San Jose Sharks select three players in first round of NHL draft
Yahoo Sports • 1 min read • Latest: Jun 27, 2026, 9:15 PM
Last updated Jun 27, 2026
The San Jose Sharks made significant strides in the NHL draft by acquiring three players in the first round. General manager Mike Grier expressed optimism about the future after the Sharks moved up to the second overall pick, selecting left winger Ivar Stenberg from Sweden. San Jose also picked defenseman Keaton Verhoeff at ninth overall and traded up to 21st to choose Ryan Lin, a play-making defenseman from the WHL. Grier believes these additions will contribute to a brighter trajectory for a team that has missed the playoffs for seven consecutive seasons but showed improvement last year.
- •Sharks drafted Ivar Stenberg, Keaton Verhoeff, and Ryan Lin.
- •San Jose won the draft lottery, moving from ninth to second overall.
- •Stenberg led teenagers in Sweden's top league with 33 points last season.
- •Grier believes the draft picks can be long-term contributors.
- •Sharks went 39-35-8 last season, finishing fifth in the Pacific Division.
- 9:15 PMYahoo Sports — San Jose Sharks' future appears brighter after 3-player 1st-round haul at NHL draft
"San Jose Sharks general manager Mike Grier had one big wish entering the NHL draft. “I hope not to be picking at the top of the draft next year,” Grier said at the prospect combine earlier this month. The benefit of winning the draft lottery and jumping seven spots in the order to No. 2, add in a first-round haul of three of the top 21 picks, and there’s a growing belief the Sharks will be picking in the back end of the draft sometime soon.
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