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2024 NHL Draft: Getting to know Carson Wetsch

After doing some damage in the first and second rounds, the San Jose Sharks had to wait a while before coming around to pick 85 in round three. Apparently, the wait was a little too long because before the pick arrived, San Jose traded that pick and a 2025 sixth-round pick to the New Jersey Devils to move up to pick 82. That’s when the team drafted Carson Wetsch.

What likely gave Wetsch the edge over some of the other players drafted just after him is his connection to the Sharks’ first-round pick, Macklin Celebrini.

Like Celebrini, Wetsch grew up playing hockey in North Vancouver, British Columbia. The two played on the same team when they were younger.

While that connection may have given Wetsch an edge, make no mistake — he has the skills to go along with his spot at 82 on the draft board.

Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 203 lbs.
Age/DOB: 18, May 4, 2006
Shoots: Right
Calgary Hitmen (WHL): 67 games, 50 points (25 G, 25 A)
Canada U18 WJC: 6 games, 3 points (2 G, 1 A)

Wetsch projects to be a power forward who will go into the corner and play the body. His powerful stride lends itself to a direct style of play that means he’s driving at the net and bowling over anyone who gets in his way.

What do scouts say about Wetsch’s game?

Chris Peters of FloHockey watched Wetsch play at the IIHF U18 Men’s World Junior Championship and expounded on the 18-year-old’s heavy style of play.

“Wetsch plays a very heavy game and at 6-foot-2, 201 pounds, you definitely notice him. He played down Canada’s lineup but gave them effective shifts on the forecheck and battled well,” wrote Peters. “He can create some room for his linemates and does a nice job of getting pucks back. His offensive touch is lacking, but I can see him filling a role in the NHL down the line with how effective he is in closing down on opponents and playing a physical game.”

Wetsch has played for the Calgary Hitmen in the WHL for the past two seasons and is expected to return there this season. General Manager of the Hitmen Garry Davidson calls the forward’s game “old school.”

“He’s kind of a throwback winger,” Davidson told Cami Kepke of the WHL. “He goes up and down, plays hard, physical, gets to the net and brings that sort of old school physicality to the game, which isn’t as prevalent as it used to be.”

Davidson told Kepke that Wetsch stepped up and took a leadership role with the team mid-season when the Hitmen traded away some of its core leadership.

“I really saw maturity in him after January 10 when we moved two of our older players (including then-Captain Tyson Galloway),” Davidson explained. “Leadership sort of fell on the laps of our younger group and Carson was one of the guys that really grabbed it and went with it. I anticipate he’ll be a big part of our leadership group as we move forward over the next couple of seasons.”

What’s next for Wetsch?

Wetsch is expected to return to the Calgary Hitmen in the fall, where he will likely take on the aforementioned larger leadership role.

Canada is pretty stacked in the talent department, but he could remain an option for Canada’s IIHF U20 Men’s World Junior Championship team. We’ll see what happens in the fall.

After the 2024-25 season, Wetsch will likely need at least one more season with the Hitmen before he decides whether or not to make the jump to the Barracuda. This upcoming season will be his third one in juniors (I don’t think the one game in 2021-22 counts as a “season”) and he won’t be 20 by December of the 2025-26 season, two of the requirements for any player trying to move from the CHL to the AHL.

The point is that unless he takes an otherworldly leap in development, Wetsch won’t be playing on San Jose ice for a few more seasons.

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