My fully updated list of the San Jose Sharks’ top 10 prospects is complete, and the link to that list can be found below. The top spot on this list belongs to Swedish forward Ivar Stenberg (2nd overall), who is joined in the top three by fellow 2026 first-round picks in d-men Keaton Verhoeff (9th overall) and Ryan Lin (21st overall).
Perhaps the best place to begin when breaking down the Sharks’ prospect pool is to focus upon its weaknesses, which are none. San Jose’s top 10 prospects consist of four forwards (led by Stenberg), four d-men (led by Verhoeff) & two goaltenders (Joshua Ravenbergen [30th overall in 2025] & Brady Knowling [118th overall in 2026]), all of whom are potential impact players at the NHL level. Providing fluidity to this ranking is the fact that it contains both NHL-ready prospects (forwards Stenberg & Igor Chernyshov are projected to start the season with the big club) and still-developing amateurs (Verhoeff, Lin, and Ravensbergen are in the NCAA, and Knowling is with Saginaw in the OHL).
Emphasizing General Manager Mike Grier’s drafting prowess is the fact that San Jose’s core group at the NHL level consists of draftees Macklin Celebrini (1st overall in 2024), Will Smith (4th overall in 2023), Michael Misa (2nd overall in 2025), and Sam Dickinson (11th overall in 2024). Grier is no slouch in the trade department either, acquiring goaltender Yaroslav Askarov (11th in 2020 by NSH) from Nashville to bolster the Sharks’ future between the pipes. Also, his trade of forward William Eklund to Ottawa this summer led to the acquisition of Verhoeff by way of obtaining the Sens’ ninth overall pick in the transaction.
https://thehockeylawyer.net/team-stats/san-jose-sharks/