It’s a whole new world for the Sharks at the 2026 NHL Draft.
The Sharks were slated to come out of Tuesday’s draft lottery with the No. 9 pick. Instead, ping pong ball luck got them the No. 2.
The Toronto Maple Leafs also moved up, winning the No. 1 overall selection.
So now, the 2026 draft, to be held on June 26 and 27 in Buffalo, N.Y., is basically the Sharks’ oyster.
“It’s a good day for the organization,” general manager Mike Grier said after the lottery.
Who could Grier and his scouting staff be looking at for No. 2? Here are seven prospects San Jose might select.
Gavin McKenna — LW, Penn State
The winger is the consensus No. 1 pick, and not likely to be available at No. 2.
But McKenna also isn’t the unanimous No. 1 overall pick a la Matthew Schaefer, Macklin Celebrini or Connor Bedard in previous years.
If the Leafs pass on McKenna, it would be hard for the Sharks to ignore him. McKenna is the “most dynamic offensive playmaker of this draft class,” a future first-line winger, per NHL.com’s senior draft writer Mike G. Morreale.
McKenna, considering his preseason hype, got off to a relatively slow start at Penn State, but finished the year with 11 goals and 33 points in his last 19 games.
Ivar Stenberg — LW, Frölunda (SHL)
Stenberg is more well-rounded than McKenna.
“Stenberg’s biggest standout tool for me, though, has repeatedly been his wall play and strength on his stick,” Scott Wheeler of The Athletic wrote.
He also doesn’t lack in skill: His 33 points this season are the fifth-most for an 18-year-old in SHL history.
That’s a remarkable achievement in a men’s league.
Stenberg also projects to be a first-line winger, though not quite as prolific as McKenna.
“They’re very talented and gifted players,” Grier said of the dueling wingers. “I’ve had the chance to watch them both quite a bit over the last two years. Dynamic with the puck. They’re both, I think, shot-pass threats, which is not always the case with young players, but there’s playmaking vision on both of them. They think the game well and at a high level and are a threat to score and create scoring chances every shift.”
Chase Reid — D, Sault Ste. Marie (OHL)
There’s nothing that the Sharks organization needs more than a future No. 1 defenseman. Will Reid be that?
Reid is considered by many to be the best blueline prospect in a defense-deep draft.
“Dynamic skater, eats minutes, plays a ton every night for the Soo,” Grier said. “A good two-way defenseman, impacts a game on both ends of the rink, can create offense through his skating and his stick skills, and can shoot the puck. He’s a talented, talented player.”
The 6-foot-2 right-hander should grow to help a team in all situations.
Carson Carels — D, Prince George (WHL)
If not Reid, Carels is one of a handful who are in the running for top defenseman in this draft.
“Compared by some to Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy,” Morreale wrote on NHL.com
Like Reid, the 6-foot-2 left-hander is seen as an all-around force. But the same question, is Carels more a No. 1 or middle-pairing blueliner in the future?
Keaton Verhoeff — D, North Dakota
Entering the 2025-26 season, Verhoeff was the consensus No. 1 defenseman in this draft.
The 6-foot-4 right-hander had a solid season at North Dakota, but he doesn’t skate as well as Reid or Carels, one of the reasons why he has fallen behind at least Reid in most mock drafts. He might also have a little less offensive potential.
But he’s also big, physical, right-handed, and has real offensive tools, so don’t rule him out yet.
“He’s a unique player,” Chris Peters of Flo Hockey wrote.
Alberts Smits — D, Munchen (DEL)
Smits stands out among the defensemen in this draft, insofar as he has proven himself against men’s competition, starring for Latvia at the Olympics and for Jukurit in Liiga, Finland’s top hockey league.
“You don’t find someone in Euro pro leagues who plays between 18-20 minutes as a draft-eligible defender often,” Steven Ellis wrote at The Daily Faceoff.
The left-hander is also 6-foot-3 and has a well-rounded game, though maybe a little more defensive-leaning.
Caleb Malhotra — C, Brantford (OHL)
Son of ex-Shark Manny Malhotra, the 6-foot-2 center is perhaps the fastest-rising player in the top-10.
The two-way pivot is fresh off pacing the Brantford Bulldogs with 26 points in 15 playoff games, an impressive feat for a first-year OHL’er.
Malhotra is the consensus top center in this draft, though there are questions about whether his offense will translate at the highest levels.
“Caleb Malhotra is every bit as good as Ivar Stenberg,” Craig Button countered. “Stenberg is a winger, and you don’t build your team up the wall.”
So center, winger or defense at No. 2?
The Sharks’ clearest need is on the blueline, and typically, center is a more valuable position than wing. But?
“We always try to go with the best player available,” Grier said.
So McKenna or Stenberg to complement Macklin Celebrini? Malhotra behind Celebrini and Michael Misa to form a potential center trio for the ages? Or Reid to lead the Sharks’ blueline of the future?
“We just got lucky and we’re excited,” Grier said.