San Jose Sharks General Manager Mike Grier has always believed that when building a championship team, there are roles that players play, and you need to find the best players for each of those roles. You have your top-six forwards and your bottom-six and both are equally as important on a team. The question is whether you can fill those roles with the best players available and develop those players within your program.
Currently, the Sharks have gone out and found players to fill the bottom/middle six roles such as Mason Marchment, Zack Ostapchuk, Kiefer Sherwood and Alex Wennberg. But there will come a time when those players get older and a new group of players need to slot in. These are the players who will play with speed and edge. They will be relied upon to kill penalties, bring energy that will turn the tide in a tight game and keep things locked down when with seconds remaining in a one-goal game.
It is a role that Grier is hoping a player like Cole McKinney will fill, which is why the Sharks drafted him 53rd overall in 2025. McKinney was 21st on our 25 Under 25 list last season, and while he’s dropped to 22nd this year, we’d argue he’s still on track development-wise.
Position: Center
Height: 6”1″
Weight: 198 pounds
Age: 19
Date of Birth: March 16, 2007
Draft Year: 2025 (53rd overall by the San Jose Sharks)
Shoots: Right
2026–27 Team: University of Michigan
The now-19-year-old chose a more difficult route than some of the other youngsters on our list, entering the NCAA at the age of 18. He played for the University of Michigan last season, where he put up a respectable 20 points (8 G, 12 A) in 40 games and finished the season with a plus-2.
What we like
McKinney has often earned the moniker of “Swiss Army Knife” because coaches have relied upon him in all situations. McKinney is the kind of kid that can be used when the game is on the line and you need that defensive stop. He’s the kid you put out there on the penalty kill. He was also the kid that University of Michigan Head Coach Brandon Naurato leaned on when the team played University of Pennsylvania and he needed someone to take on Gavin McKenna.
“I thought Cole was outstanding, especially in the face-off dot,” Naurato told The Michigan Daily on Feb. 3. “I think he was like 70% or something. He’s actually 61% in Big Ten play, which is really, really impressive. He’s a big piece of (the penalty kill), and he’ll be a big piece moving forward.”
And let’s talk about that skill in the faceoff circle. As a freshman, McKinney was one of the top centers in the NCAA with 331 faceoffs won. The NCAA tracks stats by faceoffs won, putting McKinney in sole possession of 42nd in Division I men’s hockey. He was second on his team in faceoffs won, behind senior T.J. Hughes. McKinney finished his first season of college hockey with 331 wins and 248 losses, good enough for 57.2% in the faceoff circle. And remember, McKinney wasn’t getting the easy matchups. He was getting those defensive zone matchups and the penalty kill draws.
It’s his reliability in all areas of the ice, including in the faceoff circle, that earned him a spot on Team USA at the World Junior Championship. McKinney played in five games for Team USA and registered one assist. Odds are, he’ll be back with the team again this season, once again in that third line center, utility role.
The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler sums McKinney up as a “solid two-way center”: “… (he tracks and angles well on the PK, is strong, protects pucks well and took on defensive assignments) and is credited for his well-rounded game on and off the puck … His skill level isn’t flashy, but he sees and reads the game well and has some secondary skill.”
Areas of improvement
We’d love to see him develop the offensive side of his game more. Admittedly, playing in the NCAA at 18 is a difficult ask, and it was inevitable that he would have an offensive regression in his first season in college hockey. Even a player like McKenna had a tough time as a first year player in the NCAA. Only the exceptional ones seem to find their way quickly, so we’re not going to fault McKinney for his 20 points at 18 years old.
It’s what he does this season that we’ll be watching. McKinney will have a chance to see if that offensive side of his game will develop in his second season. The key will be making sure that happens without putting his defensive game at risk.
What’s next for McKinney?
McKinney heads back to the University of Michigan this fall, where he will start his sophomore season with the Wolverines. He will take on a larger role with the team, especially in the faceoff circle now that the top guy, Hughes, has moved on to sign with the Colorado Avalanche.
Luckily, McKinney understands that his role changes depending on the players around him. He was very candid about it during a talk with Brodie Brazil on Sharks Mic Check last winter.
“I think obviously there’s a ton of skill on our team, and I think for me, any way I can find my footing and way to contribute to help the team win, I’m obviously all in for that,” said McKinney. “I think to be able to have an impact on the game in any way I can is something I take a lot of pride in.”
Highlights
As we talked about, McKinney played in all situations with Michigan. In this clip, he’s getting time on the power play.
Cole Mckinney gives @umichhockey 7️⃣ pic.twitter.com/2UhzUDHxZU
— Big Ten Hockey (@B1GHockey) November 15, 2025
McKinney starts out with the puck and then hands it off to his defense, but he does not stop moving his feet. Instead, he finds an open area of the ice where the defense loses track of him. Then he’s wide open for a one-timer that beats the goaltender and the defenders.
McKinney also has some skill tipping pucks in front of the net, as witnessed in this clip from Feb. 14 against Penn State.
Cole McKinney starts us off in Ann Arbor. And Michigan leads 1-0. pic.twitter.com/x6ADIVy39G
— Michigan Hockey (@umichhockey) February 14, 2026
2026 Top 25 Under 25 countdown … so far
23. Carson Wetsch
24. Mattias Havelid
25. Christian Kirsch
Honorable Mentions: Joey Muldowney, Teddy Mutryn, Andre Gasseau, Brady Knowling and Alexander Karmanov
Editor’s Note: More than 100 people voted in our fan poll this year, though admittedly, not everyone filled out the entire form, i.e., all 25 spots and the honorable mentions. In some cases, some people filled out their top ten and left the rest blank. While it makes the math a bit harder, we found the fairest (and easiest) thing to do was average the scores based on the total responses received. While blank scores counted as zero, it didn’t seem to skew the results too badly. Ultimately, this isn’t an exact science, but I think you’ll find it’s a pretty good list.
