Just because a team owns three first-round picks doesn’t guarantee a draft will be a resounding success.
The job isn’t done once the front office accumulates assets. They must still select players with the right skill sets, development timelines and intangibles for the team—players who will fill areas of need and fit with the rest of the roster. All first-rounders possess talent, but only some can change the trajectory of a franchise.
Luckily for the San Jose Sharks, their 2026 NHL Draft Class gives them multiple such players.
By all accounts, the Sharks had a near-perfect draft.
At No. 2, they grabbed the best player available in Swedish winger Ivar Stenberg to bolster their frightening crop of young forwards that already includes blue-chippers Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith and Michael Misa.
And at No. 9 and No. 21, San Jose finally addressed its glaring position of need, selecting defensemen Keaton Verhoeff and Ryan Lin to solidify the Sharks’ back-end.
Despite owning only three draft picks on day two of the draft, San Jose made them count. The Sharks took swings at players with high upside.
When all was said and done, San Jose walked away from the draft in Buffalo demonstrably better and more balanced from top to bottom. But most importantly, this draft’s haul marks the end of the Sharks’ lengthy, excruciating rebuild and ushers in a new era of splendor for Team Teal.
Devy of Moves
After the team’s surprising competitiveness in 2026 and Celebrini’s accession to superstardom in just his second season, San Jose’s brass understood the importance of this year’s draft to put the finishing touches on the young core.
After formulating a clear draft plan, general manager Mike Grier pounced.
Three days before the draft, in an unexpected move, Grier shipped 23-year-old forward William Eklund, once thought to be the first piece of the team’s rebuild when he was selected seventh overall in 2021, to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for the No. 9 pick.
The second top-ten selection gave San Jose a chance to acquire two premier prospects, with the flexibility to draft the best player available in Stenberg at No. 2 and pick for need at No. 9. Given the Sharks’ surplus of talent up front, giving away a proven top-six forward in Eklund for the ninth pick, which they could use to take a top-tier defenseman, made sense.
The trade enabled San Jose to keep the second pick and ensure it didn’t miss out on selecting a blueliner in the top ten. Despite the well-documented need for defensemen, picking Stenberg was a no-brainer. He is simply too good to pass up, especially with the opportunity to enhance the blueline with the other high pick.
But Grier wasn’t done. On draft night, after already making two superb picks, he spotted an opportunity to strike while the iron was hot. On a heater, Grier got greedy, handing the Philadelphia Flyers the 27th pick along with second and fourth-rounders to move up six spots.
Stenberg, Verhoeff Headline Unrivaled Draft Haul
With three first-round picks, it was up to Grier to make the right decisions. It’s safe to say he delivered.
The Sharks’ draft class includes an extraordinary combination of skill, size, experience and intelligence.
No. 2: Ivar Stenberg, LW
Stenberg can do it all. He possesses immense hockey IQ and two-way ability.
Whether it’s initiating zone entries or distributing to teammates, Stenberg excels with the puck on his stick. He processes the game at an extremely high level, reading the defense to drive offense north-south and create sustained opportunities. Stenberg showed tremendous acumen making a variety of top-notch passes to and from anywhere on the ice.
One of the most well-rounded prospects in recent memory, Stenberg has no major weaknesses in his game. He is committed defensively, tough to play against and can impact the game in myriad ways.
Stenberg may be slightly undersized, but he more than held his own for Frölunda, scoring the second-most points for a draft-eligible player in Swedish Hockey League history this past season.
Stenberg is by far the most NHL-ready player in this year’s draft and will likely head straight to the Sharks. Given his track record playing against men professionally in Sweden, Stenberg can immediately contribute significantly in a top-six role. His game should mesh well with Celebrini, and he has the forte to be effective in his rookie season.
Some scouts considered Stenberg the top prospect in the draft, and many teams had him first on their board ahead of Gavin McKenna.
Regardless, San Jose added yet another first-line-caliber forward of the future.
No. 9: Keaton Verhoeff, D
Verhoeff was the ideal choice — he was both the best player available and the pick for need.
Verhoeff has three primary weapons that set him apart from some of the other defensemen in the draft: his physicality, booming shot and playmaking. He utilizes all three at an extremely elite level.
He can impose his will on opponents with his frame and strength to shut down plays in front of the net, along the boards and on the rush. But Verhoeff is also gifted offensively, a player who can punish opponents with his ingenuity and heavy shot to run a potent power play.
Like many young blueliners, Verhoeff has to work on decision-making, especially in his own zone. But his raw ability and top-pair wherewithal are undeniable.
A year ago, coming out of the WHL, Verhoeff was seen as a top-three pick. This past season, as one of the youngest defensemen in the NCAA, Verhoeff impressed at North Dakota but saw his draft stock drop. With Verhoeff falling to No. 9 as the fifth D-man off the board, Grier got excellent value on a player that might be the best blueliner in the draft.
The Sharks needed a No. 1 defenseman, and Verhoeff fits the bill.
No. 21: Ryan Lin, D
After going with a big defenseman in Verhoeff, the Sharks opted for an undersized D-man who, aside from his below-average frame, has all the tools to flourish in the NHL.
Lin has made a name for himself as an outstanding skater. His speed, agility and puck-moving prowess allow him to evade forecheckers and easily find space on the ice to support play.
Scouts marveled at Lin’s consistency, effort and attention to detail. Despite lacking the height typically required to be a preeminent NHL defenseman, Lin’s acuity and defensive fundamentals against bigger forwards are unmatched.
Lin was incredibly productive last season. He led defensemen in points at the 2026 U18 World Championship and, as the captain, led the WHL’s Vancouver Giants in points and assists.
Once again, San Jose got great value with this selection. He would have been a top-ten pick had he been slightly taller. The University of Denver, where he will play next year, should be the perfect place to grow, learn to get the most out of his game and overcome his height disadvantage.
Grier’s staff is betting on his skill, and depending on his development, Lin can certainly become a reliable defenseman in a top-four role.
Instead of drafting two identical D-men, Grier went after highly-touted defensemen with skill sets that complement each other very well.
No. 127: Brady Knowling, G
After the Sharks’ three first-round picks, they didn’t have another selection until round four. San Jose didn’t waste its remaining opportunities, selecting goaltender Knowling from the United States National Team Development Program.
They already have a promising goaltending pipeline, including Yaroslav Askarov and 2025 first-rounder Joshua Ravensbergen. But adding another goalie for increased depth doesn’t hurt.
For a fourth-round pick, Knowling has a high ceiling. He has shown flashes of brilliance, but was very inconsistent last season. With his size and mobility, Knowling has a chance to blossom into an NHL netminder.
No. 174: Jake Gustafson, C
It’s hard for teams to know what they are getting with late-round, less-decorated prospects. But in the sixth round, San Jose took Jake Gustafson, whose game they happen to know well. While he is the son of the President of the San Jose Barracuda, the Sharks’ AHL affiliate, selecting the hometown kid was more than just a heartwarming story.
Gustafson uses his size to play a hard-working and physical two-way game. His willingness to battle for pucks along the boards could make him a future fourth liner or an irreplaceable glue guy in the AHL.
No. 201: Alexander Karmanov, D
It’s no secret that seventh-round draft picks rarely see any time in the NHL. So why not take a big swing?
The Sharks did just that—and then some. San Jose took 7-foot-1 Karmanov, who became the tallest player ever drafted into the NHL.
It’s worth spending a low-value asset on something as rare as his height. While it’s more likely than not that Karmanov doesn’t gain any significant traction in the NHL or AHL, there is at least a small chance his length becomes advantageous.
A Coup That Lives up to the Hype
Put simply, the draft was a masterful performance by Grier.
These weren’t just draft-day steals; they were full-scale robberies. The best part: the Sharks picked up exactly what they desperately needed.
By the time the Sharks were on the clock for the ninth pick, the draft was already a win. But subsequently adding potentially two of the best six defensemen in the draft—both of whom project to be top blueliners for a position group devoid of proven talent—was icing on the cake. It turned a nice night for San Jose into a vociferous triumph.
The bullish sentiment was felt well outside of San Jose.
Even in post-draft analysis, which typically refrains from making hyperbolic declarations, hockey writers couldn’t help themselves. Despite their best efforts to avoid being prisoners of the moment, they couldn’t ignore what the Sharks are forming any longer.
ESPN called the Sharks’ night “one of the best first rounds in draft history,” and that was only one of the gushing statements. Three senior NHL reporters dubbed Grier’s crafty moves and smart draft choices “note-perfect.”
ESPN Hockey Writer Rachel Kryshak didn’t hold back, claiming the Sharks’ draft “isn’t even just an A-plus; it’s 100%, aced the test, 10/10 no notes.” Later, she asserted that Team Teal is “going to be a real problem in the Western Conference for years to come.”
While other teams had a successful night in Buffalo, the Sharks had a transformative one. Most squads certainly got better, but only San Jose walked away with the exact pieces it needed and nabbed two future franchise pillars in the process. They now have several elite young players at each position.
At long last, the Sharks’ painful rebuild is now complete. Let the Stanley Cup contention window commence.
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