While the majority of the hype in the Bay Area later this week will be focused on the San Jose Sharks’ second overall pick, assuming nothing changes, the Sharks will enter the 2026 NHL Draft with a total of seven picks, five of which will take place on the second day of the annual event.
The first pick they hold on the second day will be the 62nd overall pick, which originally belonged to the Colorado Avalanche. The Sharks acquired the pick as part of the trade that sent MacKenzie Blackwood to Denver.
Throughout the years, a number of successful players have been taken with the 62nd overall selection, which for quite a while was a part of the third round.
There have been two players drafted 62nd overall that went on to play 1,000 or more games in the NHL, one of which is still active. Kris Letang of the Pittsburgh Penguins is the all-time games played leader amongst 62nd overall picks, with 1,235 games played, all with Pittsburgh. The first player drafted 62nd overall to hit the 1,000 game threshold, though ironically had the same first name as Letang, Kris Draper. Despite being drafted by the Winnipeg Jets in 1989, Draper played the majority of his career with the Detroit Red Wings.
Eight players drafted 62nd overall have reached the 500-game threshold, including long-time St. Louis Blues captain David Backes and former Sharks Jeff Norton and Paul Martin. At this point, only 11 total players drafted 62nd overall have appeared in 200 or more games, though.
More recently, Lane Hutson was drafted 62nd overall by the Montreal Canadiens in 2022, and after a couple of seasons with Boston University, he stepped into the NHL and made an immediate impact. The 62nd overall pick in 2023, Felix Unger Sorum, has already made his NHL debut as well for the Carolina Hurricanes. The 2024 and 2025 picks, Jacob Battaglia and Ivan Ryabkin, have yet to make an appearance in the NHL, but there’s still plenty of time.
Based on historical precedent, it seems that the Sharks likely won’t get an NHLer with the 62nd overall pick, but if they do, odds are they’ll be getting an impact player for quite a while. Of course, every player and every draft are different, so only time will tell how the pick pans out for the Sharks.
