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The Greatest San Jose Sharks of All Time

All-time greats by position · era-adjusted

Updated 2026-07-09

The greatest San Jose Sharks of all time — the forwards, defensemen and goaltenders who defined the franchise. Each is ranked by their finest era-adjusted season, weighted by how long they anchored the roster, so a dominant year from any era is measured fairly.

Top forwards

  1. Joe Thornton Center
    2 seasons sampled · peak 2006 · 22G 92A 114P · +24 · 82 GP
    73Peak
  2. Macklin Celebrini Center
    1 season sampled · peak 2025 · 45G 70A 115P · +8 · 82 GP
    68Peak
  3. Joe Pavelski Center
    2 seasons sampled · peak 2013 · 41G 38A 79P · +23 · 82 GP
    61Peak
  4. Jonathan Cheechoo Right Wing
    1 season sampled · peak 2005 · 56G 37A 93P · +23 · 82 GP
    64Peak
  5. Dany Heatley Left Wing
    2 seasons sampled · peak 2009 · 39G 43A 82P · +14 · 82 GP
    57Peak
  6. Owen Nolan Right Wing
    2 seasons sampled · peak 1999 · 46G 42A 88P · -1 · 78 GP
    56Peak
  7. Patrick Marleau Center
    4 seasons sampled · peak 2005 · 34G 52A 86P · -12 · 82 GP
    48Peak
  8. Tomas Hertl Center
    2 seasons sampled · peak 2018 · 37G 42A 79P · +5 · 77 GP
    49Peak
  9. Ryane Clowe Left Wing
    2 seasons sampled · peak 2010 · 26G 42A 68P · +14 · 75 GP
    48Peak
  10. Igor Larionov Center
    1 season sampled · peak 1993 · 25G 52A 77P · +27 · 60 GP
    50Peak
  11. Timo Meier Right Wing
    2 seasons sampled · peak 2021 · 37G 44A 81P · -3 · 77 GP
    46Peak
  12. Devin Setoguchi Right Wing
    2 seasons sampled · peak 2008 · 31G 34A 66P · +16 · 81 GP
    46Peak

On defense

  1. Erik Karlsson Defenseman
    2 seasons sampled · peak 2022 · 25G 76A 101P · -26 · 82 GP
    54Peak
  2. Brent Burns Defenseman
    2 seasons sampled · peak 2018 · 16G 67A 83P · +13 · 82 GP
    51Peak
  3. Marc-Edouard Vlasic Defenseman
    3 seasons sampled · peak 2015 · 10G 38A 48P · +18 · 67 GP
    37Peak
  4. Sandis Ozolinsh Defenseman
    2 seasons sampled · peak 1993 · 26G 38A 65P · +16 · 81 GP
    40Peak
  5. Dan Boyle Defenseman
    2 seasons sampled · peak 2009 · 16G 46A 63P · +6 · 76 GP
    39Peak
  6. Brad Stuart Defenseman
    3 seasons sampled · peak 2003 · 10G 32A 42P · +10 · 77 GP
    31Peak
  7. Rob Blake Defenseman
    1 season sampled · peak 2008 · 11G 39A 51P · +17 · 73 GP
    35Peak
  8. Jeff Norton Defenseman
    1 season sampled · peak 1993 · 9G 42A 51P · +20 · 64 GP
    33Peak

In goal

  1. Evgeni Nabokov Goaltender
    1 season sampled · peak 2009 · 44W · 2.43 GAA · .922 SV% · 3 SO
    60Peak
  2. Antti Niemi Goaltender
    1 season sampled · peak 2012 · 24W · 2.16 GAA · .924 SV% · 4 SO
    61Peak
  3. Vesa Toskala Goaltender
    1 season sampled · peak 2003 · 12W · 2.06 GAA · .930 SV% · 1 SO
    67Peak
  4. Martin Jones Goaltender
    1 season sampled · peak 2015 · 37W · 2.27 GAA · .918 SV% · 6 SO
    53Peak
How this ranks: a player’s best season with the San Jose Sharks is scored on era-adjusted offense, defense and goaltending, then nudged up for how many standout seasons they gave the club — rewarding peak brilliance and franchise tenure together.

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Frequently asked questions

Who is the greatest San Jose Sharks player of all time?
By All-Time Hockey's era-adjusted peak-season ranking, Joe Thornton leads the San Jose Sharks all-time greats; the top three overall are Evgeni Nabokov, Joe Thornton, Antti Niemi. Each player is scored on his finest season relative to the league around him.
Who is the best San Jose Sharks goaltender of all time?
Evgeni Nabokov ranks as the top San Jose Sharks goaltender by peak era-adjusted season, weighted by win volume so durable starters outrank one-year standouts.
How are the all-time San Jose Sharks rankings calculated?
Each player's best season with the San Jose Sharks is scored on era-adjusted offense, defense and goaltending, then weighted by how many standout seasons he gave the club. Data spans the 1960s to today.

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