The Sharks became the second-luckiest team in this year’s NHL Draft Lottery, winning the second draw for the second overall pick and jumping seven spots from their originally projected ninth overall spot at the end of the regular season.
This will be the second consecutive year that the Sharks’ first pick in the NHL Draft comes in at second overall. The only other team that got luckier than the Sharks in the draft lottery this year was the Toronto Maple Leafs, who jumped four spots from the fifth-best odds to earn the first overall selection.
Before further discussing what this means for the Sharks, here are the full results from the 2026 NHL Draft Lottery:
1) Toronto Maple Leafs
2) San Jose Sharks
3) Vancouver Canucks
4) Chicago Blackhawks
5) New York Rangers
6) Calgary Flames
7) Seattle Kraken
8) Winnipeg Jets
9) Florida Panthers
10) Nashville Predators
11) St. Louis Blues
12) New Jersey Devils
13) New York Islanders
14) Columbus Blue Jackets
15) St. Louis Blues (from Detroit Red Wings)
16) Washington Capitals
Overall, while completely unexpected, getting the second overall pick in this year’s draft is massive and unreal for the Sharks, and I could not be more satisfied with how things all played out and aligned here. Assuming the Maple Leafs take Gavin McKenna first overall on June 26 in Buffalo, I anticipate the Sharks will select either Ivar Stenberg, the second-ranked draft prospect on many NHL draft boards this year, or one of the top defensemen in this year’s draft class, such as Chase Reid or Keaton Verhoeff. Regardless, whoever the Sharks select with the second overall pick this year could be the final building block to complete their rebuild and fully open up their playoff contention window, and I am very excited to find out who the chosen one in this position is.
In other news, earlier today the Sharks announced that they re-signed forward Patrick Giles to a two-year, two-way contract. Giles primarily spent the 2025-26 season with the Barracuda in the AHL, recording ten goals, 14 assists, and 24 points in 67 games, setting career-highs in points and assists in the AHL in his first full season with the Barracuda. He also appeared in two Calder Cup Playoff games for the Barracuda and three NHL games with the Sharks this past season, registering his first NHL assist on November 2 against the Red Wings.
Sources: ESPN, Sharks + SAP Center App
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