Draft Lottery Preview: Chris Peters on Who Sharks Might Pick From No. 1 to 6

San Jose Sharks fans are about to get a chance to breathe: The 2023 NHL Draft lottery is on Monday.

This might be the most-anticipated Draft lottery in franchise history, as the Sharks have the fourth-best odds to win the No. 1 pick and select consensus first-overall Connor Bedard.

The 5-foot-9 center is thought to be a future superstar, and Draft guru Chris Peters of FloHockey thinks he has clear Hall of Fame potential.

But there are more special prospects than Bedard in this Draft: There’s 6-foot-2 center Adam Fantilli who’s drawn comparisons to Nathan MacKinnon, 6-foot-3 center Leo Carlsson projected to be a first-line center, and 5-foot-10 winger Matvei Michkov who might be the best goalscorer in this Draft not named Bedard.

For most of this season, it’s been considered a top-four class at the very top of this Draft.

However, fast-rising 5-foot-11 center Will Smith might belong in this elite group too, opening eyes after pacing the recent U18 World Junior Championships with 20 points in seven games for gold medal-winning Team USA.

So the San Jose Sharks should have a Grade-A prospect to choose from, whether they win the No. 1 pick or fall to No. 6.

According to Draft-focused site Tankathon, the Sharks have a 9.5 percent chance at winning first-overall, a 9.5 opportunity at No. 2, a 0.3 longshot at third-overall, a 15.4 percent likelihood of staying put at No. 4, a 44.6 at fifth-overall, and a 20.8 at No. 6.

From Bedard to Carlsson to Ryan Leonard, ex-Shark John Leonard’s younger brother, I spoke with Peters about who the San Jose Sharks might pick from No. 1 to 6.

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