Sharks add three first-round picks to bolster young core at NHL Draft

The Sharks walked out of the first round with Ivar Stenberg, Keaton Verhoeff and Ryan Lin, turning three premium picks into a deeper young core at KeyBank Center in Buffalo. Toronto held the No. 1 pick after winning the lottery, but San Jose’s rise to No. 2 and its aggressive use of draft capital made the club one of the night’s most consequential movers.

The first round unfolded Friday, June 26, with rounds 2 through 7 set for Saturday, June 27. San Jose entered the draft with picks at Nos. 2, 9 and 27 after a series of trades, then used the No. 2 selection on Stenberg, the No. 9 pick on Verhoeff and a trade up to land Lin at No. 21.

Stenberg brings immediate offensive intrigue. The Swedish winger scored 33 points in 43 SHL games, the most by an 18-year-old in the league since the Sedin twins in 1998-99. Verhoeff gives San Jose another high-end young defenseman, and Lin adds a third first-round talent to a prospect pool that already looked loaded before the draft opened.

The larger story for San Jose is timeline compression. The Sharks have now selected inside the top two in three straight drafts, taking Macklin Celebrini at No. 1 in 2024 and Michael Misa at No. 2 in 2025 before adding another top-two selection in 2026. That kind of run gives general manager Mike Grier a rare runway: Celebrini, Will Smith, William Eklund, Stenberg, Verhoeff and Lin can be grouped into a roster that is no longer only accumulating future assets, but preparing for real lineup decisions over the next two to three seasons.

Verhoeff’s first moments as a Shark underscored how tightly connected that young group already is. After he was drafted at No. 9, Celebrini called to welcome him to the organization, a small but revealing sign of how much of San Jose’s identity now runs through players who are still early in their careers.

The first round was also unusually active around the league, with nine trades and 18 picks changing hands. Against that churn, San Jose stood out for a different reason: it kept turning draft position into age, skill and depth, and it left Buffalo with a collection of names that could shape the franchise well beyond this weekend.