San Jose Sharks General Manager Mike Grier has once again made life interesting for Sharks fans. Not only did the Sharks luck into today’s second overall pick, but just days before the draft, Grier also traded for the 9th overall pick, giving the Sharks two top ten picks in 2026. Since Grier traded William Eklund to get that 9th overall pick from the Ottawa Senators, we can be pretty sure that the Sharks plan to take Ivar Stenberg at second overall. He’s one of only two players in this draft who appear to be ready to make the jump to the NHL right out of the draft. You can see Fear the Fin’s look at Stenberg in this previous post.
But that still leaves the 9th overall pick. It looks like Grier tried to trade the pick at least once to get the Sharks the impactful defenseman that he needs now.
9, 27, prospect
— BucciOT.Com (@Buccigross) June 24, 2026
It’s possible GMMG might still make that move to bring in an offensive-minded defenseman to help the team now. But if that deal doesn’t materialize, Grier looks pretty comfortable selecting a player with that 9th overall pick, and odds are he’ll take a defenseman with that pick.
So who could he choose?
There are five defensemen who are considered to be in the mix, as well as a few others who might sneak in there if the first five are already taken. We’ve already looked at Keaton Verhoeff, Chase Reid and Carson Carels. Left shot defenseman Alberts Šmits and right shot defenseman Daxon Rudolph are also considered to be top ten picks. Outside of the top ten, left-shot defenseman Malte Gustafsson and right-shot defenseman Ryan Lin might sneak in there, though Gustafsson is considered a bit below in level to Šmits and Rudolph, while Lin is just below that.
Alberts Šmits, D – Munich (DEL)
Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 209 pounds
Age/DOB: 18, Dec. 2, 2007
Shoots: Left
Jurkuit U20 (U20 SM-sarja): 5 games, 10 points (6 G, 4 A)
Jurkuit (Liiga): 38 games, 13 points (6 G, 7 A)
ECH Munchen (DEL): 5 games, 1 point (0 G, 1 A)
Latvia U20 WJC-20: 5 games, 5 points (1 G, 4 A)
Latvia Olympics: 4 games, 2 points (0 G, 2 A)
Latvia World Championship: 8 games, 4 points (0 G, 4 A)
The odds of Šmits making it to 9th are pretty low, but weirder things have been known to happen on draft day. It’s pretty easy for Sharks fans to remember what happened a few seasons ago when the team had the chance to pick between Zeev Buium and Sam Dickinson at 11th overall. No one knows what a GM’s draft board looks like and the further down the board things go, the stranger things look.
Šmits is an interesting study. He’s played all over Europe. He left home at 13 to play in Finland and most recently played professional hockey in Germany. But he’s originally from Latvia and played professional hockey for his home country at the World Championship.
Chris Peters of FloHockey says Šmits’ comparable is Ryan McDonagh. The Athletics’ Corey Pronman is extremely high on Šmits. Pronman places the defenseman higher on his draft board than Gavin McKenna and Stenberg, and the only player above him on the board is Chase Reid.
According to Pronman, Šmits has average skating, puck skills and hockey sense, but his compete is above average and his shot is high-end.
“Šmits is a tall defenseman with impressive mobility and smarts. He can make a reliable first pass and has a big point shot, projecting to have quality amounts of offense at the top level,” writes Pronman. “He isn’t a super smart puck-mover, but there’s enough touch in his game to project to be reliable with the puck in the NHL. He defends very well due to his length and feet, while also competing hard and being willing to play the body.”
SportsNet’s Jason Bukala is one of the evaluators who has Rudolph drafted before Šmits. For Bukala, Šmits projects as a second-pairing defenseman.
“Smits projects as a two-way defenceman who should contribute secondary offence,” writes Bukala. “He’s already big and strong enough for the NHL and he’s experienced playing pro in Finland and Germany, as well as suiting up for Latvia at the World Junior and World Championship. He’s a solid skater who doesn’t shy away from battling physically, but needs time to refine the small details of his overall game.”
Daxon Rudolph, D – Prince Albert Raiders (WHL)
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 205 pounds
Age/DOB: 18, March 6, 2008
Shoots: Right
Prince Albert Raiders (WHL): 68 games, 78 points (28 G, 50 A)
The kid most people think will drop to the Sharks at 9th is Daxon Rudolph. Rudolph is still in that top tier of defensemen, though he’s still considered to be the player who will be picked after Verhoeff, Reid and Carels are off the board.
Rudolph scored 78 points in 68 games with the Prince Albert Raiders of the WHL last season. He’s considered an offensive defenseman with an above-average hockey sense and an above-average shot. If there’s a knock against him, it’s that his compete could be higher.
FloHockey’s Peters believes that Rudolph will play on the top power play, two things that the Sharks most definitely need. Add to that the fact that he shoots from the right side, and he’s already got two positives in his favor. Peters says a good comparable would be Shea Theodore.
“While the offensive elements of his game are more pronounced than his defending, Rudolph is a two-way player that has the size and mobility to fit into a prominent role in any lineup,” writes Peters. “His ability to see the ice and dictate shifts at the junior level is something that suggests he’ll have a chance to be a high-level producer at the next level when the game doesn’t come as easy. If there’s a knock on Rudolph, it’s that he could be a bit more intense on the ice and add a bit more of a mean streak to his game to be a little tougher to play against when he doesn’t have the puck. There’s a smoothness and quality to his game, however, that suggests he has a chance to be a legitimate top-four performer at the next level.”
The Athletic’s Pronman also believes that Rudolph could quarterback a top power play in the future.
“Rudolph is a super smart defenseman. He displays great touch, poise and vision with the puck and can run a power play quite well,” writes Pronman. “Rudolph is a mobile defender who can lead a rush, closes on checks effectively and is a solid defender who competes fine despite not being overly physical, using his long reach to break up plays. He projects as a quality top-four defenseman who could QB a power play.”
Malte Gustafsson, D – HV71 (SHL)
Height: 6-foot-4.5
Weight: 203 pounds
Age/DOB: 18, June 11, 2008
Shoots: Left
HV71 U18 (U18 Region): 3 games, 3 points (0 G, 3 A)
HV71 U18 (U18 Nationell): 1 game, 0 points (0 G, 0 A)
HV71 U20 (U20 Nationell): 19 games, 12 points (4 G, 8 A)
HV71 (SHL): 27 games, 3 points (0 G, 3 A)
Sweden U18 WJC-18: 6 games, 5 points (1 G, 4 A)
If some of the teams above the Sharks go off script and start picking defensemen instead of their expected forwards (i.e., Caleb Malhotra or Viggo Björck), then the Sharks may have to switch things up and choose a player like Gustafsson. The kid isn’t exactly a massive drop off; he still performed well in the WHL last season, scoring 78 points in 68 games. The Athletic’s Pronman has Gustafsson stacked in the same tier as Rudolph, “a bubble top, middle of the line up player.”
“Gustafsson is a large defenseman who is quite mobile for his frame, competes defensively and has quality offensive skills,” writes Pronman. “His puck play isn’t anything special, but he has good hands and IQ and can make all the basic plays while showing enough poise to create secondary offense in the NHL. Gustafsson shines defensively, with excellent gap control and a heavy element in his game. He projects as a top-four defenseman who can match up with good forwards.”
Of course, there are scouts who are not as high on the defenseman. Bukala has him projected as a second-pairing defenseman who will produce secondary offense.
“Gustafsson is an outstanding skater and another prospect from Sweden who played most of his season at the pro level. He’s competitive and smart. Gustafsson can be deployed in a variety of roles and trusted in all situations, but will likely only produce secondary offence at most,” writes Bukala.
That said, most scouts have the defenseman going in the 10-12 range. FloHockey’s Peters compares Gustafsson to Seth Jones and says the defenseman is at his best when “he’s got a bit of snarl.”
“His skating is smooth and allows him to cover ground efficiently. Gustafsson does not have a natural offensive touch, but he moves pucks effectively and his numbers were impacted by an HV71 lineup that didn’t have a lot to it at either the pro or U20 level,” writes Peters. “Gustafsson shined brightest in playing a mountain of minutes for Sweden’s gold-medal World U18 Team and that is the lasting impression. He has all the tools NHL teams are looking for …”
Ryan Lin, D – Vancouver Giants (WHL)
Height: 5-foot-11
Weight: 176 pounds
Age/DOB: 18, April 18, 2008
Shoots: Right
Vancouver Giants (WHL): 53 games, 57 points (14 G, 43 A)
All of the three players discussed above have good shots of finding their way to the Sharks at ninth overall. It feels as though even if Lin is available, he might not be the Sharks’ pick. There is no doubt that Lin has talent. He’s been compared to Alexandre Carrier by The Athletic’s Pronman. However, the defenseman is a bit smaller than what Grier tends to skew. In order for the Sharks to use the ninth overall pick on him, he would have to be outstanding.
Luckily, some scouts think he is.
“Lin already looks like an NHL defender. Combining high-end mobility, stick work, and physicality, he makes the tricky stops look routine. He defends the middle with intent, using every defensive skill possible to push opponents to the perimeter …” reads the Elite Prospects’ Draft Report.
SportsNet’s Bukala has him ranked 12th.
“Lin is a transitional defenceman and power play quarterback. He added more of a ‘shooting’ approach to his game offensively this season, producing 14G-43A in the process,” writes Bukala.
FloHockey’s Peters is less high on Lin, ranking him 20th overall and comparing him to Sam Malinski.
“With high-end hockey sense and a growing all around game, Lin can move pucks, he can defend and he can probably fit into a variety of roles,” writes Peters. “The issue with Lin is that he’s not particularly big, he doesn’t have elite skill and his skating is adequate. I do, however, think he processes the game at an elite level and he has a good work rate to make things more challenging for his opponents.”
Conclusion
If we’re ranking players by the likelihood of being picked by the Sharks, I think the team would be thrilled if Šmits, Verhoeff, Carels, or Reid drop to ninth overall. If more than one of them is available, it’s hard to say which one they like the best, but the odds of that happening are unimaginable.
If Rudolph is the last of the five remaining at nine, the Sharks aren’t sad. He might take a bit more time to make his way onto the Sharks roster, but there are players in the pipeline to take some of that pressure off. Eric Pohlkamp could make the jump to help on the right side later this season. Michael Kesselring will add some help. I’m not ruling out the return of John Klingberg. I also wouldn’t put it past Grier to court Jacob Trouba. That’s a defenseman who can also buy the Sharks time.
That leaves Gustafsson and Lin. If either of those two players are available, that means that one of either Malhotra or Björck are also available. If that’s the case, then look for Grier to flip the script and take the best player available. If Malhotra or Björck drop into the Sharks’ lap at 9th overall, then the Sharks can’t pass on taking one of them. The forwards would be highly coveted prospects that could be flipped to fill the Sharks’ most desperate need down the road, defense.
