Sharks 2026 NHL Draft Round 1 Recap

 Another historic draft for the San Jose Sharks is in the books, and it’s safe to say that they are by far the biggest winners of this year’s NHL Draft with their three selections made in the first round tonight. Let’s begin and explain why: 

The Sharks’ first selection made tonight was left wing Ivar Stenberg from Frolunda HC in the Swedish Hockey League with the second overall pick. Stenberg is regarded as one of the best forwards in the 2026 draft class and will fit easily into the Sharks’ top-six forward core next season and for many more years to come. Last season for Frolunda, Stenberg recorded 11 goals, 22 assists, and 33 points in 43 games, leading the SHL in assists and points by a junior. His last season for Frolunda was the fifth-highest scoring season by an 18-year old in SHL history. He also scored four goals, six assists, and ten points at the World Junior Championships at the beginning of this year and helped lead Team Sweden to a gold medal at that tournament. On top of that, Stenberg tallied four goals, four assists, and eight points in eight games for Sweden at this year’s World Championships and led Frolunda to a Champions Hockey League title. 

San Jose’s second first-round pick in this year’s draft is defenseman Keaton Verhoeff from the University of North Dakota at no. 9 overall. Verhoeff projects as the Sharks’ franchise cornerstone top defenseman and has high offensive potential. The Sharks struck two birds with one stone with this pick as Verhoeff was both best player available and filled an organizational need. Last season for North Dakota, Verhoeff recorded six goals, 14 assists, and 20 points in 36 games, ranking top-three among  North Dakota blueliners in all scoring categories. He also recorded four assists in five games in the latest World Junior Championships, leading Team Canada to a bronze medal in that tournament. Verhoeff will more than likely play at least one more season at North Dakota before turning pro. 

The Sharks’ last pick in the first round this year was at no. 21 overall, which was acquired in a trade with the Philadelphia Flyers for picks 27, 62, and 120 in this year’s draft. With the 21st overall pick, the Sharks moved up six spots to select defenseman Ryan Lin from the Vancouver Giants of the Western Hockey League. He is projected to be a complementary piece to the Sharks blue line of the future. Last season with Vancouver in the WHL, Lin recorded 14 goals, 43 assists, and 57 points in 53 games, leading Vancouver blueliners in assists and ranking second in points and fourth in goals among this group. He is committed to playing for the University of Denver next season. 

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman brought out PWHL San Jose’s 4th overall pick and Olympic Gold medalist Laila Edwards to announce the Sharks’ selections at 2nd and 9th overall. I love all three of these selections made by the Sharks in the first round of this year’s draft. I especially see the selections of Stenberg and Verhoeff as absolute no-brainers. No matter what the Sharks do for the rest of this year’s draft, they have already earned a grade of A++ in my and the rest of the hockey world’s eyes. The NHL is about to have a San Jose problem in the next few years, and the rest of the league should be terrified. I was greatly looking forward to the Sharks taking the next step towards playoff contention next season at the end of last season and the start of this offseason, and I am even more thrilled for them now. 

The 2026 NHL Draft resumes tomorrow morning with rounds 2-7, and the Sharks now have three picks remaining this year, with their next selection at 127th overall in round 4. It will be interesting to see if the Sharks potentially trade back up or down the draft board or use their remaining draft capital to acquire another defenseman that can improve their roster immediately tomorrow morning. Watch this space for my recap of the rest of this year’s NHL Draft from the Sharks’ perspective coming sometime tomorrow after the entire draft is complete. 

In other news, yesterday the Sharks announced that they re-signed restricted free agent forward Ethan Cardwell to a one-year, two-way contract, which carries a cap hit of $850k at the NHL level. He spent most of the 2025-26 season in the AHL with the Barracuda, recording seven goals, eight assists, and 15 points in 24 games. He also had a brief stint with the Sharks in November, scoring one goal in seven NHL games. However, Cardwell's 2025-26 season was unfortunately cut short due to injury. I can definitely see Ethan Cardwell bouncing back next season and potentially receiving more opportunities to earn a bottom-six NHL role as well. 

Sources: ESPN, Sharks + SAP Center App 

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Sharks Trade William Eklund + Prospects to Senators for 9th Overall Pick

 The Sharks pulled off a big trade this afternoon, sending forwards William Eklund, Kasper Halttunen, and Brandon Svoboda to the Ottawa Senators for the 9th overall pick in Friday's NHL Draft. 

The biggest piece in this deal that is departing the Sharks is William Eklund, who has been a great forward for San Jose the past few seasons. Most recently during the 2025-26 campaign, Eklund compiled 15 goals, 38 assists, and 53 points, which were good for seventh, second, and fourth on the team in each respective category. His Sharks tenure concludes with a total of 50 goals, 113 assists, and 163 points in 252 games. As for the prospects involved in this trade, Kasper Halttunen completed his first full season in the AHL with the Barracuda last season, recording 16 goals, 19 assists, and 35 points in 69 games, along with one assist in two Calder Cup playoff games. Brandon Svoboda appeared in 35 games for Boston University last season, scoring six goals, nine assists, and 15 points. The Sharks now have three picks (2, 9, 27) in the first round of Friday's draft. 

In other news, earlier today, the Sharks re-signed defenseman Nolan Allan to a two-year contract. It carries a cap hit of $875k at the NHL level next season and then becomes a one-way deal worth $900k in year 2 of the contract. Ever since he was acquired by the Sharks from the Blackhawks in the midst of last season, Allan recorded two goals, 12 assists, and 14 points in 35 AHL games for the Barracuda. He is aiming to compete for a spot on the Sharks' NHL roster next season and potentially slot into a bottom-pairing role on the blue line. 

Overall, William Eklund has been one of my favorite Sharks players during his five-year tenure in San Jose, and I am sad to see him leave to join another team. However, on the flip side, Eklund gets to reunite with his best friend Fabian Zetterlund in Ottawa, and this trade all but guarantees that the Sharks will select Ivar Stenberg with the second pick and a top defenseman with the ninth pick on Friday. Another aspect worth mentioning here is that since William Eklund was originally a draft pick made by previous Sharks GM Doug Wilson, Mike Grier was more willing to part ways with Eklund in order to make further improvements to his roster. By letting go of William Eklund now, and if their draft strategy on Friday goes to plan, the Sharks should be better off in the long run regarding their top six forward core and blue line. 

Sources: Sharks + SAP Center App, Locked on Sharks

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Sharks Acquire Andre Gasseau from Bruins

 The Sharks made another trade following the one involving Michael Kesselring, acquiring the rights to unsigned forward Andre Gasseau and the 120th overall pick in this year's draft from the Boston Bruins in exchange for picks 104 and 157 in this year's draft. 

A former seventh-round selection of the Bruins in 2021, Gasseau is a Southern California native and a former teammate of Will Smith at Boston College. He recently completed his senior season at Boston College, serving as Team Captain and recording six goals, 17 assists, and 23 points in 23 games. These stats were good for fourth among Boston College skaters in scoring this past season. In total, Gasseau has compiled 43 goals, 68 assists, and 111 points in 135 NCAA games to complete his collegiate career. Both Gasseau and Smith were members of the Boston College team that advanced to the NCAA national championship game during the 2023-24 season. He has until August 15 to sign with the Sharks before he becomes an unrestricted free agent, which should not be an issue for Team Teal. Overall, this is a relatively minor deal as of now but could become an underrated pickup down the road if all goes to plan. 

Sources: Sharks + SAP Center App, Curtis Pashelka via X 

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Sharks Acquire Michael Kesselring from Sabres

 The Sharks have made their first trade of the 2026 offseason, acquiring veteran defenseman Michael Kesselring and the 27th overall pick in this year's draft from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for the 20th overall pick in this year's draft. 

The big fish in this deal is Kesselring, who is a 26-year-old, big-body, right-shot blueliner with a decent two-way ability. Last season with the Sabres, Kesselring recorded two assists in 34 games and appeared in one Stanley Cup Playoff game. Despite his 2025-26 season being hampered by injuries, Michael Kesselring ranked third among Buffalo skaters in blocked shots per 60 (5.00). In total, Kesselring has 12 goals, 43 assists, and 55 points in 190 career games with the Arizona Coyotes, Utah Mammoth, and Buffalo Sabres. His best season to date was his second full NHL season with Utah, in which he scored seven goals, 22 assists, and 29 points in all 82 games. Kesselring has some familiarity with Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky, as Warsofsky coached Kesselring on Team USA during last year's IIHF World Championships and led them to a gold medal in that tournament. 

Overall, this first trade of the offseason for the Sharks is a big step in the right direction in helping revamp their defense. Kesselring fits the bill in the type of defenseman the Sharks are looking to add this offseason, and I believe he can bounce back and potentially thrive on a new, up-and-coming team and system like the Sharks. I had a feeling that after seeing the initial notification about this trade that the later of the Sharks' two first-round picks would be involved, and trading back a bit in the first round of this year's draft should not be a big deal for the Sharks in this scenario. I also wonder how this trade impacts the other moves the Sharks might make this offseason, and I am looking forward to hearing how else San Jose improves its roster before next season. 

Source: Sjsharks.com 

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Carolina Hurricanes Win 2026 Stanley Cup

 The Carolina Hurricanes have overcome the Vegas Golden Knights four games to two to capture their second Stanley Cup in franchise history and first Stanley Cup in twenty years. This was an all-time great Stanley Cup Final for several reasons. Before diving further into my takes and analysis, here is a brief recap of each game to explain how we got here: 

Game 1: Golden Knights defeat the Hurricanes 5-4. Carolina began the Cup Final with two quick goals from Nikolaj Ehlers. Vegas responded with three unanswered goals from Shea Theodore, Ivan Barbashev, and William Karlsson to gain their first lead of the night early in the second period. Jordan Staal tied the game for the Hurricanes before the end of the middle frame, while Vegas and Carolina traded goals in the third period. The final frame began with Brett Howden scoring to break the tie for the Knights early in the third, followed by Shayne Gostisbehere evening the contest at four later in the period and Tomas Hertl scoring the game-winner with a few minutes remaining. Carter Hart recorded 25 saves on 29 shots against for Vegas, while Frederik Andersen recorded 18 saves on 23 shots against for Carolina. 

Game 2: Hurricanes defeat the Golden Knights 4-3 in overtime. Brett Howden scored both goals in the first two periods. However, the Hurricanes stormed back in the second half of the third period on three consecutive goals from Logan Stankoven, Mark Jankowski, and Jordan Staal to gain their first lead of the night. The last of these three was generated largely in part due to a Carolina power play resulting from a failed challenge by the Golden Knights. With about one and a half minutes remaining in regulation, Mark Stone scored tie the game at three and force overtime, while Seth Jarvis scored almost four minutes into the bonus period to win Game 2 for the Hurricanes. Frederik Andersen recorded 23 saves on 26 shots against for the Hurricanes, while Carter Hart recorded 22 saves on 26 shots against for the Golden Knights. 

Game 3: Golden Knights defeat the Hurricanes 5-4 in double overtime. Vegas had two goals early in the second period disallowed due to offside and goalie interference, but rebounded big time with four goals later in the second period courtesy of a goal from Tomas Hertl and a hat trick from Mitch Marner. When it seemed as if the second period made this contest out of reach for Carolina, the Hurricanes roared back early in the third period with three goals in 39 seconds from Jordan Martinook, Taylor Hall, and Jordan Staal. With under two minutes to go in regulation, Andrei Svechnikov scored to tie the game at four and force overtime for a second straight game. However, Vegas got the last laugh in the second OT period and earned the decision on a shot by Shea Theodore that went off the backboard, off of the back of Brandon Bussi, and into the net. Carter Hart recorded 29 saves on 33 shots against for the Golden Knights, Frederik Andersen made 12 saves on 16 shots against for the Hurricanes, and Brandon Bussi compiled 18 saves on 19 shots against in relief for Andersen. 

Game 4: Hurricanes defeat the Golden Knights 5-3. Logan Stankoven opened the scoring for the Canes just over a minute into this contest, while Jackson Blake extended Carolina's lead to two a few minutes after. Mark Stone scored to get the Knights on the board and within one a bit later, followed by Jordan Staal's first goal of the game to make it 3-1 Canes through one period of play. Vegas came back in the second period with two goals in the second period from William Karlsson and Brett Howden, only for Carolina to add two more from Jordan Staal and Nikolaj Ehlers to put this one away for good. Brandon Bussi earned his first win in the Stanley Cup Playoffs with 18 saves on 21 shots against, while Carter Hart compiled 23 saves on 27 shots against on the losing end for the Golden Knights. 

Game 5: Hurricanes defeat the Golden Knights 4-2. Pavel Dorofeyev scored the Golden Knights’ only two goals in Game 5, while the Hurricanes scored four consecutive goals via Jordan Staal late in the first period, Andrei Svechnikov and Sebastian Aho in the second period, and Svechnikov again in the third period. Brandon Bussi earned his second straight Stanley Cup Playoff victory with 23 saves on 25 shots against, while Carter Hart recorded 20 saves on 24 shots against on the losing end for the Golden Knights. 

Game 6: Hurricanes shut out the Golden Knights 3-0 to win the Stanley Cup. Carolina finished the job on goals from Taylor Hall, Jackson Blake, and Nikolaj Ehlers, along with 22 saves from Brandon Bussi. 

Jordan Staal was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP. He earned this honor primarily due to elevating his game during the Final and scoring goals in every game on the biggest stage except for the Cup-clinching game. During this latest playoff run, the Hurricanes have been dominant, going 16-3 on their way to their second Stanley Cup. This latest Cup run was a complete team effort from Carolina, as their depth scoring and goaltending stepped up when they needed to most compared to previous seasons and playoff runs. Besides the top star players in Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov, and Seth Jarvis, the Hurricanes' biggest contributors on offense included Logan Stankoven, Jackson Blake, Taylor Hall, and Nikolaj Ehlers. In addition, Frederik Andersen was absolutely outstanding in net for the Hurricanes until he got shelled in Game 3 of the Cup Final against Vegas. After that game, Coach Rod Brind'Amour turned to Brandon Bussi in net, and Bussi came up huge for the Canes in the remainder of this Cup Final. In addition, this Cup Final featured plenty of scoring in bunches and crazy comebacks, which certainly added to its excitement factor.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this year’s Stanley Cup Final. In my eyes, among all NHL teams, the Hurricanes are an easier team to root for. On the other hand, the Golden Knights are one of my absolute least favorite teams in all of sports, so it was genuinely wonderful to see them on the losing end here. Lastly, now that the NHL is fully in offseason mode, I am looking forward to the Sharks’ upcoming roster improvements before next season, the NHL Draft in just over a week, and Team Teal eventually reaching the promise land like where the Hurricanes are at right now. 

Sources: ESPN/ABC, NHL App 

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Sharks Sign Phillip Sinn + Re-Sign Jimmy Huntington

 The Sharks announced two recent signings over the past 48 hours: defenseman Phillip Sinn to a two-year, entry-level deal and forward Jimmy Huntington to a one-year, two-way contract. 

Phillip Sinn is a new addition to the Sharks organization from the DEL in Germany. He spent most of last season with EHC Munchen, recording one goal, two assists, and three points in 35 games. Sinn also has four assists in seven games for ESV Kaufberen in the second-tier DEL and appeared in 11 playoff games for EHC Munchen. Internationally, Sinn represented Germany in this year's IIHF World Championship, appearing in five games. In addition, he participated in the World Junior tournaments in 2023 and 2024, scoring a combined two goals, five assists, and seven points in ten games for Team Germany. I did not know who Phillip Sinn was before he signed with the Sharks today, and I am not entirely sure where he fits in with them at this time, but he should be able to help fill Team Teal's biggest organizational need at defense going forward. 

Announced yesterday prior to the addition of Sinn was the re-signing of forward Jimmy Huntington to a one-year, two-way contract. Last season, Huntington compiled 15 goals, 33 assists, and 48 points in 71 regular-season games, along with a goal and an assist in two Calder Cup Playoff games for the San Jose Barracuda in the AHL. These stats set career highs for Huntington, and his 48 points are tied for second on the Barracuda last season. In addition, Huntington's 33 assists and 15 goals are good for third and sixth on the Barracuda respectively. Throughout the 2025-26 season, Huntington put together 11 multi-point performances, three three-point efforts, and two separate four-game point streaks. While this may not have much implication at the NHL level, Jimmy Huntington will be a key component in keeping the Barracuda competitive next season. 

Source: Sharks + SAP Center App 

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Sharks Sign Carson Wetsch to Entry-Level Contract

 The Sharks announced today that they have signed forward and former 2024 third-round pick Carson Wetsch to a standard, entry-level contract that begins next season. 

Not only do the Sharks see Wetsch as a valuable prospect to their organization, but they had to take care of business and sign him before the June 1 deadline. If Wetsch were to not sign with the Sharks before the start of next month, he would likely have to re-enter the draft in order to get another shot at potentially playing in the NHL. 

Carson Wetsch had a career year for the Kelowna Rockets in the WHL in 2025-26, serving as Kelowna's team captain and recording 22 goals, 50 assists, and 72 points in 65 games. He also compiled two goals, two assists, and four points in eight playoff games this past season and will be competing in the Memorial Cup later this month. 

Overall, while nothing major at this time, I am glad the Sharks were able to sign Carson Wetsch to his first pro contract. He will definitely be a significant and much-needed addition to the Barracuda in the AHL starting next season. 

Sources: Sharks + SAP Center App, Curtis Pashelka via X 

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