseas experience, as they played alongside some of their elite countrymen in a high-stakes environment.
Smith played more of a depth role for the Americans but still finished with seven assists and had a +7 rating in 10 games. Warsofsky said Smith got better as the tournament went along, saving his best for the Americans’ 6-2 win over host Sweden in the semifinal and the gold medal game against the Swiss.
In the semifinals, Smith assisted on a first-period goal by former Boston College teammate Cutter Gauthier that gave the U.S. a 2-0 lead. But Warsofsky was more impressed with Smith’s two-way game, and even saw him deliver a big hit to Christian Marti that almost knocked the Swiss player into the penalty box.
“He had an assist against Sweden, but he wasn’t lighting up the scoresheet,” Warsofsky said of Smith. “He was playing on his toes, he was playing through people. … He’s playing with good, winning habits, and that’s something that he’ll have to continue to work on. But coming into next year, he’ll have more feel for that, and I think that’s important.”
Celebrini made a significant impact for Canada with three goals and three assists in eight games. But instead of meeting the U.S. in the gold medal game, Canada suffered a shocking 2-1 loss to co-host Denmark in the quarterfinals on May 22.
The biggest positive for Celebrini was undoubtedly the opportunity to play for his country alongside Pittsburgh Penguins superstar Sidney Crosby, his childhood idol. Nathan MacKinnon, last year’s Hart Trophy winner, was also on the team.
Warsofsky said he saw Celebrini in Stockholm at a coffee shop, where he was hanging out with Smith, “which doesn’t surprise us.”
“We talked quite a bit just about his experiences. We texted a little bit before the gold medal game, and we’ll talk again here shortly,” Warsofsky said. “I know he had a great experience. I’m sure he learned a lot from MacKinnon and (Crosby) and some of the players that they had there. There’s some really good talent over there, guys who have won and played in this league for a long time.
“(Celebrini) had a great tournament in the games that I watched, and I’m sure he learned a lot from those guys that he’ll hopefully take here at San Jose.”
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Leading Team USA to a World Championship gold medal could help Warsofsky earn a spot on Mike Sullivan’s staff for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy in February. Sullivan and Warsofsky are longtime friends who are from the same hometown in the Boston suburbs.
“It would be quite the honor,” Warsofsky said of helping coach the American team at the Olympics. “This was special, obviously, but the Olympics is something that, again, would be very humbling and almost bucket list.
“But we’ll worry about that if that call comes. If not, keep working and getting better as the San Jose Sharks head coach, and that’s what I’ll continue to do. That’s my job. I’ve never been the one to sit there, waiting for my phone. Be my where my feet are, try to get better as a coach, and get this team to continue to grow in San Jose.”