NASHVILLE, TN – JANUARY 21: The artwork on the mask of San Jose Sharks goalie Yaroslav Askarov (30) is shown prior to the NHL game between the Nashville Predators and San Jose Sharks, held on January 21, 2025, at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Danny Murphy/Icon Sportswire)
Prospect System Ranking – 1st (May 2025 – 2nd)
GM: Mike Grier Hired: July 2022
COACH: Ryan Warsofsky Hired: June 2024
Despite finishing last in the league in 2024-25, the Sharks iced a lineup filled with electrifying young talent that included Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith, William Eklund, and others. All of whom deliver fast-paced excitement every night.
Even with two of the league’s premier prospects now graduated, San Jose’s pipeline remains a juggernaut. Their top 15 list still features multiple elite names, with more ready to turn pro as early as next season.
Leading that charge is Michael Misa, selected second overall in 2025. His dazzling offensive instincts make him the new crown jewel of the system, perfectly complementing an already talented young core. The draft haul didn’t stop there, as the Sharks also added the top goaltender available in Joshua Ravensbergen to bolster the crease, while second-rounders Haoxi Wang (a raw but mobile defender) and Cole McKinney (a mature two-way center) provide depth and balance for the future.
On defense, Sam Dickinson continues to headline. Fresh off another dominant OHL season with the London Knights, the 19-year-old captured the Max Kaminsky Trophy as the league’s top defenseman after posting 90 points and a league-best +64 rating. Still too young for the AHL, his draft-plus-two season will be closely watched.
Behind him, a trio of OHL standouts—Quentin Musty, Kasper Halttunen, and Igor Chernyshov—are poised to make the jump to the Barracuda in 2025-26. They’ll join a talented AHL roster already housing breakout performers like Luca Cagnoni, Collin Graf, Shakir Mukhamadullin, Filip Bystedt, and Jack Thompson, all of whom have taken major steps forward. Add in Eric Pohlkamp, who continues to shine at the University of Denver, and the depth stretches across every position.
Perhaps the most significant addition came via trade, when GM Mike Grier landed Yaroslav Askarov—McKeen’s top-ranked goaltending prospect. Together with Ravensbergen, San Jose suddenly boasts one of the strongest long term creases in the NHL.
The Sharks are still in the rebuilding phase, but the pieces are quickly aligning. With Celebrini, Smith, Eklund, and now Misa leading the charge, plus a wave of support talent on the way, San Jose’s future is brimming with excitement. The next step may involve flipping futures for win-now help, but regardless, the foundation is in place for a rapid rise back up the standings.
San Jose Sharks Top-15 Prospects
1 – Michael Misa
While there’s no doubt that San Jose would have loved to have won the lottery this year, picking Michael Misa second was a terrific consolation prize. Misa is the complete package as a forward and projects a top line forward and perennial all-star. He’s a dynamic offensive player thanks to his skating ability and high-end skill. However, with his frame and aggressive mentality, he also should develop into a quality two-way player at the NHL level too. Best of all, Misa can play any forward position and that gives San Jose some serious flexibility moving forward as they figure out where they want to slot in some of their other young stars. The reigning Red Tilson Trophy winner (as the OHL’s most outstanding player), Misa will compete for a roster spot in San Jose this training camp. He probably has a 50/50 shot of cracking the roster. If he’s not in San Jose, Misa likely returns to the OHL where he’ll try to lead Saginaw back to the Memorial Cup.
2 – Sam Dickinson
The Sharks have to be ecstatic about how Dickinson’s draft plus one year went in London, as he found yet another level, emerging as one of, if not the top blueliner in the OHL. If not for missed time due to the World Juniors, he would have unquestionably hit the 30-goal plateau, which is thanks to his booming point shot and ability to join the rush. He’s such an impressive skater for a bigger defender too, which allows him to be everywhere on the ice. He can take liberties with the puck because he recovers well. However, his off-puck decision making really improved this year; he was picking better times to jump up or pinch to make things happen offensively. So, what are the next steps? Firstly, there’s a need for Dickinson to continue to improve his physical intensity level in the defensive end; he needs to use his size to clear the crease and win those 50/50 battles more consistently. Secondly, he still needs to clean up his puck play under pressure; his skating won’t consistently get him out of trouble the way that it does in the OHL. Given his progression and fantastic physical tools, Dickinson has the chance to be a top pairing defender for the Sharks. He also has a chance of cracking their roster next season, as he may have outgrown the OHL.
3 – Yaroslav Askarov
Askarov is undoubtedly one of the most talented goalies seen in the past decade. His athleticism is on a world-class level, and one would be hard-pressed to find five who are more athletic. His agility, flexibility, and explosiveness, from his knees are as good as it gets. It has led Askarov to play a flashy, aggressive, and high-octane style of play. This has its benefits and weaknesses. Often, it means there’s a lack of body control, leading to excessive movement. This is an area Askarov has struggled in for some time, but he is showing improvement. His dominance in the AHL and solid demonstration that he can hang in the NHL on the league’s worst team are representative of this fact. He makes incredible saves consistently and, in doing so, generates a lot of momentum for himself and his team. He’s hard to beat laterally and even backdoor, something invaluable. With how his progression has been, Askarov likely will be a full-time NHL goalie next year, and his potential to be a future Vezina winner can’t be overstated.
4 – Igor Chernyshov
Simply put, Chernyshov tore apart the OHL this past year upon returning from a shoulder injury at the end of January. His 2.39 points per game were by far the best in the league as he formed a dynamic partnership with now Shark top prospect Michael Misa. Chernyshov is a dynamic attacker in transition. With his size, skill, and speed, OHL defenders truly couldn’t slow him down. His playmaking ability really stood out in his limited OHL time. He shows poise with the puck and is more than just a head down, straight line attacker. His off puck play also stood out positively in his time with Saginaw; he is hungry for the puck and works hard to earn his touches. Next year, he will turn pro and play in the AHL and it will be interesting to compare and contrast the rookie pro years of Musty and Chernyshov. They have similar projections as top six power wingers, but an argument could be made that Chernyshov’s game is more refined and pro ready.
5 – Quentin Musty
Things didn’t really go according to plan for Musty this past year and the Sharks can’t be happy about how his final year of junior played out. He started the season holding out from the Sudbury Wolves in hopes of forcing a trade. That did not occur. Then, when the holdout ended, he broke his hand and missed a significant chunk of time. These two occurrences kept Musty to only 33 games. Offensively, he was a difference maker when he did play. He has the skill and touch to be a high scoring NHL player. However, his off puck play and physical intensity returned to being inconsistent this past season after some growth the previous year. Was this a lost year of development? You could probably make that argument. However, Musty remains a top prospect for the Sharks. If they can harness his talent and improve the finer details in his game, he can be a key part of their rebuild. At this point, he will probably need at least a season in the AHL before he’s NHL ready.
A somewhat controversial first-round selection among scouting circles back in 2020, and subsequently acquired by the Sharks, Mukhamadullin has developed just fine through two professional seasons in North America. The big defender has shown promise at both ends and played well for San Jose this past year, leading one to believe that he could be a full time NHL defender next year. His decision making, with and without the puck, has improved greatly since being drafted. He has simplified his approach and learned to make quicker decisions with the puck. Yet, his high-end mobility and flashes of skill suggest that he does still possess offensive potential for the NHL level. The true scope of his NHL capabilities is not yet known. In that sense, he’s still a project that is developing. However, San Jose has to be quite happy with the results thus far.
Joshua Ravensbergen has the best raw upside of any goalie since Sebastian Cossa. Towering at 6-foot-5, his level of athleticism shouldn’t be possible. His skating, quickness, agility, flexibility, and explosiveness are hardly ever seen in undersized goalies, let alone those at his height. Combining his frame, athleticism, mobility, and flexibility with his extreme competitiveness, you have a goaltender who covers more net and ground than most goalies to ever step on the ice much like Askarov. He’s an aggressive and flashy goalie giving him similar composure issues to Askarov and can have some mental lapses as well. To find success in the NHL he will need many reps practicing patience and playing with more precision. Goalies like Ravensbergen don’t turn into NHLers overnight, but they certainly don’t grow on trees either. It will take him a decent amount of time to hit his potential, but if he does, the Sharks could easily have two elite goalies on their hands in the future.
8 – Luca Cagnoni
Sometimes you just have to admit that you were wrong on a prospect and that’s looking like something we’ll have to do at McKeen’s. We were skeptical of his ability to translate his skill set to the pro game, but thankfully for the Sharks organization, he has proven us wrong. After a tremendous first professional season, no prospect in the game has seen their star rise more. Similar to the likes of Lane Hutson or Olen Zellweger, Cagnoni is so effective offensively because of his ability to blend strong four-way mobility with quick hands. He routinely escapes pressure inside the offensive zone and helps breakdown coverage; he is a top shelf play creator. However, his defensive game hasn’t been as poor as some (including us) expected it to be as a pro. He’s been more than adequate in his own end and, when combined with his outstanding on puck play, it has altered Cagnoni’s projection to make him a possible top four defender and first unit power play quarterback.
9 – Filip Bystedt
Bystedt’s first full season in North America is probably best categorized as average. He flashed some ability to be a competent middle six forward for San Jose in the future, but he also struggled with injuries and consistency at the AHL level with the Barracuda. Bystedt’s speed can play on North American ice. He can play that north-south game with effectiveness. One of the hallmarks of his game has previously been his ability to control the wall and work as a playmaker coming off the cycle, but he needs to bulk up further to be consistently successful in that regard at the AHL and NHL levels. The good news is that with San Jose’s prospect depth, there’s no reason or need to rush Bystedt. They can allow him to fill out and slowly gain confidence, with a look to 2026 as a possible arrival time, depending on how his development goes.
10 – Eric Pohlkamp
One of the most underrated prospects outside of the NHL, Pohlkamp has long been a favourite of the McKeen’s scouting team, dating back to our aggressive ranking of him in our 2023 draft rankings (127th). Since winning the USHL’s defenceman of the year award in 2023, he’s done nothing but improve, including a great sophomore season in the NCAA with Denver last year. This year, he’ll have the keys to the Denver offence with Zeev Buium turning pro and this could make him a Hobey Baker candidate. Pohlkamp has a unique tool kit, highlighted by a big point shot and strong offensive instincts. His decision making and defensive game have made great strides at the NCAA level thus far and it has really improved his NHL projection. Look for him to play his junior year at Denver and then turn pro, perhaps even getting in some NHL games late in the season if his NCAA year goes as well as we expect it to.
11 – Collin Graf
Graf was five points shy of being a point per game player in the AHL, and flashed some intriguing offensive potential when called up to the NHL. He has a solid skating base and a long reach that allows him to stickhandle through defenders in transition. The tools are all there for him to become an NHL regular as soon as this season.
12 – Kasper Halttunen
Halttunen’s shot is the headline grabber, allowing him to post an impressive 15 goals in 17 games during London’s post-season run. The shot is powerful and accurate, which gives him serious power play potential in the NHL. However, the rest of his game will need to take a step forward, particularly on the skating front, which is currently of the slower variety. He’ll get the chance to put it all together in the AHL this year.
13 – Cam Lund
Lund joined the Sharks at the end of the season once his collegiate campaign had concluded and did not look out of place thanks to his pro frame and hockey sense. Lund might not have the flashiest tools, but his game screams that of a long-time pro. The AHL will likely be his starting point this fall, but that may not last too long.
14 – Cole McKinney
McKinney brings a relentless style to the ice despite his average size, along with some skill to boot. He had a fantastic offensive season with the NTDP and will make the jump to college hockey at Michigan this season to round out his game.
15 – Jack Thompson
Thompson got a prolonged NHL audition last season and showed promise as a puck mover. However, like most on the Sharks roster, he struggled defensively. San Jose added a number of veterans to their back end, so he’ll have to fight an NHL job during training camp.