The Sharks hit a home run at the draft, and that's not just because they got a potential face of the franchise in Macklin Celebrini. Tony Ferrari takes a deep-dive look at their prospects.
The Sharks hit a home run at the draft, and that's not just because they got a potential face of the franchise in Macklin Celebrini. Tony Ferrari takes a deep-dive look at their prospects.
The San Jose Sharks are next up in the NHL prospect pool overview series.
Tony Ferrari examines the Sharks' strengths and weaknesses, gives a quick overview of their latest draft class, shows their positional depth chart and examines who could be next in line for an NHL chance.
A player who no longer holds rookie eligibility in the NHL is considered graduated and no longer considered a prospect for these exercises, except in very specific cases.
First Thoughts
The San Jose Sharks went from being a perennial Stanley Cup contender to a team looking to kickstart a new era of the franchise.
Over the last few years, they’ve traded star players, such as Tomas Hertl, Timo Meier, Brent Burns and Erik Karlsson, accumulating cap space and draft assets in the process.
By selecting Macklin Celebrini first overall at the 2024 NHL draft, the Sharks are officially welcoming the next era of Sharks hockey.
Before we get to the 2024 NHL draft and all of the exciting players welcomed into the Sharks organization, we must cover the incredible depth of talent the Sharks had in their system beforehand.
At the top of that list is the only player to have a higher point-per-game average than Celebrini in college last season, Will Smith.
Leading the nation in scoring, Smith was dominant in his freshman season at Boston College. He only improved as the year went on. His playmaking and creativity are in the upper echelon of the prospect world. His ability to manipulate and open lanes for himself and his teammates makes him special.
Smith signed his entry-level contract and will join the Sharks for the upcoming season. There is a world where he plays AHL games, but with his incredible talent and the lack of talent on the Sharks' current roster, we should see Smith in the NHL.
One of the Sharks' most exciting prospects is 2023 first-rounder Quentin Musty. The Sudbury Wolves star put up 102 points in 53 games in the OHL and will be one of the favorites to win a scoring title in the league this season.
Musty's blend of power and skill is enticing. He can drive the slot and attack the net to score or deke a defender, draw pressure and then thread the needle to a teammate on the back door. Musty is a lethal dual-threat attacker with a whippy shot and excellent vision. He could be one of the best players in junior hockey this season.
The Sharks' first-round pick in 2022, Filip Bystedt, jumped to North America last season and was an immediate impact AHL player. Bystedt is a two-way center who has become an excellent transition forward over the last few years. His hands and feet work in cohesion to evade pressure and burst through pockets of space. The Sweden native has a good shot, and he shows some nice flashes of playmaking ability. He may eventually slot in as a third-line center behind Celebrini and Smith, but it would allow him to become one of the best 3C’s in the NHL. Bystedt will look to have a killer season in the AHL.
David Edstrom was acquired in the Hertl trade last season with the Vegas Golden Knights, and he slots in nicely in the Sharks' pipeline. Edstrom is a do-it-all, versatile center who may not be elite in any one facet of the game but is good just about everywhere. Edstrom is solid defensively and could slot in the bottom six. He could potentially be the fourth-line center, a role he could excel at. The young center depth for the Sharks is as good as any team in the NHL.
In the AHL, the Sharks have a couple of solid forward prospects who will likely see NHL time this upcoming season in Thomas Bordeleau and Danil Gushchin. The duo has been among the Barracuda’s best players, and both will be looking to find a more consistent role in the NHL.
Gushchin is a high-octane player in all regards, looking to push the pace on both sides of the puck. His puck skill and playmaking make him a dangerous player, and he’s got an underrated shot that keeps goalies honest.
Bordeleau is a smart player who always looks to exploit small mistakes. His speed and agility make him hard to defend in transition. Technically no longer an NHL rookie, Bordeleau is focused on being a full-time NHLer this year after 27 games last year.
A player the Sharks' fan base and media have become infatuated with is Kasper Halttunen of the London Knights. The Finn has a wicked shot and has been a force of nature in the OHL. He popped off in the playoffs, scoring 17 goals in 18 games en route to an OHL title with London. Halttunen is the kind of one-shot scorer every team needs, and with the skill of their centers over the next few years, he could be an outstanding complementary piece alongside Celebrini or Smith down the line.
The Sharks traded for Egor Afanasyev, parting ways with Ozzy Weisblatt who has been a bit underwhelming since being drafted. Unfortunately, Afanasyev signed a contract in the KHL for three years, but the Sharks retain his rights for now. Afanasyev had his best AHL season last year, leading the Milwaukee Admirals in scoring and looking like he was on the cusp of breaking into the NHL.
The Sharks' blueline pipeline isn’t quite as deep as the forward group, but the 2024 NHL draft did a great job of adding to what was already there.
Luca Cagnoni is one of their top names, putting up huge numbers in the WHL with 90 points. The undersized defender is a shifty skater who can create space and separation. His playmaking is silky smooth, and he’s become a much better shooter as well. His size and defensive play are still issues, but if he can carve out a depth role at even strength and showcase his best skills on the power play, Cagnoni could be a really fun player.
One of the prize assets coming back in the Meier trade, Shakir Mukhamadullin, could be a really nice piece on the back end for San Jose as early as this season. The 6-foot-4 blueliner is a very good skater for his size, and he uses his length defensively quite well. He can struggle on pivots and small-area footwork a bit, but he can track and defend well in space. Mukhamadullin has a big shot as well, which makes him an asset as a secondary option in the offensive zone. He might be a bit limited in terms of upside, but he should be a steady NHLer.
When the Sharks traded Anthony Duclair to the Tampa Bay Lightning, they acquired a draft pick and defenseman Jack Thompson. The Lightning didn’t have many prospects worth much, but Thompson was among their most promising and closest to NHL-ready. He plays a solid two-way game but lacks the explosiveness and dynamism to be a real impact player. He could be a steady, reliable bottom-pair blueliner down the road.
The Sharks drafted Mattias Havelid in the second round two years ago, and his steady progress as a blueliner has been encouraging. His defensive game still needs work, but he’s begun to use his skating as an asset at that end of the ice as well. Offensively, Havelid has become a leader for the Swedish U-20 team in the last couple of years. He is a creative passer and always looks to push the envelope offensively. He could be a really solid power-play quarterback and puck-mover on the back end for the Sharks down the road.
U-23 Players Likely To Be on the NHL Roster
Macklin Celebrini (C), Will Smith (C), William Eklund (C/LW), Henry Thrun (LD)
2024 NHL Draft Class
Round 1, 1st overall - Macklin Celebrini, C, Boston University (NCAA)
Round 1, 11th overall - Sam Dickinson, LD, London (OHL)
Round 2, 33rd overall - Igor Chernyshov, LW, Dynamo Moscow (KHL)
Round 2, 53rd overall - Leo Sahlin Wallenius, LD, Vaxjo Jr. (Swe.)
Round 3, 82nd overall - Carson Wetsch, RW, Calgary (WHL)
Round 4, 116th overall - Christian Kirsch, G, Zug Jr. (Swiss)
Round 5, 131st overall - Colton Roberts, RD, Vancouver (WHL)
Round 5, 143rd overall - Nate Misskey, RD, Victoria (WHL)
Round 7, 194th overall - Yaroslav Korostelyov, G, SKA St. Petersburg Jr. (Rus.)
From the day that Sharks won the draft lottery, they made no secret about the fact they were excited to add Macklin Celebrini, giving them the franchise cornerstone and top-line center they need for the next era of hockey in San Jose.
Celebrini will alter the future of the franchise and allow everyone else in the system to settle into roles that better fit their skills. Smith can now fit into the second-line center role, where he can excel. It takes away any pressure on Eklund to slot in down the middle.
On the ice, Celebrini does everything you could ask. The phrase “jack of all trades, master of none” is often used to describe players who are good at everything but lack a standout skill. Celebrini is as close to a “master of all trades” as possible.
He’s an elite shooter who can blister shots off the rush or pound one-timers on the power play. His defensive game is solid, built on his ability to read play and disrupt puck movement by pressuring all over the zone. Celebrini may not be a true dangler, but his puckhandling is impressive as he attacks defenders head-on with purpose, looking to exploit the smallest of mistakes to give him a bit of extra room. Celebrini may not be a prospect on the level of Connor Bedard or Auston Matthews, but he is in the next tier of impact players to come into the NHL.
The Sharks originally had the 14th pick from Pittsburgh that came to them in the Erik Karlsson trade. They used that pick, along with the 42nd-overall pick, to trade up to 11th overall. They selected defenseman Sam Dickinson, who immediately jumped to the top of their defensive pipeline.
Dickinson played big minutes for the Knights on the way to an OHL championship, playing in all situations. His defensive game is where he has the most success, but the flashes of puck rushing and offensive skill are so enticing. Dickinson has all the tools you could ask for, and his defensive game is solid. It’s just about pulling the best out of all of his tools in other regards. Dickinson has the chance to be the best all-around blueliner in the draft class and a true two-way difference-maker.
To start Day 2 of the draft, the Sharks snagged Igor Chernyshov, who was often ranked as a top-20 talent in the draft class. The 6-foot-3 winger played primarily in the KHL, showcasing his high work rate and impressive power game.
Chernyshov isn’t afraid to get dirty in the corners or battle his way to the front of the net. The young Russian uses his speed and puckhandling in cohesion to create room for himself to get a shot off or find a passing lane. Chernyshov doesn’t have a glaring weakness in his game, which is why he was so well-regarded. Chernyshov signed his entry-level contract and is now set to join the Saginaw Spirit in the OHL, which hold his CHL rights.
Every time Leo Sahlin Wallenius played for the Swedish national team at the U-18 level last season, he was given prime opportunities. The Sharks' second-rounder has a frame and moves well, but he doesn’t really have any standout traits. He can make some questionable decisions with the puck at times, and he seems to have a bit too much confidence with the puck on his stick at times. When Sahlin Wallenius isn’t trying to do too much, he does a solid job of making plays and chaining positive plays together. If he can build on his mobility and learn to play within his skill set, he could be a solid second-pair guy.
For the Sharks' final pick inside the top 100, they selected Carson Wetsch out of the WHL. Wetsch is a winger with a relentless motor who lacks some top-end skill. He plays a straightforward, north-south game that doesn’t overcomplicate things. He gets in on the forecheck and battles for loose pucks. Wetsch is an all-out effort player who could excel in the bottom six. There isn’t much in the way of flash or flair; Wetsch is more of a do-what-has-to-be-done type of player.
Christian Kirsch played in the Swiss junior league this past season, and although he didn’t get much public love, there is a lot to like as a mid-late round swing in net. He has excellent size and solid footwork. He showed some really nice habits at the U-18s for the Swiss team. He must refine some of his movements, especially when trying to burst laterally. In a draft without many truly high-end netminders, the swing on a relative unknown makes some sense if the Sharks have seen something they like.
In the fifth round, the Sharks took Colton Roberts. He’s a long, rangy defender who isn’t always making the best decisions with the puck. He has solid tools across the board, but he can be a bit all over the place and stray from his position defensively. Roberts is an interesting player because on one shift, you can see a really solid, interesting player, and then he loses his structure on the next shift. At 6-foot-4 with solid mobility, he’s a decent bet this late in the draft.
The Sharks took Nate Misskey a little later in the fifth round, adding a big, physical blueliner with a great shot from the blueline. He can absolutely bomb his slapshot on net or weave a wrister through traffic, creating rebounds and generating scoring chances through havoc. In the defensive end, Misskey will crush attackers along the boards and brutalize them at the net front. Misskey is one of the most intriguing players taken in the late rounds, bringing a fairly translatable skill set.
San Jose capped off the draft by taking one of the youngest overage players in the class, Yaroslav Korostelyov. The young Russian netminder has an August birthday, making him about a month away from being a first-time eligible for this past draft. He posted excellent numbers across two teams at the Russian junior level and has a good frame. Korostelyov will likely play at the junior level once again, looking to play with SKA’s top team for the year.
Strengths
The Sharks have depth and solid players at just about every position, but their center depth is impressive on a level no team in the NHL can match at the moment.
They have Celebrini to hold things down on the top line. Smith slots in nicely on the second line now that the pressure of being a No. 1 center is alleviated. Bystedt and Edstrom can fight it out for the third-line center role, with the other holding things down on the fourth line. They have four centers who should all legitimately make the NHL and could play solid minutes.
Beyond that, Bordeleau could slot in down the middle if they needed him to. Yegor Spiridonov and Cameron Lund are both players with center experience who could factor in. There are some teams without a prospect down the middle as good as Edstrom, a player that sits fourth on the Sharks' prospect depth chart.
Weaknesses
The Sharks added to their blueline at the 2024 draft so the area that was once a bit of a weakness isn’t such a glaring hole anymore.
You could argue that the goaltending pipeline is a bit weak, but with two additions to the system at the draft, they added some nice swings there.
The net is probably the weakest spot in their pipeline, but not many teams have a surefire goalie of the future the way Minnesota (Wallstedt), Nashville (Askarov) or Detroit (Cossa/Augustine) have, so it’s not the biggest concern at the moment.
Next Man Up: Macklin Celebrini, C, and Will Smith, C
There may be some ups and downs, as Celebrini may go through tough stretches while Smith may wind up playing AHL games, but the future of the Sharks is here.
The top two centers for what the Sharks hope is the next decade and a half will, in all likelihood, start the season in the NHL, and they will both be asked to play big minutes on a team that doesn’t have much around them. Smith may start on the wing, but the plan will be to get him in the middle at some point. Celebrini may not be the top-line center on Day 1, but he will be by Christmas.
The Sharks' future is bright, and we will get our first real glimpse this season.
Prospect Depth Chart Notables
LW: Quentin Musty, Igor Chernyshov, Egor Afanasyev
C: Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith, Filip Bystedt, David Edstrom, Thomas Bordeleau, Yegor Spiridonov, Cameron Lund
RW: Danil Gushchin, Kasper Halttunen, Carson Wetsch, Collin Graf, Tristen Robins, Ethan Cardwell, Brandon Coe, Yegor Rimashevsky
LD: Sam Dickinson, Luca Cagnoni, Shakir Mukhamadullin, Leo Sahlin Wallenius, Artem Guryev, Jake Furlong
RD: Jack Thompson, Mattias Havelid, Eric Pohlkamp, Axel Landen
G: Christian Kirsch, Yaroslav Korostelyov, Magnus Chrona
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