The Sharks entered the 2026 NHL Draft lottery on Tuesday with a 5.0 percent chance at winning the No. 1 overall pick, and they ended up with the No. 2 selection for the second consecutive year once the ping pong balls had fallen in a surprising jump up the board.
San Jose was in the running for the top pick up until the first draw’s last ball and needed the No. 3 ball to win it, but it fell in the Toronto Maple Leafs’ favor. Then, the Sharks moved up from No. 9 to the second overall pick on the second draw after entering the day with just a 5.2 percent chance to do so.
After securing the No. 1 overall selection in 2024 and the No. 2 overall selection in 2025, the San Jose Sharks have secured the No. 2 overall selection in the 2026 NHL draft‼️ pic.twitter.com/OGGXgS1rbk
— ESPN (@espn) May 5, 2026
Sharks general manager Mike Grier told ESPN after the lottery that San Jose will look to draft the best player available in adding to its young core of recent top picks like Macklin Celebrini (No. 1 overall in 2024), Michael Misa (No. 2 overall in 2025), Will Smith (No. 4 overall in 2023) and William Eklund (No. 7 overall in 2021).
The Sharks’ first selection in 2026 marks the fifth time in six years they’ve had a top 10 draft pick, and general manager Mike Grier’s third consecutive top two pick since taking the helm in 2022 and fourth consecutive top five selection.
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