Chris Morehouse, Scott Fitzgerald Review Sharks’ 2024 Draft

Chris Morehouse, Scott Fitzgerald Review Sharks’ 2024 Draft

in guys guys uh just how would you evaluate the second day today for you guys um a great day um I think we set out to add some depth in a lot of different areas and I think we were able to do that we um added some skill and size um in chernishov and contined on from there so we’re really happy with the day and how it started and how it ended for you guys obviously coming into this with the number one pick first time in history what what was it like just being able to kind of go through that first round and get two players in celini and celini was not necessarily surprise but to be able to grab Dickinson at 11 and just kind of load up on those two top talents right away what was that like for for you guys as part of the development team well it was uh for surely nice to get backl him and then um you know with Sam you know we had some uh we we had them rated pretty high and uh we were excited think it when you have a GM that’s willing to make trades and move up and Trust his Scouts we did it with Sam we did it with wed um it gives us a lot of confidence to be able to go out and do our job so we obviously really lik the players or we wouldn’t have gone and made those moves to get them so we’re we’re super thrilled and hopefully in 5 years time we’ll we know what we’re talking about uh going back to yesterday and this is I guess so sort of for the fans you get down to 11 and the two big names are the defenseman there Dickinson and boo just what did that decision kind of come down to maybe the differences between those two guys for you we took the guy that was next on our board that’s a good answer yeah we stayed consistent with the list okay it takes you know you work on it all year and uh just how would F and what stood out about Dickinson for you guys uh everything um he’s 6’3 skates he can shoot a puck he competes he can make a first pass he can defend he can take games over with his size and Mobility um he’s got outstanding character so we’re really excited about him and I think you know all year you you watch him kind of take the steps that we needed to see for him to be where he’s at I think he really peaked at the end so we’re excited and one of the story lines from today will be uh drafting so many of uh mlin cini’s childhood friends there just sort of a coincidence just how things broke yeah that was just coincidence you know um you know W’s just a truculent type of a tough player and uh you know if you watch the playoffs on TV and it’s you have to have some push back and some grit and he kind of checked that box you know what about Colton your opinion about Colton same thing he’s a big big kid and uh good frame and you know he’s a down the road type of player but like I said uh you know size usually prevails we also found that out after by the way that they yeah yeah that was can’t that we yeah we didn’t well maybe somebody did but I the one sitting there saying yeah I did no idea so that’s a that’s a coincidence we did know which cuz the two of them talked about it but it wasn’t by Design no LeBron James bronny situation right yes you guys feel about the goalie class this year obviously you picked up to uh maybe not any prices out there for us we we have we we trust our goalie guys and we got the number one goalie on our on our board and we got I think it was the number two or three goalie on our board so for us you know obviously every organization’s different every team has different lists of which goalies are which but we added our you know two of our three favorites so we’re we’re pretty excited and goalies are as you know are very different where you get them where they’re from what their age is you know we think we got two kids that can stop the par have to have a good long development path one kid’s going to USA cheldon is going to go to school had the kids playing in Russia and has lots of time developed so we’re you know we don’t know obviously but just because they’re taking later doesn’t mean we see any less value there what do you like about what do you guys like about Christian as far as his way like say he’s coming over to America the game what stands out about we’ve seen him a lot live in all those uh four or five nations and uat events and he’s a big athletic kid and again like Chris mentioned USHL he’s got a long path he’s going to be going to UMass amher um I think the size and the athleticism is what really kind of got us to move those names over to our our goalie guys for de for a deeper look you know you guys came in almost 2 years ago and you know the cupboards you still need a lot of work to fill the cupboards here you know how do you feel about the foundation you guys have have laid here with the picks not only this year but last year you know some of the guys that are you here just draft in 2022 this year personally I I like the look of our coverboard right now um you know I give a ton of credit to Mike and management to your point two years ago from where it was from a prospect prospect perspective to now and you know we’ve made a lot of really good moves to be aggressive and assertive and and trades and picking up prospects and even today we added 4 d you know we added two big right shot D last year we had the group last year the year before they added so I think in terms of where we are we’re very excited but it’s also amateur scouting and they’re 18 19 year old kids and we have to let this play out but in terms of what we’ve been able to accomplish in a very short amount of time I think we’re excited and I think we’re on the right track off of courtesy’s question hang going one second I’ll Echo the same M Chris said Mike rer is not come in had a plan let’s get some let’s get some size in here let’s get multiple picks and let’s try to restock the cover it’s uh after two years I think uh you know I’m biased but I think we’ve done a good job here Mike’s allowed the the guys to work Chris is in charge of and you know it seems uh I feel we’re doing a really good job with that jumping off of Curtis’s question has has this weekend felt like s a bit of a rebirth for the franchise I mean you obviously got the prize last night with Macklin got Sam and and you just talked about the the cupboards fil filled up here does it feel like a rebirth I think I think when you get a player of uh Macklin’s ability historically right I mean the needle moves pretty good and uh that’s what we envision um the multiple picks uh getting a little lucky right some guys follow you it’s just all part of the process um I think we’ve been good but we’ve been lucky again want some players to be there at the end of the day we we select the players based off of what we like but the other 31 teams who they decide to take and who’s left plays any or two and that’s where the little bit of a luck has has coming to it but I I I like where we’re at with uh with the mlin pick and and then going back last year with some uh important picks with Smitty and and musy and hunin and all those other kids like I think uh I think it’s a a good process that Chris has put in place and um I think we’ll just keep pushing pushing every year with that and I think the results will will continue to show in that fashion with that said was there any players that maybe you feel like you guys missed out on maybe o the third fourth fifth round you guys worth targeting not today no not today no we not today I think um again every everybody’s board or lists are so different when you get past I mean even this year it happened early because of the you know everybody knew who was going to go one but then it was kind of what was going to go on so I think we just stay the course we put our stuff together I mean we spend 12 months like once this draft’s over guys are going to have a couple weeks we’re already preparing for the Ivan lincol in August there’s there’s an under 20 event in Europe um in August so we take a lot of time putting this stuff together and yeah FY nailed it there is a lot of luck involved in terms of where guys are going to fall and how it works out but I think what we did a really good job this year is just you know continue to keep a look at that cupboard figure out where are we still missing some pieces and again if if you know we picked up edstrom we have bad now we have Smith now you have Z Macklin now you have you know Dickinson you know then we picked um Seline wenus who’s another really good Puck moving D plays hard and competes so we you know we we like to say we keep an eye where we’re at and where we want to go and then also kind of have a feel of what we need to try and accomplish that day so um I just think it’s we’re not going to get carried away with you know with rebirth or I think we’re just continually trying to put together and Mike trusts us to find players and we’re going to try and execute Mike’s plan Chris what do you what’s your gauge on the just the excitement level that’s kind of come back and surrounding the franchise right now um I’m excited so my my excitement level is great um I think seeing the fans last night um at sap was really cool I think even the fans yelling and screaming and you know during the draft um if people aren’t excited I would recommend start to get excited because I think there’s a lot of really good hockey people in this organization and there’s a lot of really good people that care and if you have those combinations I think special things can happen so I think we’re just going to continue day by day Peace by piece try and keep putting good players in the organization you talk about the excitement coming into the draft and potentially getting you know like getting a potentially a generational player like mlin you guys thinking coming in here yeah um it’s always it’s the excitement is H we’re thrilled Beyond you know we just we also don’t want to put unfair pressure on a kid that’s supposed to go in and turn a franchise around a 17 years old I think I think um he’s a very very special player that I love and I’m really happy he’s ours but I think he’s a young kid and I think it’s just tapering expectations is kind of I’m always like that cuz every kid develops differently and but this kid is a all World human being and an all World player so we’re throwing Mike said yesterday um that the 33 pick the first pick today was sort of you know he’s openminded about what to do with it and so was there you know any offers or just temptation to move away from that or did you guys like shernoff so much that you know this was going to be your guy just any insight on that part of B no we we just like the player you know our board says one thing and uh that usually dictates what we do right and uh we left last night went back to the hotel met a met for a little bit and pretty much an no that was our guy first round Talent on our board like on our board we had in the first round so we figured going into it that that pick would have a lot of value typically teams miss out on the first round they really want to try and they really like someone that next day it becomes valuable but we feel like we got a first round talent and we’re really excited and the kids got a lot of talent size has been a big topic of conversation right you know nothing against the William ecklin and the Thomas bordalo but since you guys and G have come in edstrom Beast these guys have size what do you look for other than size what makes those those guys stand out other than the fact that they’re bigger players just competitive skill right I mean there’s no success without being competitive you know that’s the number one thing you got to you got to compete or you won’t be a shark basically for and then yeah for for you guys obviously last year David Quinn was here but now working with with Ryan obviously he’s been part of the organization how was that kind of working different working with him and kind of maybe choosing some of the players that he kind of had his eye on or something you guys working with him rather than maybe a David Quinn what how what were the differences there if any T typically we don’t that coaches they’re separate yeah typically coaches don’t have a ton of at least with me in terms of scouting I’m not saying it’s him in particular just in general you know coaches are coaching for today and a little bit of the future we’re it’s kind of a separate separate two separate things separate two separate things I I heard you on a podcast nhl.com say it’s going to come a day Mike m trades these first round picks to get play off help and that kind of thing do you feel about just a process right now where you guys are at right now you think maybe 2 or 3 years that these organizations going to get some points trade trade these first round I mean the the hope is that like I said in the interview is you know when you get to a point where you’re turning and you have your core and you’re trying to you know go at it every year and make runs and play that’s when those picks become valuable to move I I hope it’s not because I can’t go know what I’m doing I hope it’s because we’re in a spot where we’re really comfortable with our core and you can start adding pieces I think again we’re we’re still in that phase of of just supporting as much talent as we possibly can and again Talent might look different for you guys as did for us in terms of what we want but I think everybody we draft the Sharks especially the last you know three years of moving board are going to be players that we truly believe fit a fit a role in our organization so if we don’t have picks then maybe it’s a little easier you just talked about the atmosphere here and this is the last year of the iners draft you got a miss or the the hype or is it just you know some just more convenient to have everybody at their at home office um well there’s only one Vegas right I mean it’s a it’s a pretty big show fabulous uh building um you know at the end of the day the league chose to uh to go uh back to the home base like the other sports and it’s not going to change anything it’s my 26th draft so I’ve basically seen every building a couple times and it’s just wherever we’ll be and ready to go wherever we’re doing it but I’m sure it must have fired up everybody at the table when jumbo announces back to celld the was crazy and I’m sure you guys like this is a great great great day for the org I really liked uh Joe’s point when he pointed you know so was to me that was pretty telling it it was it was good and uh you know it’s uh what I was thinking of at that moment was with Joe announcing Macklin’s pick was like we’re going to get back to the Joe thoron Patty Maro and those other great players that were here that I I could spend an hour naming and the shock tank will be going eventually just little little by little Little Steps take a couple more if you have the excitement around the team is obviously growing you’re mentioning you know the excitement but just there’s you know the visual the sellout of the draft party obviously the fans traveling to Vegas just to see the building full what would that mean you know obviously you guys behind the scenes but to see the support of the players after what a lot of them went through last season what would that mean to them as players you know just getting that support that not to say they didn’t but more of it I think it’s sometimes we for cuz we’re not really you know in San Jose all the time we are we go there obviously and meet but in general we’re on the road we’re not involved we’re like we’re not watching the games we’re not seeing the losing streaks we’re not you know going through what everybody went through last year so for us it’s kind of like out of sight out of mind we’re just continue to drive do our job go to games do reports but to have you know win the lottery and then excitement everything it’s good it’s good to have people feeling good again cuz I again seeing teams go through losing streaks and even for the guys that are in the office we we feel like we’re executing the plan that had to be done and so but it’s not always easy to sit there and go through it so for this for everybody for all the people are involved everybody loves the Sharks we got a really good player we got a player that is incredible and everybody should be excited I think it’s just one of those things where always a little bit more of we don’t want to put any pressure on anybody because every kid develops differently and we just might not seem like we’re ra you know yelling up and down that we got number one but trust me we are we’re very very excited to I don’t uh think we touched on him and so we missed anybody else too um wanted to make sure that we talked about everybody we haven’t really talked about MSY I think just what’ you like about him you know big marble right shot D um he look at late bloom last year went through um we we had a lot of guys go in there and see him this year and and we like where his games at he’s taking a step um again we add another mobile great shot uh can pux get a decent shot um compat lots of like there it’s a you know big body will all your draft picks be at development Camp uh everyone I think it’s the last goal obviously yeah okay are you guys going to development Camp yes are you excited to see just how we’ve heard a lot of how kind of just raises the level of the guys around even in development Camp app you kind of look forward to seeing how he fits in and how he affects the group overall yeah I I think his uh drivenness we’ll call it I I think that’ll be very contagious usually the the real special ones drag everybody Al yeah even the guys a couple years older maybe fit in that category too I don’t want this kid to show me up I want I mean when you when you bring in talent and you surround Talent with Talent often times Talent will push other talent and so we’re we’re looking at now where we have combination of Will Smith and mlin celebr you know how could you not like that they’re going to push each other and they’re going to fuel each other and I think again with FY said it Go compete with Mike and we continue to bring in competitive kids competitive kids want to be the best they want to continue to push so we keep bringing in competitive kids into a compe environment that’s when you start having that Eternal competition that really drives and fuels good teams all right thanks guys congratulations thank you

San Jose Sharks director of scouting Chris Morehouse and director of player personnel Scott Fitzgerald review 2024 Draft