The future looks bright, Sharks fans. <\/p>\n
The team promoted Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith <\/a>to full-time NHL duty last fall, and they both became impact players almost immediately. And here we are, all this time later, and the Sharks have another two top 10 prospects in Michael Misa <\/a>and Sam Dikinson. Like Celebrini and Smith a year ago, they might both be in the opening day lineup come October, as well. The Sharks have one of the best pipelines in all of hockey as they continue their rebuild.<\/p>\n They\u2019re still a few years away from being true contenders, but they\u2019ve got a bit of everything. High-end scorers? Check. An elite defensive prospect? You bet. Not one, but two outstanding goalies? Yes sir! The Sharks have one of the most exciting futures in all of hockey, and we haven\u2019t even seen what the pool is capable of.<\/p>\n Mike Grier and Co. will want to start turning things around sooner rather than later. They\u2019ll be in the hunt to land Gavin McKenna or Keaton Verhoeff <\/a>at the 2026 NHL Draft. But at some point, they\u2019ll want to turn their kids into serious, long-term pieces of the team\u2019s core.<\/p>\n Biggest Strength<\/p>\n Center depth is valuable, and the Sharks have more help down the middle than any team in the league. Celebrini and Smith are both centers (although Smith might spend more time on the wing) \u2013 and then there\u2019s Misa, Filip Bystedt, Cole McKinney, Brandon Svoboda and Teddy Mutryn, among others. I feel very confident in the first three becoming NHLers, including Misa and Bystedt as early as this season. A special shoutout goes to San Jose\u2019s crease, with both Yaroslav Askarov and Joshua Ravensbergen establishing themselves as future No. 1 goaltenders in the NHL.<\/p>\n Biggest Weakness<\/p>\n This is really nitpicky. But as much as I like the team\u2019s improvement to the blueline as a whole, it feels like they\u2019re missing true depth on the right side. Dickinson, Luca Cagnoni, Shakir Mukhamadullin and Haoxi Wang are all solid prospects, but they shoot left. Eric Pohlkamp and Mattias Havelid might have futures in depth roles, but they\u2019re the best availabe on the right side and are far from being NHLers.<\/p>\n Fast Facts: TOP 10 PROSPECTS<\/p>\n 1. Michael Misa, C, 18 (San Jose Sharks)<\/p>\n Acquired: Drafted second overall, first round in 2025<\/p>\n Misa is an outstanding skater who\u2019ll beat you both in short bursts and with his pure straight-line speed. He\u2019s as good a play-driver as you\u2019ll find from any forward in this class. His hockey sense is truly elite, too. Heck, he\u2019s even got some muscle in his 6-foot-1 frame. Misa isn\u2019t a bruiser by any means, but he\u2019s more than willing to get physical. Misa uses all his traits to exploit defenders and generate scoring chances. His shot is deceptive, rarely needing much of a wind-up to get it where he wants it. I think he\u2019ll start the year in the NHL, likely in the top six \u2013 and I doubt he\u2019ll go back to Saginaw.<\/p>\n 2. Sam Dickinson, LHD, 19 (San Jose Sharks)<\/p>\n Acquired: Drafted 11th overall, first round in 2024<\/p>\n It feels like a good chance that Dickinson starts the year in the NHL. The 19-year-old is coming off a monster year in London in which he won both the OHL and CHL\u2019s top defenseman awards. He also led the Knights to a Memorial Cup in a year that saw him put up 91 points in the regular season and 31 in the playoffs. The big, high-flying defender is so difficult to beat in 1-on-1 situations, and the numbers show he can dominate shifts offensively. It\u2019s either the NHL or OHL for Dickinson this year \u2013 but Canada\u2019s World Junior team<\/a> is hoping it\u2019s the latter.<\/p>\n 3. Yaroslav Askarov, G, 23 (San Jose Sharks)<\/p>\n Acquired: Traded by the Nashville Predators<\/a> in 2024<\/p>\n I nearly elected to keep Askarov off this list, given he was San Jose\u2019s top NHL goaltender far too often last year. But with just 16 NHL games over his career (13 coming in San Jose), it\u2019s a small enough sample size to keep him here. There\u2019s nothing for the 6-foot-3 goaltender to accomplish in the AHL anymore. The multi-time all-star was a shining star for the Barracuda, and looked like a true No. 1 at points in San Jose. It might take a few years for us to see just how good Askarov is as the Sharks continue to rebuild. But with ideal size and incredible athleticism, it\u2019s safe to call Askarov the best goaltending prospect in the game today.<\/p>\n 4. Joshua Ravensbergen, G, 18 (Prince George Cougars, WHL)<\/p>\n Acquired: Drafted 30th overall, first round in 2025<\/p>\n Given the Sharks already had Askarov, it was a bit surprising to see them take Ravensbergen. But in this day and age, there\u2019s no such thing as having too many high-end goaltenders. At 6-foot-5, Ravensbergen has incredible size, great athleticism, and a calm demeanour. Put them together, and he\u2019s an intriguing prospect. His numbers aren\u2019t fantastic by any means, but he snagged wins consistently on a team that would be in a lot more trouble if he didn\u2019t have their back. At the very least, Ravensbergen could become one of the biggest trade assets in the NHL once he turns pro and \u2013 hopefully \u2013 continues his upward trajectory. <\/p>\n 5. Quentin Musty, LW, 20 (San Jose Barracuda)<\/p>\n Acquired: Drafted 28th overall, first round in 2023<\/p>\n Musty had an eventful season, which started with a trade request out of Sudbury that was never granted. He still managed to put up wicked numbers, including 30 goals and 59 points. An injury prevented Musty from playing with the USA at the World Juniors, although reports indicated he wasn\u2019t getting invited, anyway. So, yeah, not a typical year for a top prospect. But Musty made the most of the opportunities and then proceeded to close out the year with the Barracuda. I expect him to take a run at making the Sharks out of camp this year, but it feels like more time in the AHL is exactly what he needs after missing half of 2024-25.<\/p>\n 6. Luca Cagnoni, LHD, 20 (San Jose Barracuda, AHL)<\/p>\n Acquired: Drafted 123rd overall, fourth round in 2023<\/p>\n I\u2019ve been a big believer in Cagnoni since he was drafted and I\u2019m glad he had such a successful first year of pro hockey. The 20-year-old is still 5-foot-9, but it didn\u2019t stop him from registering 16 goals and 52 points with the Barracuda. He was also impressive in his six-game run with the Sharks, registering a pair of assists while getting more comfortable at both ends of the ice. He\u00a0plays a smart, calculated game that doesn\u2019t try to force plays to generate something. Cagnoni is evasive with the puck, using his quick footwork to get himself out of trouble. He\u2019s still small, but it hasn\u2019t slowed him down yet.<\/p>\n 7. Igor Chernyshov, LW, 19 (San Jose Baraccuda, AHL)<\/p>\n Acquired: Drafted 33rd overall, second round in 2024<\/p>\n Leaving everything you know from back home to pursue a career halfway across the world is easier said than done. But, for Chernyshov, it truly looked easy. He paired up with Misa and managed to record 19 goals and 55 points in just 23 games with the Saginaw Spirit. Not too shabby after some minuscule numbers in the KHL the year before. Chernyshov is a 6-foot-3 power forward who works his tail off to win battles, and I think he\u2019s versatile enough to play anywhere in San Jose\u2019s lineup. I can\u2019t wait to see what he does in a full season in the AHL.<\/p>\n 8. Shakir Mukhamadullin, LHD, 23 (San Jose Sharks)<\/p>\n
NHL GM: Mike Grier
Dir. of Amateur Scouting:\u00a0Chris Morehouse
Dir. of Player Development:\u00a0Todd Marchant
AHL\u00a0Affiliate:\u00a0San Jose Barracuda
ECHL Affiliate:\u00a0Wichita Thunder<\/p>\nSam Dickinson (Steven Ellis\/The Nation Network)<\/p>\n
Yaroslav Askarov (Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images)<\/p>\n
Luca Cagnoni (Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images)<\/p>\n