For all the talk of a potential stop in the playoffs for the San Jose Sharks this season, the team found itself back where it was last May 5, watching a bunch of little balls bounce around and hoping that those balls might bounce San Jose’s way. The Sharks returned to the draft lottery once again today, albeit, with worse odds than last year. When all was said and done, San Jose somehow pulled off a miracle, and Cinco de Mayo was once again a lucky day for the Sharks. For the second year in a row, the Sharks will pick second overall in the NHL entry draft.
Who are the favorites for second overall?
There are two clear-cut players at the top of all lists when it comes to the 2026 draft. There’s Penn State left wing Gavin McKenna and Ivar Stenberg.
McKenna is 165 pounds and 6-foot-0. He just finished his first season in the NCAA, where he scored 1.46 points per game and a total of 51 points in 35 games. While McKenna didn’t end up as one of the Hat Trick three finalists for the Hobey Baker award this season, he was one of the top ten finalists.
Meanwhile, 18-year-old Ivar Stenberg also plays left wing. Stenberg is 181 pounds and 6-foot-0. He played for Frolunda HC in the SHL last season, scoring 33 points (11 G, 22 A) in 43 games as a teen against men.
McKenna and Stenberg are both considered to be top tier players, well above their peers. Either one would make a great pick at number two.
Who will the Sharks pick second overall?
Here’s the rub. Savvy Sharks fans know that San Jose’s forward group is solid. The Sharks have Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith, Michael Misa, Igor Chernyshov and William Eklund and that’s just in the NHL. There’s also Quentin Musty, Filip Bystedt, Cam Lund and Kasper Halttunen in the pipeline.
With the addition of Joshua Ravensbergen in the net last draft, as well as the continued development of Christian Kirsch and the presence of Yaroslav Askarov, the Sharks’ goaltending corps is rounding into form. That means San Jose needs defense at the moment. Luckily for the Sharks, the defensive class in this crop of 17 and 18-year-olds is great.
Of course, as he has historically operated, General Manager Mike Grier was cagey when asked who the Sharks would pick second overall. The only thing he would commit to is what he has always committed to: “The best player available.”
But, as we just showed, defensemen aren’t among the top two in most rankings.
However, there are a few who are close.
The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler has right-hand defenseman Chase Reid ranked third overall on his May prospect pool. The 18-year-old Reid played with the Soo Greyhounds in the OHL last season, scoring 48 points (18 G, 30 A) in 45 games.
Meanwhile, ESPN’s Rachel Kryshak ranked Reid fourth on her list and another defenseman, Carson Carels, as third overall. Carels is a player the Sharks have seen a lot of, especially as they’ve watched Ravensbergen, who played with Carels with the Prince George Cougars in the WHL last season. Carels had 73 points (20 G, 53 A) in 58 games.
There’s also defenseman Keaton Verhoeff, who was considered a favorite on defense until recently. Verhoeff had 20 points (6 G, 14 A) in 36 games with the University of North Dakota last season.
Conclusion
No matter which way you slice it, today was a huge win for the Sharks. The team jumped from 9th, where it was sure to get a good defenseman, likely top four caliber, to help boost its defense pool, to now drafting second overall, where the team can draft either a potential superstar forward or top pairing defenseman.
We’re talking game-changing. Let’s go, Sharks!
