Matt Johnson
The San Jose Sharks went into the 2026 NHL Draft with three first-round picks and plenty of debate about how the front office would address dire needs versus drafting the best player available. Coming out of Round 1 on Friday night, general manager Mike Grier is drawing rave reviews for what could be a league-altering draft haul.
Scott Wheeler of The Athletic named the Sharks as the biggest winner from the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft, adding to a young core that “should be the envy of the league” moving forward.
“I think the Sharks perfectly executed this draft cycle and are the biggest winners of Round 1. They need a premium D prospect more than another premium young forward as an organization, but I think they came to the right conclusion that Stenberg was the best player available at No. 2, and they still managed to get one of the top D in the draft at No. 9 in Verhoeff.”
Scott Wheeler on the San Jose Sharks’ Round 1 haul in the 2026 NHL Draft
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For weeks leading up to the NHL Draft, there was ample speculation regarding who the Sharks would target with the second pick. The consensus seemed to be that Grier would prioritize the franchise’s need for a top-line defenseman, passing on winger Ivar Stenberg in favor of someone like Chase Reid.
However, Grier’s philosophy as the Sharks’ general manager has been to take the best player available. When San Jose traded winger William Eklund in a package for the ninth overall pick, it became evident that San Jose planned to take Stenberg second and then grab a defenseman with the No. 9 selection.
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On draft night, the board fell perfectly in the Sharks’ favor with defenseman Keaton Verhoeff available at the ninth pick. San Jose wasted no time in taking the right-handed defenseman, with Grier admitting in his post-draft press conference on Friday that trade conversations involving the pick stopped when San Jose saw he’d be available.
“I’ve been a little lower on Verhoeff over the last two years than most, but the consensus started to line up more with me toward the end of his freshman year at North Dakota. Still, despite some of the yellow flags his boots and decision-making raise for me, he’s still a pro-built right-shot summer birthday who already has pedigree in the NCAA, WHL and internationally with Hockey Canada. His size, handedness, shot, strong overall tools and development runway should make him a stud defenseman in the league and still landed him high on my board.”
Scott Wheeler on the San Jose Sharks selecting Keaton Verhoeff
The good fortune didn’t end there for San Jose. As defenseman Ryan Lin continued to experience a draft-night slide, Grier seized on an opportunity to move up for him. San Jose packaged the 27th overall pick with the 72nd and 120th overall selections to move up to No. 21 to snag Lin.
Related: Sharks’ First-Round Pick on Practicing with Macklin Celebrini
“If you’ve followed my work on this draft class, it should come as no surprise to you that I’m high on the selection of Lin, my favorite prospect in it. I think he’s one of the smartest, most polished, and most competitive D in this class. I think he’s a better skater and athlete than people gave him credit for, and I think he’s going to be an impactful top-four intellectually puck-moving D in the NHL.”
Scott Wheeler on San Jose Sharks draft pick Ryan Lin
San Jose came away with three of Wheeler’s top prospects in the 2026 NHL Draft, adding two premium defensemen prospects while adding an exciting, young wing in Stenberg. In ESPN’s final 2026 NHL Draft rankings by Rachel Kryshak, Stenberg (second overall), Verhoeff (sixth overall), and Lin (13th overall) were all rated highly.
The Sharks’ farm system took a slight hit with Macklin Celebrini, Yaroslav Askarov, and Will Smith losing their prospect-eligibility status, with Michael Misa soon to follow. However, the additions of Stenberg, Verhoeff, and Lin on Friday night will once again mean the Sharks have the best farm system in hockey and one of the best, young cores in the NHL already in San Jose.
