pilldoc Posted May 27, 2018 Share Posted May 27, 2018 (edited) All discussion regarding the San Jose Sharks and their prospects go here please. Edited May 27, 2018 by pilldoc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewin Flames Posted March 1, 2022 Share Posted March 1, 2022 2021-22 Top 10 San Jose Sharks Prospects Published on02/28/2022 AUTHOR Peter Harling The Sharks have been one of the better teams in the NHL for many years and a Stanley Cup contender as well. As the core of Logan Couture, Erik Karlsson, and Brent Burns are on the back nine of their career and some serious questions in goal, the team is poised to enter the rebuild era. The Sharks will miss the post-season this year and will receive a lottery pick for the 2022 draft. The team has traded away a first or second-round selection in four of the past six drafts and traded away first-round pick in the Erik Karlsson trade, which ended up being Josh Norris. The Sharks need to improve their scouting and player development as there have been some selections that failed to develop in recent and past drafts including Dylan Gambrell (60th overall in 2016), Jeremy Roy (31st overall in 2015), Nikolay Goldobin (27th overall in 2014), Julius Bergman (46th overall in 2014), Micro Mueller (18th overall in 2013), and Gabryel Boudreau (49th overall in 2013) William Eklund, LW – Djurgardens IF (SHL) Age: 19Ht/Wt: 5-10/181Drafted: 2021 round one, seventh overall by San Jose Sharks The Sharks highest draft selection since Milan Michalek was selected sixth overall in 2003, Eklund instantly becomes the organization’s top prospect. Eklund is a creative and skilled forward, he skates well, has excellent vision and hockey sense and plays a hard defensive game as well. Considered one of the more NHL-ready prospects from the 2021 draft because he played pro in his draft year in the SHL as an 18-year-old receiving the SHL Rookie of the Year Award and scoring the most goals by a junior in the SHL with 11 markers. Eklund made the Sharks to begin the season and scored four points in nine games before being loaned back to Djurgardens for more development time in his homeland. Eklund projects as a top-six winger in the NHL and the Sharks are hoping he can develop into a two-way player like fellow Swede Henrik Zetterberg Thomas Bordeleau, C – University of Michigan (NCAA) Age: 20Ht/Wt: 5-11/181Drafted: 2020 round two, 38th overall by San Jose Sharks Bordeleau had a very successful D+1 season as a freshman with the Wolverines racking up 30 points in 24 games and being named the NCAA Top Rookie. Bordeleau is a highly skilled and creative offensive player. More of a playmaker than a sniper but he does own a wide array of shooting options in his arsenal. His sophomore season with the loaded Wolverines is equally impressive with a point per game production and he is a likely candidate to turn pro at the conclusion of the season, which is expected to be after the frozen four tournament. Bordeleau lacks the ideal size for a first-line NHL center but has top-six offensive upside. Ozzy Wiesblatt, RW – Prince Albert Raiders (WHL) Age: 19Ht/Wt: 5-10/185Drafted: 2020 round one, 31st overall by San Jose Sharks The final first-round selection of the 2020 draft was a memorable one as Sharks GM Doug Wilson made the selection in sign language in homage to his single mother who is deaf. Ozzy is one of four hockey playing brothers, Ocean and Orca are his older brothers while Oasiz is the youngest. After his memorable draft, the WHL was on hold, so Wiesblatt made his pro debut playing in six games with the Barracuda and scoring a goal and three points When the dub resumed, Wiesblatt was returned to the Prince Albert Raiders scoring 28 points in 23 games. In his final season, he is producing around a point per game and next year should play in the AHL for a full season of pro development. Wiesblatt is a powerful skater with an explosive first step and a high-end top gear and a non-stop motor. He is an aggressive forechecker and strong player but could play a little more dirty or aggressive. Wiesblatt is dangerous offensively off the rush and can create momentum off of the cycle. He competes defensively as well and has the upside to develop into a versatile third-line winger in the NHL. Ryan Merkley, D – San Jose Barracuda (AHL) Age: 21Ht/Wt: 6-0/185Drafted: 2018 round one, 21st overall by San Jose Sharks Merkley has the offensive skill and upside of Cale Makar and Quinn Hughes. His skating, vision, and puck skills are simply elite. His skating stride is fluid and effortless looking. He carries the puck up ice and looks like he is gliding, keeping his head up and has the puck on a string. His vision is on display running the power play from the point, making tape-to-tape no look passes, shot passes for tips and deflections and he has a shot that makes him a dual threat to pass or blast it from the point. His stretch passes are a thing of beauty as he hits players halfway up the ice through traffic in flight and right on the tape. The problem is his defensive game is brutal. He gets caught puck watching in his own end, looks indifferent to playing the man, makes terrible decisions, and frequently turning over in puck management. His defensive game showed signs of improvement in his final OHL season with the London Knights, and he has continued to make improvements in the AHL, but a lot more work and consistency is required before he will become a regular NHL player. If he ever figures it out, he could become a legitimate replacement to Erik Karlsson or Brent Burns as an offensive defenseman. Jonathan Dahlen, LW – San Jose Sharks (NHL) Age: 24Ht/Wt: 5-11/181Drafted: 2016 round two, 42nd overall by Ottawa Senators After being a high second-round pick, Dahlen had his stock drop off significantly. He was traded twice, first to the Canucks for Alex Burrows, then to the Sharks for Linus Karlsson. After a decent season in the AHL with 33 points in 57 games split between Utican and the Barracuda, he was loaned back to Timra in the Allsvenskan, a junior league in Sweden. While Dahlen dominated there, returning to a junior level hockey had some giving up hope for his NHL upside. Dahlen simply dominated the SHL scoring 148 points in 96 games in two seasons and was named the leagues MVP in both seasons. The renewed confidence paid off and he has become an NHL regular this year in his return to North America. With eight points in his first 11 games to start his NHL career, Dahlen hit the ground running but has endured several long stretches of no production. Dahlen is a skilled puck handler and playmaker but will need to find consistency to remain in a top-six regular role in the NHL. Daniil Guschin, RW – Niagara Ice Dogs (OHL) Age: 20Ht/Wt: 5-10/181Drafted: 2020 round three, 76th overall by San Jose Sharks No stranger to drafts, Guschin was selected 26th overall in 2018 by Muskegon in the USHL Futures Draft, seventh overall in the 2019 CHL Import Draft by the Regina Pats. He chose to return to the USHL and was redrafted in the 2020 CHL Import Draft fourth overall by Niagara. He was drafted twice in 2020 as the Sharks selected him in the third round of the NHL Draft. Guschin dominated the USHL offensively for two seasons and as a 20-year-old he could have turned pro and played in the AHL, but the Sharks assigned him to the OHL for more development. He has been dominant in the OHL scoring 32 goals and 55 points in the first 37 games with the IceDogs A little undersized but he plays a tenacious game and has top-six offensive upside. His defensive game will need some fine tuning in the AHL before he is trusted with significant NHL minutes, but the potential is there. Tristen Robins, RW – Saskatoon Blades (WHL) Age: 20Ht/Wt: 5-11/185Drafted: 2020 round two, 56th overall by San Jose Sharks Robins had a terrific draft year and was a riser up the rankings as the season wore on. His development has continued an upwards trend and his D+1 season began late due to injury but allowed him to have a cup of coffee in the WHL before the WHL resumed. His play was good enough to earn his ELC and in his final season in the WHL where he has been dominant with 24 goals and 63 points through 47 games. Robins has a motor that never quits, he has an ever adapting and growing offensive skill set. Robins isn’t undersized, but at sub six-feet tall he lacks size, despite that detail he plays a physical game as well. Defensively he is not a liability and if his development continues in the AHL next year he could quickly find himself playing on a third-line in the NHL. Ben Gaudreau, G – Sarnia Sting (OHL) Age: 19Ht/Wt: 6-2/174Drafted: 2021 round three, 81st overall By San Jose Sharks No OHL season in his draft year was a challenge for Gaudreau who played in 28 games in his rookie OHL season. He made the most out of his U18 Tournament with Canada, playing five games with a 5-0-0 record, taking home the Gold Medal and Tournament Best GAA (2.20), SVS% (.919), and Best Goaltender. Gaudreau has size at 6-2 and blends both sound technical skill for a player his age with athleticism that gives him all the ingredients to be a franchise starting goalie in the NHL. His feet are fast, he moves laterally with power, tracks the puck well, and controls rebounds. Gaudreau is having a good D+1 season eclipsing his rookie stats in as many games and still has one more season of junior eligibility remaining before he turns pro. The wait time for goalies can be longer than skaters, and goalies can be difficult to scout, but Gaudreau is trending towards a franchise starting goalie for the Sharks. Artemi Knyazev, D – San Jose Barracuda (AHL) Age:21Ht/Wt: 6-0/181Drafted: 2019 round two, 48th overall by San Jose Sharks The Russian puck-moving defender moved to North America for his draft year and posted 34 points in 55 games in the QMJHL with Chicoutimi. Drafted 10th overall in the 2018 CHL Import Draft, Knyazev spent three seasons in the Q and represented Russia at the 2021 World Juniors where he scored four points in seven games but failed to Medal. In his rookie pro season in the AHL, he is adjusting to the pro game. His plus/minus is a minus -23 which is a red flag. He has produced only two goals and 10 points through 35 games at time of writing this article, so safe to say his offensive game has not fully translated either. Knyazev is a fluid skater that is most positively impactful with the puck on his stick and skating it up ice in transition. His speed is average, but his stride is fluid and smooth. He is agile and can quickly adapt to situational changes and deploys deception to create opportunities. His defensive game will need to improve to play top-pairing minutes in the NHL, but the offensive upside is already there. Alexander “Sasha” Chmelevski, RW – San Jose Barracuda (AHL) Age: 22Ht/Wt: 6-0/187Drafted: 2017 round six, 185th overall by San Jose Sharks The former Ottawa 67’s star player has transitioned well to pro hockey with 75 points in 113 career AHL games. Chmelevski was named to the 2021 World Championship Team USA and was effective there with four points in eight games adding a bronze Medal to his Silver World Junior Medal from 2019 where he was a point-per-game player. Chmelevski is a physical and skilled forward that can play in a variety of ways. He can be physical, lead the offense and play defensively. His skating was the primary concern that kept him out of the top end of the draft, but he has made improvements with his speed. The American, Ukrainian dual citizen made his NHL debut last year in five games earning a pair of assists. There is still some work to be done to earn a full-time NHL job, particularly more improved skating, and offensive consistency, but still only 22-years-old there is time and potential. Honorable Mentions Joachim Blichfeld: The Danish 23-year-old had a breakout overage performance in the WHL with the Portland Winterhawks of 114 points. Now with four seasons in the AHL with 83 points in 109 career games, he is an established pro player with eight NHL games played. His contract expires at the conclusion of the current season as will his waiver exemption status. It may be hard to keep him off an NHL roster next year. Brandon Coe: Played 17 AHL games last year with five points. The Sharks elected to return him to the OHL for his overage season. He is dominating offensively and is pacing for a 100+ point season in North Bay Ethan Cardwell: Found a team in Sweden to play in his draft year and is back in the OHL with Barrie producing at a point per game in his D+1 season. Is co-host of the Showbound podcast. Scott Reedy: Smooth skating Reedy played four seasons of NCAA hockey at U. Minnesota and as a rookie in the AHL has 18 goals and 27 points in 38 games. Reedy earned an NHL recall playing in five games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J0e Th0rnton Posted March 1, 2022 Share Posted March 1, 2022 56 minutes ago, Brewin Flames said: 2021-22 Top 10 San Jose Sharks Prospects Published on02/28/2022 AUTHOR Peter Harling The Sharks have been one of the better teams in the NHL for many years and a Stanley Cup contender as well. As the core of Logan Couture, Erik Karlsson, and Brent Burns are on the back nine of their career and some serious questions in goal, the team is poised to enter the rebuild era. The Sharks will miss the post-season this year and will receive a lottery pick for the 2022 draft. The team has traded away a first or second-round selection in four of the past six drafts and traded away first-round pick in the Erik Karlsson trade, which ended up being Josh Norris. The Sharks need to improve their scouting and player development as there have been some selections that failed to develop in recent and past drafts including Dylan Gambrell (60th overall in 2016), Jeremy Roy (31st overall in 2015), Nikolay Goldobin (27th overall in 2014), Julius Bergman (46th overall in 2014), Micro Mueller (18th overall in 2013), and Gabryel Boudreau (49th overall in 2013) William Eklund, LW – Djurgardens IF (SHL) Age: 19Ht/Wt: 5-10/181Drafted: 2021 round one, seventh overall by San Jose Sharks The Sharks highest draft selection since Milan Michalek was selected sixth overall in 2003, Eklund instantly becomes the organization’s top prospect. Eklund is a creative and skilled forward, he skates well, has excellent vision and hockey sense and plays a hard defensive game as well. Considered one of the more NHL-ready prospects from the 2021 draft because he played pro in his draft year in the SHL as an 18-year-old receiving the SHL Rookie of the Year Award and scoring the most goals by a junior in the SHL with 11 markers. Eklund made the Sharks to begin the season and scored four points in nine games before being loaned back to Djurgardens for more development time in his homeland. Eklund projects as a top-six winger in the NHL and the Sharks are hoping he can develop into a two-way player like fellow Swede Henrik Zetterberg Thomas Bordeleau, C – University of Michigan (NCAA) Age: 20Ht/Wt: 5-11/181Drafted: 2020 round two, 38th overall by San Jose Sharks Bordeleau had a very successful D+1 season as a freshman with the Wolverines racking up 30 points in 24 games and being named the NCAA Top Rookie. Bordeleau is a highly skilled and creative offensive player. More of a playmaker than a sniper but he does own a wide array of shooting options in his arsenal. His sophomore season with the loaded Wolverines is equally impressive with a point per game production and he is a likely candidate to turn pro at the conclusion of the season, which is expected to be after the frozen four tournament. Bordeleau lacks the ideal size for a first-line NHL center but has top-six offensive upside. Ozzy Wiesblatt, RW – Prince Albert Raiders (WHL) Age: 19Ht/Wt: 5-10/185Drafted: 2020 round one, 31st overall by San Jose Sharks The final first-round selection of the 2020 draft was a memorable one as Sharks GM Doug Wilson made the selection in sign language in homage to his single mother who is deaf. Ozzy is one of four hockey playing brothers, Ocean and Orca are his older brothers while Oasiz is the youngest. After his memorable draft, the WHL was on hold, so Wiesblatt made his pro debut playing in six games with the Barracuda and scoring a goal and three points When the dub resumed, Wiesblatt was returned to the Prince Albert Raiders scoring 28 points in 23 games. In his final season, he is producing around a point per game and next year should play in the AHL for a full season of pro development. Wiesblatt is a powerful skater with an explosive first step and a high-end top gear and a non-stop motor. He is an aggressive forechecker and strong player but could play a little more dirty or aggressive. Wiesblatt is dangerous offensively off the rush and can create momentum off of the cycle. He competes defensively as well and has the upside to develop into a versatile third-line winger in the NHL. Ryan Merkley, D – San Jose Barracuda (AHL) Age: 21Ht/Wt: 6-0/185Drafted: 2018 round one, 21st overall by San Jose Sharks Merkley has the offensive skill and upside of Cale Makar and Quinn Hughes. His skating, vision, and puck skills are simply elite. His skating stride is fluid and effortless looking. He carries the puck up ice and looks like he is gliding, keeping his head up and has the puck on a string. His vision is on display running the power play from the point, making tape-to-tape no look passes, shot passes for tips and deflections and he has a shot that makes him a dual threat to pass or blast it from the point. His stretch passes are a thing of beauty as he hits players halfway up the ice through traffic in flight and right on the tape. The problem is his defensive game is brutal. He gets caught puck watching in his own end, looks indifferent to playing the man, makes terrible decisions, and frequently turning over in puck management. His defensive game showed signs of improvement in his final OHL season with the London Knights, and he has continued to make improvements in the AHL, but a lot more work and consistency is required before he will become a regular NHL player. If he ever figures it out, he could become a legitimate replacement to Erik Karlsson or Brent Burns as an offensive defenseman. Jonathan Dahlen, LW – San Jose Sharks (NHL) Age: 24Ht/Wt: 5-11/181Drafted: 2016 round two, 42nd overall by Ottawa Senators After being a high second-round pick, Dahlen had his stock drop off significantly. He was traded twice, first to the Canucks for Alex Burrows, then to the Sharks for Linus Karlsson. After a decent season in the AHL with 33 points in 57 games split between Utican and the Barracuda, he was loaned back to Timra in the Allsvenskan, a junior league in Sweden. While Dahlen dominated there, returning to a junior level hockey had some giving up hope for his NHL upside. Dahlen simply dominated the SHL scoring 148 points in 96 games in two seasons and was named the leagues MVP in both seasons. The renewed confidence paid off and he has become an NHL regular this year in his return to North America. With eight points in his first 11 games to start his NHL career, Dahlen hit the ground running but has endured several long stretches of no production. Dahlen is a skilled puck handler and playmaker but will need to find consistency to remain in a top-six regular role in the NHL. Daniil Guschin, RW – Niagara Ice Dogs (OHL) Age: 20Ht/Wt: 5-10/181Drafted: 2020 round three, 76th overall by San Jose Sharks No stranger to drafts, Guschin was selected 26th overall in 2018 by Muskegon in the USHL Futures Draft, seventh overall in the 2019 CHL Import Draft by the Regina Pats. He chose to return to the USHL and was redrafted in the 2020 CHL Import Draft fourth overall by Niagara. He was drafted twice in 2020 as the Sharks selected him in the third round of the NHL Draft. Guschin dominated the USHL offensively for two seasons and as a 20-year-old he could have turned pro and played in the AHL, but the Sharks assigned him to the OHL for more development. He has been dominant in the OHL scoring 32 goals and 55 points in the first 37 games with the IceDogs A little undersized but he plays a tenacious game and has top-six offensive upside. His defensive game will need some fine tuning in the AHL before he is trusted with significant NHL minutes, but the potential is there. Tristen Robins, RW – Saskatoon Blades (WHL) Age: 20Ht/Wt: 5-11/185Drafted: 2020 round two, 56th overall by San Jose Sharks Robins had a terrific draft year and was a riser up the rankings as the season wore on. His development has continued an upwards trend and his D+1 season began late due to injury but allowed him to have a cup of coffee in the WHL before the WHL resumed. His play was good enough to earn his ELC and in his final season in the WHL where he has been dominant with 24 goals and 63 points through 47 games. Robins has a motor that never quits, he has an ever adapting and growing offensive skill set. Robins isn’t undersized, but at sub six-feet tall he lacks size, despite that detail he plays a physical game as well. Defensively he is not a liability and if his development continues in the AHL next year he could quickly find himself playing on a third-line in the NHL. Ben Gaudreau, G – Sarnia Sting (OHL) Age: 19Ht/Wt: 6-2/174Drafted: 2021 round three, 81st overall By San Jose Sharks No OHL season in his draft year was a challenge for Gaudreau who played in 28 games in his rookie OHL season. He made the most out of his U18 Tournament with Canada, playing five games with a 5-0-0 record, taking home the Gold Medal and Tournament Best GAA (2.20), SVS% (.919), and Best Goaltender. Gaudreau has size at 6-2 and blends both sound technical skill for a player his age with athleticism that gives him all the ingredients to be a franchise starting goalie in the NHL. His feet are fast, he moves laterally with power, tracks the puck well, and controls rebounds. Gaudreau is having a good D+1 season eclipsing his rookie stats in as many games and still has one more season of junior eligibility remaining before he turns pro. The wait time for goalies can be longer than skaters, and goalies can be difficult to scout, but Gaudreau is trending towards a franchise starting goalie for the Sharks. Artemi Knyazev, D – San Jose Barracuda (AHL) Age:21Ht/Wt: 6-0/181Drafted: 2019 round two, 48th overall by San Jose Sharks The Russian puck-moving defender moved to North America for his draft year and posted 34 points in 55 games in the QMJHL with Chicoutimi. Drafted 10th overall in the 2018 CHL Import Draft, Knyazev spent three seasons in the Q and represented Russia at the 2021 World Juniors where he scored four points in seven games but failed to Medal. In his rookie pro season in the AHL, he is adjusting to the pro game. His plus/minus is a minus -23 which is a red flag. He has produced only two goals and 10 points through 35 games at time of writing this article, so safe to say his offensive game has not fully translated either. Knyazev is a fluid skater that is most positively impactful with the puck on his stick and skating it up ice in transition. His speed is average, but his stride is fluid and smooth. He is agile and can quickly adapt to situational changes and deploys deception to create opportunities. His defensive game will need to improve to play top-pairing minutes in the NHL, but the offensive upside is already there. Alexander “Sasha” Chmelevski, RW – San Jose Barracuda (AHL) Age: 22Ht/Wt: 6-0/187Drafted: 2017 round six, 185th overall by San Jose Sharks The former Ottawa 67’s star player has transitioned well to pro hockey with 75 points in 113 career AHL games. Chmelevski was named to the 2021 World Championship Team USA and was effective there with four points in eight games adding a bronze Medal to his Silver World Junior Medal from 2019 where he was a point-per-game player. Chmelevski is a physical and skilled forward that can play in a variety of ways. He can be physical, lead the offense and play defensively. His skating was the primary concern that kept him out of the top end of the draft, but he has made improvements with his speed. The American, Ukrainian dual citizen made his NHL debut last year in five games earning a pair of assists. There is still some work to be done to earn a full-time NHL job, particularly more improved skating, and offensive consistency, but still only 22-years-old there is time and potential. Honorable Mentions Joachim Blichfeld: The Danish 23-year-old had a breakout overage performance in the WHL with the Portland Winterhawks of 114 points. Now with four seasons in the AHL with 83 points in 109 career games, he is an established pro player with eight NHL games played. His contract expires at the conclusion of the current season as will his waiver exemption status. It may be hard to keep him off an NHL roster next year. Brandon Coe: Played 17 AHL games last year with five points. The Sharks elected to return him to the OHL for his overage season. He is dominating offensively and is pacing for a 100+ point season in North Bay Ethan Cardwell: Found a team in Sweden to play in his draft year and is back in the OHL with Barrie producing at a point per game in his D+1 season. Is co-host of the Showbound podcast. Scott Reedy: Smooth skating Reedy played four seasons of NCAA hockey at U. Minnesota and as a rookie in the AHL has 18 goals and 27 points in 38 games. Reedy earned an NHL recall playing in five games. Eklund was excellent in his 9 games and I wish they kept him longer. After that our prospects look bleak. Merkley's defense is not as bad as advertised. his offense is not as good as advertised. i've seen flashes of his skating and skill, but he hasn't translated it at NHL level and he's had 20 games with karlsson out and plenty of chance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yave1964 Posted March 1, 2022 Share Posted March 1, 2022 @J0e Th0rnton I wrote elsewherea few years ago that it is amazing to me that Roy Sommer has coached the Sharks AHL team from Cleveland to Worcester to San Jose for twenty plus years now. The continuity is insane, I remember reading it is over 170 current or former Sharks that learned the Shark way all under the same coach. Mention his name to a casual fan and if you are lucky they may get him confused with Glen Somnor, Sommer has nearly 200 more wins than any other AHL coach in history and to have done it with one organization is remarkable. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewin Flames Posted November 8, 2022 Share Posted November 8, 2022 SJ Sharks 2022-23 Top 15 Prospects: 1-5 by Mark Eisenberg October 5, 2022 Part 3: Prospects 1 through 5 5. Cam Lund, C/RW Drafted: 2022, 2nd round 34th overall Upside: 2nd line center (2021: N/A) 2022-23 Team: Northeastern University (NCAA) Cam Lund is the first of two recent draft picks to climb into the Sharks top 5 prospects. He is a highly skilled forward with size, and a ton of upside. His hands are very good, can beat defenders one-on-one and also has an NHL level shot. While I try not to read too much into an event such as the Sharks summer prospect showcase, one couldn’t help but be impressed with Lund who was dominant much of the night. His numbers weren’t terribly impressive last season in the USHL scoring 25 goals and 50 points in 62 games, but he was only 1 point shy of the team lead. This season Lund will begin his college career with the Northeastern Huskies where he should be expected to put up some decent numbers despite being a freshman. Depending on how Cam adapts to the NCAA hockey, I’d expect him to spend 2 years there prior to signing a pro contract. https://twitter.com/GoNUmhockey/status/1576374646097657857?s=20&t=f5vrFQUiorIkh3aCrGNX1g 4. Daniil Gushchin, LW/RW Drafted: 2020, 3rd round 76th overall Upside: Top 6 Scoring Forward (2021: 6th) 2022-23 Team: SJ Barracuda (AHL) Daniil Gushchin had one of the best 2021-22 campaigns among Sharks prospects. There were some questions on how he would adapt to his first season in the OHL after three seasons in the USHL. Gushchin had a dominant season, scoring 41 goals and 71 points in only 51 games. It can’t be overstated how little help he received from his team which was the worst in the OHL. Gushchin had only 3 less goals than the IceDogs 2nd leading point scorer! Gushchin is very small but has a ton of skill and doesn’t play soft. He has very good hands, skates well and possesses an NHL level shot. I would go as far as to say that he has the 2nd highest upside of any Sharks prospect. If his development continues, he has top line upside. The risk with Gushchin is that he likely won’t fit into an NHL lineup in the bottom 6. His defensive game isn’t a strength and he doesn’t bring a physical presence. Gushchin’s future really boils down to whether his offensive abilities are high level enough and translate to a top 6 role at the NHL level. Daniil just wrapped up a very impressive pre-season with the Sharks and one has to assume he almost forced the Sharks to bring him on the Euro trip. Gushchin should have every opportunity to succeed in the AHL to start the season which should give an indication of where his game currently stands. https://twitter.com/BarDown/status/1492665372192870402?s=20&t=f5vrFQUiorIkh3aCrGNX1g 3. Filip Bystedt, C Drafted: 2022, 1st round 27th overall Upside: 2nd line center (2021: N/A) 2022-23 Team: Linkoping (SHL) The Sharks traded down from 11th to 27th overall in the 2022 draft and selected Filip Bystedt. This move will be debated likely for some time among Sharks fans. Bystedt was taken a little bit higher than consensus opinion while there were also big names available at the Sharks original 11th pick as well as at the 27th pick. That’s history now though and Bystedt is a first round caliber talent. He is a 6-foot-4 center who can skate very well for his size. He has decent enough puck skills and when factored with his skating has 2nd line center upside in his future. The other positive is that he isn’t quite a boom or bust prospect as his overall game is good enough to be a 3rd line center if his offense doesn’t develop enough to be a 2nd line center. Bystedt had strong numbers last season in the Swedish junior league and even suited up for 15 SHL games scoring a goal and an assist. Bystedt is off to a strong start this season with Linkoping’s senior club (6-2-2-4) and should be expected to stick there for the full season. He should also be expected to make Sweden’s WJC squad later this year. Filip is likely a few seasons away from playing with the Sharks but he has the raw tools to be an impactful player at the coveted center position. https://twitter.com/Derek_N_NHL/status/1540792150043947009?s=20&t=f5vrFQUiorIkh3aCrGNX1g 2. Thomas Bordeleau, C Drafted: 2020 2nd round 38th overall Upside: 2nd line center (2021: 2nd) 2022-23 Team: San Jose Barracuda (AHL) & San Jose Sharks (NHL) The Sharks number 2 prospect is highly skilled forward Thomas Bordeleau. He had a solid 2021-22 season overall but the finish was quite strong. Bordeleau signed his first pro contract after a sophomore season with Michigan that saw him score 12 goals and 37 points in 37 games. While his numbers weren’t much of an improvement over his freshman season, it should be noted that “Bords” was playing 2nd line center away from the big names in that Wolverine lineup. He did however feature in the top PP unit. After the college campaign ended in disappointment for Michigan, Bordeleau immediately made an impact at the pro levels. First he had a quick 2 game stint with the Barracuda where he registered 3 points and fit right in offensively. He was then promoted to the Sharks for the final 8 games of the season where he registered 5 assists and a beautiful shootout winner in the memorable Sharks victory that all but eliminated the Golden Knights from playoff contention. Bordeleau has the ability to develop into a mainstay in the Sharks top 6 and on the power play, however he likely will need to develop the defensive side of his game a bit more. Bordeleau can sometimes be too relaxed or passive in the defensive zone. This likely won’t be an issue at the AHL level but to gain trust of David Quinn, Bordeleau will have to improve defensively. His skills should result in an NHL career and possibly a very productive one offensively. https://twitter.com/NBCSSharks/status/1518454442751893505?s=20&t=f5vrFQUiorIkh3aCrGNX1g 1. William Eklund, C/W Drafted: 2021 1st round 7th overall Upside: Top line/franchise forward (2021: 1st) 2022-23 Team: SJ Barracuda (AHL) & San Jose Sharks (NHL) Retaining the title of top ranked prospect is William Eklund. Despite being drafted only months earlier, Eklund was very close to remaining with the Sharks for the full 2021-22 season. After a great camp, Eklund earned 9 games with the Sharks but to the displeasure of many Sharks fans, Eklund was sent back to Djurgardens of the SHL for one last season. It was expected to be a dominant return to the SHL but Eklund struggled to find consistency tallying only 1 goal and 14 points in 29 games. Injuries and Covid certainly played a role in his struggles but in the end it wasn’t the campaign Sharks fans hoped for. That being said Eklund is still the elite talent that the franchise coveted when selecting him with the 7th overall pick in 2021. Eklund’s puck skills are elite even for the NHL level as is his skating. His shot could use improvement but even if it does improve Eklund will likely be more of a playmaker at the NHL level. He has great vision, creates space with his puck-handling abilities and then finds his teammates open with great passes. Eklund will likely play wing early in his NHL career but he has the ability to play center. Eklund has all-star ability and if his game translates well to the NHL he will likely be among the Sharks top forwards for a long time. Sharks fans should look forward to many spin moves in the near future. https://twitter.com/NHL/status/1571183522169200641?s=20&t=f5vrFQUiorIkh3aCrGNX1g Conclusion The Sharks prospect pool has improved depth with a handful of players who could develop into top-6 forwards and a few defenseman capable of top-4 minutes. Goaltending now appears to be a position of strength with Beaupit, Gaudreau, Mann and Makiniemi all with NHL upside. Players like Merkley and Gushchin will be crucial for the Sharks rebuild. If they can reach their potential the franchise would likely have multiple home grown top end players which is a primary ingredient to being a top team. If those players struggle to adapt and produce at the NHL level fans will likely be looking at a few more years of the Sharks needing top picks to properly rebuild. A top pick would be a blessing for the 2023 draft as this is expected to be among the strongest drafts in the last 20-25 years. The current group of prospects serve as a solid foundation, but with the addition of an elite prospect or two in the coming NHL drafts the Sharks could be in a prime position to start competing again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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