SAN JOSE SHARKS 2024 DRAFT & PROSPECT POOL BREAKDOWN | Scout’s Analysis

SAN JOSE SHARKS 2024 DRAFT & PROSPECT POOL BREAKDOWN | Scout’s Analysis

on today’s show we are breaking down the San Jose Sharks Prospect pool and Grading their 2024 NHL draft class you are locked on NHL prospects part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day hello and welcome back to locked on NHL prospects part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day on this show we break down everything prospects related for you 5 days a week Monday through Friday my name is Sebastian High I’m the director of European scouting over at dber prospects and I’m typically joined by my co-host Hatty cakes but he is down with the with sickness so he’s going to be missing the coming episodes as well but uh we’re going to jump straight into a new brand new series that we’re going to have on the podcast over the course of the offseason where we’re going to be breaking down the draft classes but also the overall Prospect pools and 20242 season outlooks for every single team in the NHL and we’re going by draft order so we are starting off with the San Jose Sharks but before we jump into today’s episode it is brought to you by FanDuel make every moment more right now new customers get $150 in free bonus Bets with any winning $5 bet that’s 150 bucks if your team wins it’s fel.com lockon to get started so let’s jump straight into this because the San Jose Sharks have a loaded Prospect pool and their 2024 draft class was a particularly strong one their first three selections were absolute home run swings and uh there really no notes for me on that front I might be nitpicking a little bit in in the later draft picks but I’m very curious to see how this draft class develops in the coming seasons and they definitely addressed a lot of their needs in their Prospect pool with the players they selected here in Las Vegas so starting off uh this is an a overall draft class in my opinion uh a very very strong one and it is headlined by none other than mlin celebrini the absolute stud centerman who’s already signed his entry-level deal with San Jose has been the number one ranked player all season long if you want to hear more about him we have a bunch of content whether it be an in-depth half an hour scouting report on on him or mentions in most episodes we’ve done the past year we’ve been talking about him a lot but uh quick rundown a very good player in all three zones he’s Dynamic with the puck he’s highly intelligent and he’s incredibly polished uh he already has NHL level habits in his game both on and off Puck he supports play really well he’s going to be a top six player in the NHL as of this fall and I’m very excited to see how he’s going to Fair as an NHL rookie because as the youngest player in college hockey having not even turned to 18 yet uh last season he was also already the best player in college hockey so this is going to be an interesting challenge for him uh the first time he’ll be playing at a level that he isn’t dominating out of the gate in all likelihood uh in in a couple years now at least and uh I’m very curious to see how he develops and how he meshes with the other high skill players in that San Jose organization uh like Will Smith obviously and William eckan that’s going to be a really Dynamic uh bunch of forwards but to continue here with the giraffe class they also nabbed Sam Dickinson at 11th overall a really high value selection that must have been really exciting for them when uh when when the organization realized that he was dropping to that slot at number 11 having traded up from 14 with the Buffalo Sabers a couple days before the draft happened and Sam Dickinson is exactly what they’ve been looking for he adds size he adds skill he adds defensive solidity he already has an NHL level frame at 6 fo3 and over 200 pounds uh there’s definitely still some decision making uh to to iron out in his game the reads aren’t always the strongest and I wouldn’t say that his uh hockey IQ is his biggest strength that said he’s a fantastic skater he’s really physical he’s violent he’s aggressive he has a lot of upside with the puck as well having really played second pairing minutes with London at even strength and on the power play for much of his draft year season he’s going to play a bigger role this upcoming year and I’m very curious to see how he he’s going to progress especially offensively having already scored 70 points in 68 games last year in a bit of a secondary offensive role if he’s handed those reins offensively he could really really pop off as a a draft plus one player but to continue here eigor Cher sh at 33 also a fantastic selection for San Jose while their forward core already has a bunch of soft skill and uh and a bunch of dynamic upside uh with all the players that we’re still going to delve into in this episode one thing that the pool has lacked has been that power forward frame uh being able to combine soft skill with hard skill get to the dirty areas and create space and time for his teammates in all three zones of the ice and that’s what chernishof does fantastically well he played 34 games in the KHL last season with Dynamo Moscow where he scored uh Four Points which doesn’t look great on paper but he was a fantastic defensive player throughout That season one of the strongest uh draft your defensive performances I’ve seen from any KHL player in the last couple years forwards and defenseman alike uh he’s also really strong in the break out he makes good OneTouch two touch plays and his handling ability really allows him to open up the ice and uh solve quick little problems uh before moving the puck up uh to a teammate uh he’s a pretty solid skater he’s strong he’s physical he’s violent he has a wicked shot the playmaking game still needs a bit of work but there’s so much to like in his projection and he could be a top six power forward if he really hits and if the skill doesn’t Elevate him to that level he still has a strong fallback game as a bottom six power forward checking defensive specialist so really strong selection he should not have fallen to the second round and San Jose made quick business there on day two snapping him up with their first selection then we have Leo Sul millennium who was uh their their selection at I believe 53rd overall on draft day he’s an average siiz left shot defenseman who skates like the wind he played with the vaja j20 team uh in Sweden last year and uh he has a really interesting combination of passing ability uh mobility and flashes of offensive creativity I will say the offense hasn’t really progress in the way that we were perhaps expecting it to a year ago but he has refined his two-way game a little bit there’s definitely still inconsistencies and his defensive reads aren’t particularly strong but he’s grown a level of physicality to to learn how to box out opponents at the junior level and this is mainly a swing on mobility and flare and uh and a hope to build a a bit more of a solid foundation in the defensive Zone in the third round they picked Carson the wet a really gritty uh forward who is probably not going to exceed the role of a bottom six Checker at the the NHL level but he loves that role and he does so uh with violence and and grit uh he likes to inflict pain on his opponents he likes to annoy them he likes to get under their skins and uh I don’t see really big offensive upside here but as a complimentary piece in a bottom six who just does a lot of the work that your teammates really appreciate and that fans certainly are going to appreciate I think it’s a decent value selection in this range I think I would have gone for a bit of a higher upside swing and waited on wet for another round or two but uh SOS clearly spotted a need in their system to address and Carson wet certainly fulfills that in the fourth round they swung on a 6’4 net minder Christian kir uh this is a player who played last season in the u20 uh Swiss League uh for for Ev Tu and he’s transferring over to the USHL this upcoming season and he was apparently the number one goenda in this entire draft class so nabbing that player in the fourth round that that they’re clearly very high on and will get more on with his uh with his transfer to the USHL very interesting swing here then in the fifth round they swung on a pair of really big uh WHL defensemen and Colton Roberts and Nate misy these are both guys that are 6 foot4 one’s a right shot one’s a left shot misy was a D+ one selection who put up a decent amount of points just 10 under point a game with Victoria while Colton Roberts is a really hard-nosed uh uh Vancouver giant uh from the wh and in the fifth round I think there’s there’s decent value here with both players as potential bottom pairing pieces at the end of the day but are adding some size and physicality which is something that the defensive core had really been missing apart from Shakir Muk Mulan so makes a lot of sense for them and then in the seventh round they SP on another goenda corello a Russian goenda pounds and he put up great numbers in the MHL last season uh where he played played 22 games and put up just over a 930 save percentage all season long so uh really interesting draft class as a whole for San Jose I think they met a lot of their needs uh in their pool here adding some size some skill uh some really well-rounded players as well uh adding a variety of styles to the mix of the prospect pool that I think are going to really comp and insulate the soft skill that accumulated in the past years very nicely we’re going to jump straight into uh the overall Prospect pool breakdown in the following segment but first a quick word from our sponsors over at FanDuel I love sports I love them so much that I never want them to stop but with the offseason here Sports just aren’t as common right now as they are at other points in the year but FanDuel still lets me uh keep the sports going whenever want all I have to do is open up the app and dream up bets anytime that I’m in the mood this summer fandel is also looking to hook up all customers with a boost or a bonus daily every single day that is right so head over to fanduel.com and start making the most out of your summer whether you want to take your swings on big upsets like I don’t know Team Canada versus Argentina in the Cupa America or you want to play a bit safer and maybe go for the favorite in team Argentina the choice is yours FanDuel FanDuel official Sportsbook partner of major League Baseball all righty let’s keep this going here with the prospect pool breakdown and the San Jose Sharks are spoiled for riches in this part here uh Beyond just adding the players that we just uh discussed in the last segment they already have a a real wealth of prospect that they’ve accumulated in the past couple Seasons uh whether it be a player that doesn’t quite qualify for this in William Eckland who took a massive step for San Jose last season or Will Smith who will be making his NHL debuts alongside M celebrini this fall and adding a ton of skill Beyond just those players there’s a bunch of depth and uh a lot of skill as well uh in the perhaps slightly below a level prospects it could be Quenton musy a 6 foot three High skill player who has a wicked shot really good playmaker and really really silky mits who has been a dominant forward in the ol for the subury wolves for a couple Seasons now and uh could really be a top six contributor long term in San Jose he might need a couple more years to develop and and iron out some of the decision-making woes in his game and some of the immaturity in his habits but uh if he hits his upside this is a fantastic and really entertaining player uh Beyond him at at the in the forward pool you still have Philip bead who didn’t quite pop off quite as much this past season as the year before but has made the switch to North America and he looked really good in the AHL minutes that he did see denil gin can still make his uh his big leap to the NHL this this upcoming season with all the skill he brings to the table the gorgeous goals he can score he’s able to pick corners from far out and has really really nice combination of Mobility speed and handling ability uh the the the pace of offensive play with this player is one of the reasons that he’s been a favorite of mine for almost a handful of years at this stage you also have a complete opposite end of the the Spectrum in terms of forward uh a guy like like David edstrom who was acquired in the Thomas hurdle deal who was a first round selection by the Las Vegas golden knights last last year and uh while he doesn’t really have the same top six upside that other players in this pool do he doesn’t need to celebrini Smith Eckland musty there’s a lot of these high-end forwards that are going to slot into top six roles long term which is going to allow um edst to be a bottom six president and a real solidifying Force down the middle a solid two-way Center who plays with physicality and grit uh who makes Smart reads in all three zones gets to the dangerous areas offensively as a net front presence and can really lock things down defensively uh Beyond him you still have a guy like Casper Halton as well who is worth the mention who played a really solid season with the London Knights this past year playing a middle six role on the wing on the RO on the road to an an OHL Championship and an Memorial cup run where they ended up losing out to the Sagen Spirit but really put in a good fight and Halton has a wicked shot he was able to round out his game a little bit uh this past season and he could also be a middle six scoring Winger for San Jose and obviously eigor chernishov celebrini goes without saying also very exciting pieces uh there at forward long term on the defensive side of things the selection of Sam Dickinson really really helps the Outlook of the defensive Prospect pool they had been missing a play that could project as a clear top pairing guy long term uh and and I think that he brings a lot of what they’re going to value a two-way impact a true two-way impact uh with physicality and uh aggression and really offensive potential as well that’s been underrated over the course of the last year but the defensive ability the transition defending are clear areas of strength in his game as well and there’s so much to like in his overall NHL projection I was talking with quite a few scouts at the NHL draft who had Dickinson as their top ranked defenseman available period on draft day having him ranked as highest third overall so this is a player who has a lot of really big proponents in The Scouting community and I’m quite certain that San Jose was elated to have them available where they picked there at 11th overall but you also have Shakir mukad Dulan who seems to finally be taking the big leap into a top four NHL role this upcoming season uh having been been utilized very carefully in his development in San Jose since being acquired in a team of Meer trade with the New Jersey Devils and uh he was playing big minutes in the AHL all season long and played a couple NHL games where he also log big minutes uh but this is going to be the year where the massive defenseman might make the big step into that top four range but beyond those big defenseman you also have a variety of undersized intelligence skilled players in that defensive pool as well the favorite among those in my opinion is uh Luca Canon who was a fourth or fifth round selection in last year’s draft and took a massive step this past season in the WHL this is a highly intelligent player who is a bit undersized not an elite elite level skater but he uses his his intelligence to solve problems he’s a very effective defenseman in closing his gaps he’s able to cover a surprisingly wide range in the defensive Zone whether it be on the cycle or against the rush and uh his intelligence really translates offensively into highend playmaking ability uh combining him at five on five offense with guys like celebrini and Smith and musy and Eckland and chernishov is going to be incredibly exciting long term and especially having uh now acquired Sam Dickinson being able to insulate uh kenon into a bit more of a of a middle pairing role long term is really going to serve his development a couple other defenseman that that deserves shout outs are Leo Sol Venus who we covered in the last segment uh Henry thrun who uh could be making another step this upcoming season to a consistent NHL role and Matias havet who continues to be chugging away in his development over in Sweden who is a really intelligent defenseman with a booming shot uh decent handling and mobility and uh improving playmaking and defensive abilities as well so a lot to like on the defensive side of things but they are still missing a projected number one right shot defenseman in my opinion uh to really complete their Prospect pool and in goal uh they added kir and corello to Magnus Crona uh who is progressing quite nicely uh for the Sharks but we’re going to see if he’s at at the level to be a projected starting goal tender in the NHL uh and yeah so I I would say that this is overall an A+ Prospect pool they have the elite level skill they have projectable talent they have a bunch of soft skill and dynamism they have physicality and aggression they have players for a variety of roles and I think that this group of players is going to mature into a contending lineup in the NHL in about three to five years time and I’m really excited to see how that continues uh what in terms of plays that they might still want to add into their Prospect pool and they’re they’re going to have one more year at least uh of being close to the NHL basement and with high-end draft picks uh to to kind of round out that Prospect pool I’d be looking at adding a big uh like potential first pairing right shot defenseman as a clear area of need as well as some as a hopeful starting goal tender and clearly San Jose believes that kir and corello can kind of fulfill those roles as they were the two top goal tenders that they had ranked in this past giraffe class I still have a few questions around that but uh if they’re confident with that with uh with their goalie pool at this stage then they’re even more confident in their overall pool than I and uh I’m giving them an A+ rating so a lot to look forward to in San Jose and uh we’re going to jump right into the 20242 season projections expectations and hopes in the final segment of the episode but first a quick word from our sponsors here at lockdown NHL prospects Al righty let’s wrap things up here for the episode by taking a look at what the San Jose Sharks uh could do in the upcoming season first of all we have Ma celebrini and Will Smith more than likely making their NHL debuts both are now ink to their entry-level contracts and uh I’m very curious to see how San Jose is going to utilize them at the NHL level they’re going to potentially combine with a player like William Ecklund for really Dynamic and entertaining power play sequences I’m assuming at five on five they might be separated uh to to have some more veteran presences to to accompany them in development but uh I wouldn’t be shocked at all to see C brini on the top line alongside William Eckland by the Midway point or even beginning of the season because he is really that refined he could play that role if Conor Bard could be a first line Center in his draft year I think that uh celin he can as well Bard projects as a more of a franchise level talent but in terms of draft year refinement and three Zone impact celebrini is ahead in terms of development so I think that it’s going to be a very interesting season to see what San Jose is going to try to be building and I think one of the big key check check boxes is going to be try to Foster chemistry among the young Talent this is going to be a theme in in these uh in these episodes of the teams towards the bottom of the standings that might not be contending for playoff spots just yet uh being in a position to create chemistry among their young talents we’ve seen this in the past couple Seasons with teams like the Montreal Canadians and Anaheim Ducks giving a lot lot of responsibility to the young players and allowing them to carry the boat uh even when they’re making mistakes and I think that San Jose is going to be in the exact same position this upcoming season uh to really give a lot of trust in the young players allow them to make mistakes and learn and to improve and to try things and to learn how to create offense at the NHL level and to learn how to uh defend at the NHL level I think that you’re going to see some Growing Pains as well especially for a player like Will Smith who yes dominant at the NCAA level and a really exciting prospect but there’s still a lot of immaturity in this game that’s going to need to be ironed out in the coming season or two so if you see him stumbling a little bit out of the gate don’t worry too much uh San is going to give him chances and they’re going to try to insulate him as well but I wouldn’t be too too concerned uh along the same lines with a guy like celebrini uh beyond that I think that San Jose is likely looking at another bottom five finish in the NHL this upcoming season they’re going to be likely better than last year it’s going going to be difficult not to beat out last season’s performances uh and I mean adding in celebrini and Smith alone is going to add a decent enough punch on the offensive side of things but uh this is still a team that is in development and adding another top five selection in that 2025 draft class could do wonders for this Prospect pool as well whether it be adding an elite level offensive piece like a Porter Marton or a James hains or a Michael Misa or an Anton fondell or even going on the defensive side of things potentially a guy like Matthew schaer there are going to be lots of options at the top end of the 2025 draft class who could really continue to revamp this rebuild and uh I think that that this team is is in the fast lane to contention within three to four years I think that there’s so much skill it is an intelligently built roster I’ve had some questions in the past couple years about how they’ve been building the roster but adding Will Smith and celebrini and Dickinson and chernishov and musy in the last two draft classes have completely revamped the look of this pool and I think that the outlook for San Jose is a very exciting one and I’m very curious to see how this team is going to develop in the coming Seasons uh beyond that I also think that they’re going to be quite a few defensive warts still in in this team’s game uh this upcoming year uh is not going to be one of the better defensive cores in the NHL and with the number of rookies they’re also going to have at forward this season there going to be pains there’s going to be poor games there’s going to be mistakes made there’s going to be disappointments and struggles and dry patches this year but as a whole I think that that they’re going to progress they’re going to learn to build chemistry together you’re going to see an entertaining power play unit in San Jose which is very exciting adding celebrini and Smith uh is going to completely revolutionize the power play uh and I I wouldn’t be shocked seeing them them playing like a minute and a half long power play shifts as well on a first Power Play unit alongside William Eckland and um I I assume Fabian Ze zin’s going to be in the mix there as well as well as Michael grandland uh there’s going to be an interesting uh mix of of veteran players and and young pieces and I’m curious to see how they’re going to to kind of get out those power play minutes uh this season but yeah it’s a really fun roster I think the sharks are really on a really strong rebuild here uh they are adding so much skill so much versatility and adaptability to their Prospect pool and well it’s going to need a couple more years to to to Really uh end up into that that that playoff window for this team uh likely around the time that Smith and celebrini are signing their their first contracts out of their entry level deal this is a a really strong Foundation to build off of and uh Mike Greer has certainly been proactive in making a bunch of moves uh trying to revamp this roster and build intelligently and progressively for the future but uh that wraps things up for this episode please let us know in the comments what you think about the San Jose Prospect pool uh what you think of their giraffe class what your hopes are for celebrini and Smith uh in their rookie seasons in the NHL and uh what which players in this pool we maybe have may have missed in giving a shout out to because with every NHL team we’re going to miss a name or two uh that that that the fan bases are really high on so please let us know in the comments down below uh which players have you most excited for uh for the future in San Jose apart from the obvious big names but uh that wraps things up for us here if you’re watching on YouTube please leave us a comment as I mentioned like subscribe if you’re listening on your favorite podcasting platform make sure to make us your first listen of the day for your second Liston of the day go and check out lockdown sports today A 24hour Day Live stream uh containing all the sports news you could possibly want to have access to uh and yeah that wraps things up here I’m Sebastian high from Dober prospects typically joined by Hattie cakes and we hope that you tune back in shortly

In this episode, we kick off a brand new series doing a deep dive on every NHL team’s 2024 draft class, prospect pool, and 2024-25 season outlook and expectations, starting off with the San Jose Sharks! First, we dig into the 2024 draft haul, highlighted by the elite talent of Macklin Celebrini and Sam Dickinson, and assign the class a letter grade. Next, we dig into the prospect pool as a whole, pointing out the most notable young talents and assessing the remaining areas of need in the pool as well as its overall strength. Last, we look ahead to the 2024-25 season and outline the potential expectations and hopes for the Sharks’ roster and prospects alike.

Tune back in tomorrow for an episode digging deep into the Chicago Blackhawks draft and prospect pool!

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