{"id":358781,"date":"2026-06-13T02:55:12","date_gmt":"2026-06-13T02:55:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/358781\/"},"modified":"2026-06-13T02:55:12","modified_gmt":"2026-06-13T02:55:12","slug":"top-20-nhl-mock-draft-who-sharks-take-with-no-2-no-20-picks-nbc-sports-bay-area-california","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/358781\/","title":{"rendered":"Top-20 NHL Mock Draft: Who Sharks take with No. 2, No. 20 picks \u2013 NBC Sports Bay Area & California"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s mock draft season, and the Sharks have two picks<\/a>, No. 2<\/a> and No. 20, in the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft.<\/p>\n

San Jose Hockey Now has asked 15 beat writers and one guest GM to make selections for their teams for this top-20 mock draft. SJHN will make the Sharks\u2019 picks.<\/p>\n

Thanks to Mark Masters of TSN, Thomas Drance of The Athletic, Ben Pope of Chicago Sun-Times, Vince Mercogliano of The Athletic, Ryan Pike of Flames Nation, Keegan McNally of the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast, Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Free Press, George Richards of Florida Hockey Now, Nick Kieser of Lower Broad Hockey, Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic, James Nichols of New Jersey Hockey Now, Stefen Rosner of the Elmonters, Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch, Sammi Silber of the Hockey News, John Hoven of Mayor\u2019s Manor, and Cole Bagley of KSL Sports for helping out.<\/p>\n

1.\u00a0\u00a0 Toronto Maple Leafs<\/p>\n

Mark Masters<\/a> selects winger Gavin McKenna: \u201cJohn Chayka says they will pick the best player available. Gavin McKenna is the best player available.\u201d<\/p>\n

2.\u00a0\u00a0 San Jose Sharks<\/p>\n

Sheng Peng selects defenseman Chase Reid<\/a>: \u201cIf the Sharks have the chance to trade this pick back<\/a>, and still come out with Reid or fellow top defensive prospect Carson Carels, they should do it. But I\u2019m opting for Reid over Carels and winger Ivar Stenberg, who\u2019s the safer pick, because Reid\u2019s ceiling as a true No. 1 defenseman who can run a top power play is exactly what the Sharks need to make themselves a well-rounded powerhouse in the coming years.\u201d<\/p>\n

3.\u00a0\u00a0 Vancouver Canucks<\/p>\n

Thomas Drance<\/a> selects center Caleb Malhotra: \u201cThe Canucks have been scouting Malhotra heavily throughout the OHL playoffs, when he really broke out offensively. I think he represents a lot from a character, work ethic, positional value perspective that they want to be about in this next rebuild, despite some of the associated awkwardness of hiring Manny [as head coach], and then potentially drafting his son. The sense I get is that it’ll be very difficult for them to pass on him, even if Ivar Stenberg remains on the board.\u201d<\/p>\n

4.\u00a0\u00a0 Chicago Blackhawks<\/p>\n

Ben Pope<\/a> selects winger Ivar Stenberg: \u201cIvar Stenberg not only would be the best player available at No. 4, considering who has been taken, but also would be a perfect fit for the Blackhawks, considering that they see Bedard, Nazar, and Frondell as centers and have a need on the wing for a playmaker who can also hold his own defensively and build something alongside those guys, [including] Frondell with the Swedish connection. An obvious pick, and one that [Kyle Davidson would] be happy to make.\u201d<\/p>\n

5. New York Rangers<\/p>\n

Vince Mercogliano<\/a> selects defenseman Carson Carels: \u201cThe ideal scenario for the Rangers would involve Malhotra or Stenberg falling to No. 5, but this one seems more likely. They have needs all over, and are therefore, weighing all of the defensemen who could be in the best player available conversation. My sense, at this stage, is it\u2019ll come down to Carels or Alberts Smits.\u201d<\/p>\n

6. Calgary Flames<\/p>\n

Ryan Pike<\/a> selects defenseman Keaton Verhoeff: \u201cWith two years as Cole Reschny’s teammate, they know him well. Lots of high-end skill and versatility. Would be better if he was a leftie, but they can always move guys, and I don’t think they can resist Verhoeff’s overall skills package.\u201d<\/p>\n

7. Seattle Kraken<\/p>\n

Keegan McNally<\/a> selects defenseman Daxon Rudolph: \u201cSeattle has chosen only forwards in the first round since their inception in 2021. Catton, Wright, Sale, Beniers were all first-rounders, and even early seconds in Firkus, Miettinen, Rehkopf were all additions to their forward prospect group. When they do draft defense in the second round, they typically aim for WHL\u2019ers such as Ryker Evans, Lukas Dragicevic, and Blake Fiddler. I think that trend continues but they finally reach for a high-impact offensive defenseman with their first pick. Rudolph easily becomes Seattle’s best defense prospect to add to great forward prospect depth.\u201d<\/p>\n

8. Winnipeg Jets<\/p>\n

Ken Wiebe<\/a> selects center Viggo Bjorck: \u201cSecuring someone who could ultimately fill the second-line centre role sooner than later is the priority. Don\u2019t worry about any of the potential concerns about Bjorck\u2019s size, he brings a tenacious style to go along with his high-end skill and speed. Bjorck bolstered his draft stock with a strong showing at the recent men\u2019s World Championships. Bjorck also won a gold medal at the World Juniors in St. Paul along with a pair of Jets prospects, Sascha Boumedienne and Alfons Freij.\u201d<\/p>\n

9. Florida Panthers<\/p>\n

George Richards<\/a> selects defenseman Alberts Smits: \u201cIf the Panthers do not trade this pick in a big deal before the draft, Smits would be a home run selection if he is still around. Smits is a big defenseman who has received great experience both professionally and internationally at a young age. He could potentially move into the Panthers\u2019 plans in the next 2-3 years. Florida has had great luck with players from Latvia, with Uvis Balinskis and top prospect Sandis Vilmanis. If Smits is still around at No. 9, and the Panthers have the pick, it will not take long for them to get his name in.\u201d<\/p>\n

10. Nashville Predators<\/p>\n

Nick Kieser<\/a> selects center Tynan Lawrence: \u201cLawrence would be a wise selection for the Predators as they begin to look toward the future. The center may not have popped off during his freshman season at BU, but that shouldn\u2019t deter Nashville from adding more depth down the middle. Lawrence has time to develop and shine in the NCAA before making the jump to the NHL, and should he be picked by Nashville, it could bode well for new GM Chris MacFarland as he begins his tenure. The budding forward\u2019s dog-on-a-bone mentality coupled with his skill will provide a bright future for any franchise.\u201d<\/p>\n

11. St. Louis Blues<\/p>\n

Jeremy Rutherford<\/a> selects winger Ethan Belchetz: \u201cThe Blues would\u2019ve preferred one of the top three centers here, but with the Predators picking up Lawrence, Belchetz is a solid pivot. The Blues have an abundance of wingers, and more on the way, but none with Belchetz\u2019s 6-foot-5 size and ability.\u201d<\/p>\n

12. New Jersey Devils<\/p>\n

James Nichols<\/a> selects winger Wyatt Cullen: \u201cIt\u2019s unlikely the Devils draft a defenseman here and they could really use a blue-chip forward in their pipeline. Wyatt Cullen is the most talented forward on the board at this point. If the Devils don\u2019t trade this pick for more immediate help, they\u2019ll covet Cullen\u2019s skill and skating. The son of former NHLer Matt Cullen, his puck-handling craftiness stands out in a big way, whether he\u2019s winding up for a shot or threading a pass through tight gaps. A strong skater with real top-end speed, he looked like a different player this season, which shows he\u2019s become more comfortable with his frame after a recent growth spurt shot him up to 6-foot-1, 176 lbs\u2026Cullen doesn\u2019t sound too dissimilar from his favorite player, Jack Hughes.\u201d<\/p>\n

13. New York Islanders<\/p>\n

Stefen Rosner<\/a> selects winger Adam Novotny: \u201cWhile the New York Islanders are in need of a right-shot defenseman, Daxon Rudolph is off the board. Novotny projects to be a top-six forward who can play center and wing.\u201d<\/p>\n

14. Columbus Blue Jackets<\/p>\n

Brian Hedger<\/a> selects defenseman Malte Gustafsson: \u201cGustafsson fits into the mix as yet another big, physical, defensive-leaning defenseman who could slide into the left side of the second or third pairing in a couple of years to restock the Blue Jackets\u2019 defensive corps with another quality defender, albeit another lefty. Since Don Waddell took over as the Blue Jackets\u2019 president-GM, they\u2019ve used most of their draft picks to add big, physical players up front and on the back end. This guy fits the mold perfectly and, as all GMs like to note, there\u2019s no such thing as too many quality defensemen. Combined with three big-bodied defensemen selected among the Jackets\u2019 six picks last season, led by swift-skating Jackson Smith, Gustafsson gives Columbus more bite on a back-end that\u2019s already stocked with big, young defensemen.\u201d<\/p>\n

15.\u00a0 St. Louis Blues<\/p>\n

Jeremy Rutherford selects center Alexander Command: \u201cWith another first-round selection just four picks later, the Blues can scoop up their center. The choices are Command and Oliver Suvanto, and either would be fine, but Command has a mixture of physicality, speed, and skill that\u2019s attractive.\u201d<\/p>\n

16. Washington Capitals<\/p>\n

Sammi Silber<\/a> selects defenseman Ryan Lin: \u201cA rising right-handed power-play quarterback and one of the top defensemen in the draft. The Caps have Cole Hutson, but will go for the best player available, and Lin adds quite a bit to the blueline. D.C. also needs more depth on that right side.\u201d<\/p>\n

17. Los Angeles Kings<\/p>\n

John Hoven<\/a> selects winger Oscar Hemming. An NHL scout told San Jose Hockey Now about Hemming: \u201cHe got half the year in college hockey, and the offense was just not there. He had one goal [in 19 games], which is scary … but he’s super young; he might be one of the youngest guys in the draft … if he takes a step offensively, you’re talking legit power forward\u2026there’s a pretty high ceiling with him.\u201d<\/p>\n

18. Washington Capitals<\/p>\n

Sammi Silber selects winger Elton Hermansson: \u201cThe Swede oozes talent and is one of the most skilled players in this class. His ceiling\u2019s high. Areas of his game need fine-tuning, but he could end up being a big steal for DC.\u201d<\/p>\n

19. Utah Mammoth<\/p>\n

Cole Bagley<\/a> selects defenseman Tommy Bleyl: \u201cWith a fairly shallow defensemen prospect pool, Utah is in need of a strong two-way defenseman who has confidence on the puck and produces offense.\u201d<\/p>\n

20. San Jose Sharks<\/p>\n

Sheng Peng selects defenseman Maksim Sokolovskii<\/a>: \u201cIn a similar vein as Haoxi (Simon) Wang, the 6-foot-8 Sokolovskii is a project. He\u2019s more refined at the time of the draft than Wang was last year. Sokolovskii is very athletic and physical and projectable, and if he fulfills his potential, he adds an intimidating presence that the Sharks\u2019 blueline of the future doesn\u2019t have, and no doubt, GM Mike Grier would love.\u201d<\/p>\n

Download and follow the San Jose Hockey Now podcast<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It\u2019s mock draft season, and the Sharks have two picks, No. 2 and No. 20, in the first…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":358782,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[4399,75543,9898,88,90,89],"class_list":["post-358781","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-jose","tag-gavin-mckenna","tag-ivar-stenberg","tag-nhl-draft","tag-san-jose","tag-san-jose-headlines","tag-san-jose-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/358781","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=358781"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/358781\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/358782"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=358781"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=358781"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=358781"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}