Prospect System Ranking – 1st (Previous Rank - 9th)
GM: Mike Grier Hired: July 2022
COACH: Ryan Warsofsky Hired: June 2024
After five consecutive years of missing the playoffs, the San Jose Sharks' future is starting to look significantly brighter. Coming off a dismal 19-54-9 season, the Sharks secured the top pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, selecting Macklin Celebrini, McKeen’s top-rated prospect. Celebrini, despite being just 17 years old (now 18), made a tremendous impact in his freshman year, winning the Hockey East scoring title, Rookie of the Year, and, most notably, the Hobey Baker Award as the NCAA’s most outstanding player. He’s set to join the Sharks' roster immediately, giving fans their price of admission.
Joining Celebrini at the NHL level is fellow NCAA standout and second-ranked prospect Will Smith. Smith, who led the nation with 71 points in his freshman year, helped Boston College secure a Conference Championship and finished as a Hobey Baker finalist. Together, Celebrini and Smith form an electrifying duo that will play a pivotal role in completing this organization’s 180-degree shift.
GM Mike Grier settled his future in net with a blockbuster prospect trade with Nashville, landing the 10th ranked prospect and top-ranked goaltender on our list in Yaroslav Askarov. They also added minor league forward Nolan Burke and a third-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft. It cost them former first round pick David Edstrom, goaltending prospect Magnus Chrona and a protected first-round pick previously acquired from Vegas. Askarov is expected to join the NHL club after signing a two-year contract following the trade.
The Sharks' prospect system has hands all over our McKeen’s prospect rankings, boasting four players in the top 15, eight in the top 100 and an impressive 43 prospects ranked overall. Recent first-round pick Sam Dickson immediately slots in as the 13th-ranked prospect after helping the London Knights capture the OHL Championship.
Meanwhile, prospects developing with the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda—Thomas Bordeleau (74th), Shakir Mukhamadullin (72nd), Filip Bystedt (90th), Daniil Gushchin (169th), and Tristen Robins (189th)—are progressing nicely, with some already having enjoyed their first taste of NHL action.
While the Sharks have been through a rough stretch, the tide is turning swiftly. To keep the team competitive and help guide their young stars, GM Mike Grier has added a few key veterans, including Tyler Toffoli, Alex Wennberg, and defenceman Jake Walman, to round out the 2024-25 roster. With an eight place jump, the Sharks take home our McKeen’s top-rated prospect system, as well as our largest spot-to-spot jump. Enjoy the future, folks.
San Jose Sharks Top-15 Prospects
1. Macklin Celebrini
Celebrini entered the 2023-24 scouting season as the hands-on favourite to be the first player picked for his draft class, and at no point in the months that followed did anyone else ever come close to dethroning him. The admiration for him is unanimous among scouts of all stripes, and there’s little doubt as to why. He eats, sleeps, and breathes hockey, and everything that he does when he’s out on the ice comes so naturally to him. He grew up in the world of professional sports through his dad’s work in the NBA, which has helped give him prodigious levels of maturity and understanding for how to train and think like an elite athlete. His game is exceptionally well-balanced, with extreme proficiency in almost every area and no weaknesses whatsoever. He and Connor Bedard could forge quite a rivalry between themselves as hockey’s next wave of generational superstars.
2. Will Smith
He's still just 19 years old, but it really seems like two things are going to be constants for Smith throughout the remainder of his career: scoring boatloads of points and winning big hockey games. His lethal offensive talents helped lead USA Hockey to back-to-back gold medals internationally, first at the 2023 IIHF U18s and then the 2024 World Juniors. He also came excruciatingly close to winning an NCAA title too, before ultimately getting denied when his Boston College team fell in the Frozen Four final to Denver, but he did end up leading the entire nation in scoring, which is an exceptional feat for a freshman to achieve. With elite hockey sense, puck skill, and playmaking ability he's a dazzling superstar in the making, and also worth mentioning, he should be able to further elevate the talented wingers in San Jose’s system that he will likely play with.
3. Yaroslav Askarov
For a bit there, it looked like the Yaroslav Askarov era in Nashville was about to begin. Juuse Saros was the subject of heavy trade rumours and the Predators were nearly playoff after thoughts. But a second half surge saved last season, and Saros signed a long-term extension. As a result, it was then Askarov who turned things upside down by asking for a trade, which brings us to his arrival in San Jose as their goaltender of the future. Askarov, one of the top young netminders outside of the NHL, continues to play well in the AHL and has even performed well in a few appearances with Nashville this year. He’s ready to take that next step, but will that be this season? Mackenzie Blackwood and Vitek Vanecek are under contract currently with San Jose look locked in as a platoon. But it would be a shock if he didn’t receive some time this year. The 6-foot-4 Russian netminder has it all; the athleticism, reaction time, technique, and play reading ability. He’s worked hard the last few years to quiet his approach in the crease and the results speak for themselves. Simply put, Askarov has the potential to be one of the premier netminders in the NHL.
4. Sam Dickinson
San Jose traded up from 14th overall to pick 11th overall in this past draft, and while that might not seem like a big jump, getting a player of Dickinson’s caliber outside of the first 10 picks is nothing short of a coup. He’s a large, athletic defenseman who skates like the wind and can transport the puck at full speed, which leads to some truly jaw-dropping scenes when he decides to stomp his foot on the gas. The way that he can both create space or take it away in an instant is remarkable, and it will also be highly valuable in the NHL with the importance of quick transitions. There are some issues right now with his awareness and decision-making, but he’s fortunate to be playing for the London Knights, who develop prospects better than any other junior program. If they can smooth out the wrinkles in his game, it could fully unleash his massive potential.
5. Quentin Musty
The Sudbury Wolves like to play loose, take chances, and push the attack without mercy, and that style certainly pairs well with Musty's mentality. His game is all about inflicting damage, which usually comes in the way of scoring chances, but can also come through his physical play as well. There is something impressively innate about how he sees the offensive zone and the way can manipulate the puck at his whim. It's like it just comes second nature to him somehow, or that his stick is an extension of his body. However, that is both a blessing and a curse. He's so used to things coming easily to him that certain habits are lacking, which causes glaring weaknesses in areas that he has neglected to work on, such as his skating and defensive play. Few other prospects out there are so boom or bust.
6. Shakir Mukhamadullin
Far more than just a fun name to say out loud, Mukhamadullin was the best defenseman for the Barricuda this season. He probably deserved more time with the Sharks based on merit, but the organization acted wisely and patiently, letting his development keep rolling in the AHL while keeping him mostly insulated from the chaos that besieged the parent club. His long reach and impressive mobility give him a huge range of influence every time he steps on the ice, and while he’s still prone to mistakes with his puck decisions and play tracking, he can recover and get back into position in the blink of an eye. And then there’s his shot, which is a bazooka from the blueline, and he’s not shy about flipping the safety off. One more year on the farm might be best for him, but after that it should be time to unleash him.
7. Thomas Bordeleau
Going from the prestigious USA Hockey National Team Development Program and then the explosive University of Michigan to the painstakingly rebuilding Sharks organization must have been a whiplash-like culture shock for Bordeleau. And yet, this dramatic shift at this particular time might end up being the best thing for his career long-term once it’s eventually looked back upon in hindsight, because there was a prior need in his game for more grit and a better understanding of how to be resilient through adversity. He’s always been both a wizard and a seer once the puck is on his stick in the offensive zone, but it’s not going to get there very often in the NHL unless you lean into doing the requisite dirty work. Luckily, Bordeleau is already making these necessary gains, and once the Sharks can eventually field a competitive young roster he’ll be better equipped to step up.
8. Filip Bystedt
Bystedt didn’t garner a lot of fanfare or media attention during his draft year, so a lot of Sharks fans were confused when the team seemingly went off the board and picked him in the 1st round in the 2022 draft. It always needs to be said, however, that development is a marathon and not a sprint, and the signs were there that the Swedish center was going to start picking up a lot of steam in short order. And now, after two prosperous seasons in the SHL and a terrific but short-lived first stint in North America, those carefully watered seeds are beginning to bear fruit. He is impossible to miss at times, with his forceful, elegant skating and ability to make high-end plays with the puck in motion. With his high-end traits and balanced supporting tools, it seems inevitable that he’ll become a valuable NHLer.
9. Kasper Halttunen
Halttunen crossed the pond for the first time this season, leaving his homeland of Finland for London in the OHL, and that decision is paying major dividends so far. He crossed the 30-goal mark during the regular season, and got to experience a playoff push on a great club while being surrounded by extremely talented teammates that he can learn from and grow alongside. The Knights are also already looking like they will be favourites to win the OHL next year, so that will be even more valuable experience that he will have access to. His best asset is undoubtedly his rocket of a one-timer, which he utilized to earn a tie for most powerplay goals in the league with 16. Look for him to be a leader for the Finns at next year's World Juniors as a returnee and top talent.
10. Daniil Gushchin
It's already well-known and well-documented how rough of a season the Sharks organization had from top to bottom, so give full marks to Gushchin for how great of a job he did blocking out the noise. He kept up a point-per-game scoring pace from bow to stern, and also potted a goal and an assist in the four games where he was called up to the big club. His energy level is matched by few others and he loves to keep his motor revved high, and most of his offensive production comes as a direct result of his hustle, but he's no slouch either when it comes to setting up his teammates or finishing plays himself. One man's crisis is another's opportunity, and Gushchin is using the situation in San Jose to force his way into an NHL roster spot.
11. Igor Chernyshov
Too good for Russia’s junior level but not quite good enough to play a lot of minutes in the KHL, Chernyshov made a smart decision to sign with Saginaw for 2024-25. He’s a burly winger who can be hard to slow down when he gets moving, and he also possesses some feathery mitts in one-on-one situations. How far up a lineup he’ll be able to play will depend on how much he can improve his pacing and energy levels.
12. Tristen Robins
You have to feel for Robins, because he grades highly with his hockey IQ, how hard he competes, and his puck manipulation, but he is inescapably limited in some ways because of his physical tools. He’s not very big or naturally fast, and with the reach and mobility of modern defensemen he’s always going to be at a disadvantage when it comes to time and space. Does he have an NHL future, or is he destined for the career of a journeyman?
13. Leo Sahlin Wallenius
Sahlin Wallenius has a very enviable box full of tools, but he can be a source of frustration because he often struggles to put everything together. He’s an effortless skater with a deep tank of gas, which allows him to keep a high pace while logging a lot of ice time, but he’s held back by a high frequency of mistakes made. If those mistakes can be coached out of him, he could go on to have a long and productive career.
14. Luca Cagnoni
Cagnoni is truly a player of extremes. His offensive vision and manipulation of the puck are both extremely good, as evidenced by his incredible 90 points last season, which led all WHL defensemen. At the same time, unfortunately, the way that he often gets manhandled physically is extremely concerning, especially since he doesn’t have elite feet. If he can’t significantly improve those physical tools, he won’t ever be able to let his skills and smarts fully flourish.
15. Jack Thompson
The pecking order in San Jose’s prospect pool is crowded, but if Thompson can keep progressing like he has since he was a teenager then he'll be just fine, as teams will always find ways to make room for a right-shooting blueliner with mobility, a heavy slapshot, and a willingness to defend hard. There's a comfortable NHL projection here because he’s so plug-and-play, along with a realistic chance that he could play as high up a second pairing.