BREAKING: Sharks Select Brandon Svoboda at No. 71

NASHVILLE — The San Jose Sharks have selected center Brandon Svoboda out of Youngstown of the USHL with pick No. 71, after trading pick No. 94 and 100 to the Carolina Hurricanes.

Svoboda is a 6-foot-3 center who had 16 goals, 10 assists, 26 points in 59 regular season games for Youngstown, and 1 point in 9 games in the playoffs. Youngstown had three players selected in the beginning of the third round, with William Whitelaw going to Columbus and Jacob Fowler headed to Montreal.

Brandon Svoboda gets a huge hug from William Whitelaw.

Svoboda will be going back to Youngstown next season. pic.twitter.com/PXdjA0DOM1

— JD Young (@MyFryHole) June 29, 2023

Bob McKenzie’s final top-96 and honorable mentions prospects ranking did not have Svoboda ranked. So to some degree, GM Mike Grier was definitely calling his shot there.

From the Elite Prospects draft guide:

The standard Svoboda games goes something along these lines: Battling around the net-front, getting open inside space, hard work on the forecheck, proactive defence, and one display of exciting passing display….Given that, Svoboda’s a long-term projection. But with clear NHL abilities, perhaps a patient, development-focused team could nab a capable bottom-six forward.

Svoboda was unranked in EP’s top-136.

He is expected to go to back to Youngstown in 2023-2024, before an eventual move to Boston University, continuing a theme of Boston connections for San Jose Sharks prospects and management.