Sam Dickinson was surprised by his dad when he was told that he didn’t have to buy any tickets for the large group coming to watch him play for the San Jose Sharks on Thursday.
Dickinson, who grew up a Montreal Canadiens fan, was born and raised in Toronto and will play his first NHL game against the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight. Dickinson told reporters that he had Thursday’s Sharks game circled on his calendar for a while.
“It means a lot. Just to be able to be here and playing this game is really exciting. Definitely a game I’ve had marked on the calendar for a while now. Probably the first one I looked up at the beginning of the year,” Dickinson said. A lot of people to thank are going to be here tonight.”
San Jose’s Sam Dickinson says he’ll have about 80 friends and family at the Leafs game tonight (and he didn’t even have to buy the tickets!)
— Ryan Kennedy (@THNRyanKennedy) December 11, 2025
Dickinson wasn’t always a shoo-in to be in the San Jose Sharks lineup against the Maple Leafs. The defenseman is 19 and still technically eligible to be sent back to the London Knights. While that doesn’t appear to be the case, the Sharks also could loan him to Team Canada for the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship, joining fellow Sharks prospect Michael Misa.
Usually, when players have the number of people that Dickinson has attending a game, especially a 19-year-old, they often have to buy so many tickets that their gameday paycheck doesn’t cover the full cost. For Dickinson, his father stepped in and said Don’t worry about it.
“I’ve heard it’s closer to maybe 80. Maybe 100. We’ll see how many end up showing up,” Dickinson said. “It’s probably a competition between my dad, my brother, and my mom. We’ll see who’s the loudest if anything goes on.
I’m lucky enough I didn’t have to get any tickets. I don’t know how, but I asked my dad the other day. I said, “How many am I gonna have to get?” He said, “Don’t worry about it.” Works for me!”
But for Dickinson and the San Jose Sharks, not letting the moment get too big is something he knows he must control.
“I’m gonna enjoy it. I’m gonna take everything and have some fun,” Dickinson told SHD. “At the same time, once the puck drops for the start of the first period, just got to get back into that mindset of just another game. Go out there and do my job and just go to work.”
Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky said he isn’t worried about the young defenseman’s eyes getting too big for the moment.
“We’ve got some experienced veterans in there that will help him along the way. You can’t hide as a human being, those feelings, those emotions, you have to let that soak in,” Warsofsky said. “Once the puck’s dropped and the first shift gets out of the way, it’ll be like he’s playing at the junior Marlies or whatever rink is around here.”
Dickinson will be paired with Timothy Liljegren on defense tonight. The Sharks will look to draw to an even 2-2 record with a win in game four of their five-game road trip.
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