The San Jose Sharks have issued offers to two players from the 2023 draft, and also allowed goaltending prospect Mason Beaupit to re-enter the draft. The Sharks announced on Saturday that the team has made offers to David Klee and Brandon Svoboda. The offers mean that the team retains the negotiating rights to both players. It does not mean the players will play for the Sharks or its other organizations this fall.
The 19-year-old Klee had 40 points in 62 games with the Muskegon Lumberjacks in the USHL. He had five points in eight postseason games. The 196th overall pick was third on the Lumberjacks with 99 penalty minutes.
Meantime, Svoboda won the USHL Clark Cup with the Fargo Force. The 19-year-old had five points in eight postseason games. He had 20 points in 40 regular-season games. The 71st overall pick split time between the Youngstown Phantoms and the Force this season.
Again, offers are not the same as contracts. Svoboda is expected to join Boston University in the fall. Klee is expected to join the University of North Dakota. NCAA players cannot sign with a team until they decide to leave college hockey.
Mason Beaupit unsigned
The Sharks also decided to allow Beaupit to explore other options. Beaupit was drafted by the Sharks in the fourth round of the 2022 draft. The 20-year-old failed to take a step forward in this past year of development.
Beaupit was a bit of a journeyman, playing in the WHL, then the USHL and then the BCHL.
Even in the BCHL, Beaupit struggled. He finished the season with a 3.10 goals against average and a .904 save percentage. While not horrible numbers, they were earned in a lower level league and don’t bode well for competition at a higher level.
That said, Beaupit is still young. He’s just 20 years old and goaltenders tend to take a bit longer to develop than positional players.
