Do the San Jose Sharks pay attention to what the media says about the Draft?
Naturally, Sharks director of scouting Chris Morehouse was coy about it, but the short answer is yes.
“It’s guidance, it’s not a be-all and end-all,” Morehouse told San Jose Hockey Now at the Combine. “[Corey] Pronman and [Scott] Wheeler and Cam [Robinson], they’ve been to games…they’re scouting and watching the players. Obviously, Bob [McKenzie] has connections, he’s been in the business for a long time…Central Scouting and their list, in terms of pointing us in the right direction at the beginning of the year, is really important because they do such a good job of blanketing everybody.”
Morehouse stressed, “It doesn’t change how we do things, or put our draft board together. It’s just part of the process.”
He added: “I tell our group, and I do it the same way, you’re silly not to take the information people want to give you. Just be very selective of what information you give out.”
So what information did the San Jose Sharks give out before the 2025 Draft, when Michael Misa vs. Anton Frondell was hotly contested until the last minute? Morehouse didn’t give anything away, but I did ask.
Morehouse was more forthcoming about how the Sharks landed on selecting Joshua Ravensbergen and Haoxi (Simon) Wang last year. He also shed more insight on what made Igor Chernyshov stand out in 2024.