Sheng Peng
LAS VEGAS — After a season from hell, the San Jose Sharks are in an enviable place heading into the 2024 Draft.
Being worst means being first in the first and second rounds.
We know what the Sharks are going to do with the No. 1 pick — welcome “home”, Macklin Celebrini! — but what will they do with the No. 33 selection?
They also have the No. 42 pick in the second round, acquired from the New Jersey Devils last year in the Timo Meier trade. And the No. 53, just acquired from the Detroit Red Wings to take on Jake Walman’s contract.
There are going to be some good centers and defensemen available in the second round — we’ve already reviewed some of the possibilities, including a center and a defenseman that the San Jose Sharks appear to be openly intrigued by.
Let’s talk now about 15 wingers, in alphabetical order, Nikita Artamonov, Andrew Basha, Igor Chernyshov, Liam Greentree, Matvei Gridin, Emil Hemming, Tanner Howe, Adam Jecho, Maxim Masse, John Mustard, Terik Parascak, Ryder Ritchie, Teddy Stiga, Yegor Surin, and Marek Vanacker.
It’s worth noting that the center or winger positions can be interchangeable. For the most part, I relied on Chris Peters’s most recent mock draft and his positional calls.
Also, some of these wingers may be long gone by the time that the San Jose Sharks pick at No. 33. On the other hand, they may also fall out of the first round.
Nikita Artamonov
Scout #2: You don’t see somebody his age play a full season in the KHL often. Less often that you see them put up almost half a point a game. Now Novgorod was very, very open to playing young guys.
Smaller. Really good offensive tools. His skating is also a concern. So you’re kind of looking at maybe a smaller guy who doesn’t skate well. That might limit what his upside can be.
But he is very skilled and very smart. It’s not for lack of effort either.
He’s a competitor.
Andrew Basha
Scout #2: Small, dynamic. Elite playmaking and excellent skating. Then everything after that is really questionable.
He’s a bit of a one-trick pony, but that one trick of the playmaking and the skating is really, really excellent.
But he does leave a bad taste in your mouth, watching the effort.
He’s not a bad kid or anything like that either.
He’s a little bit out of shape, it’s almost like he doesn’t know how good he is. He can be very frustrating when you see the untapped potential.
He is small and doesn’t put in a great effort, unless it’s offense.
Igor Chernyshov
Scout #2: Just bull in a china shop-type forward. High skill. High sense. When he wants to get after it and compete, he is a monster physically, very hard to contain. He’s a big dude, soft hands, smart.
But in terms of a competitive offensive player, he has all the tools, good shot, skill, touch, power forward elements.
Can get lackadaisical.
The defensive side of the game? He wants to go out and score goals and hit people and whatever. Defensive play is not his strength.
I can’t overstate like how bad he is defensively. He is a one-way forward.
Liam Greentree
Scout #1: I think he’s gonna go right in the middle of 14 and 33.
He can be a Shark because he’s got some home run upside.
For a big kid, he’s actually really skilled and he’s really talented offensively.
Then he went to the World U-18’s and he didn’t really like have that success.
But people were excited to see him almost have to play a secondary role. Because during the season, guys knocked him, how good is his feet? They’re not bad, but how good are they? And how competitive is this kid?
But at the U-18’s, that was like his two best things, he was moving good on the big sheet and he was playing hard.
If they liked Musty, they’ll like this kid. This kid’s got more of a B-game than Musty had.
Scout #2: The skating isn’t great. Can be a little bit in and out of games. Intensity isn’t always there.
But the skill, the sense, the shot, the size, that part of it, he’s a little bit like Chernyshov, in the sense that when everything’s going, he’s very hard to handle. Except Chernyshov is a much better skater. The skating would be the issue, and sometimes, the consistency.
When everything’s working for him, it’s a tantalizing package.
Matvei Gridin
Scout #2: Highly talented. Highly Russian. (laughs)
He’s a funny and good kid. That part of him, really honest. Knows himself. He knows his game. He knows his issues…and he hasn’t done a whole lot to fix it. (laughs)
Really, really talented offensively.
Sporadic involvement defensively. Not even sure, at points, he tries defensively. But he’s big, great shot, offensive tools.
Skating isn’t an issue.
But if he doesn’t at least try to work on the defense and the competitive aspect of it, he’s gonna drive a coach nuts. He might not get in line.
Emil Hemming
Scout #2: Big, great skater.
Kind of a bull, can be a bit of a power forward. Really good shot.
The vision is maybe suspect. Maybe needs a guy with him to get him the puck, so he can drive the net.
Tanner Howe
Scout #2: Excellent, excellent, excellent hockey player who just happens to be [5-foot-10].
You’d have to be worried that you’re getting a potentially 5-foot-10 say [winger] who might not score. Everything about him, the leadership, the effort, he’s smart. He has every tool.
Skating’s not bad, solid.
He’s just good at everything, not great at any one thing, and he’s small.
Adam Jecho
Scout #2: He rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. Big and has very good offensive tools. His effort can be off-putting.
Do you think there’s another side to him? He has stuff to work with. Smart, skilled, has the size. It’s just trying to get him to buy in and have the effort, show up every night.
Maxim Masse
Scout #2: Skating was an issue for him. In and out sometimes, his year was up-and-down.
But very, very good skill. Smart. A little bit more offensive-leaning. His biggest issue would be his skating, it’s not very good.
John Mustard
Scout #2: Very individual.
Excellent shot. High effort. Constantly on pucks. Good forechecker.
Skating is really good.
Competitive, good rush player.
But the play is him, I think there’s not a lot of playmaking. He is a shooting threat, and that’s about it.
He would be a 100-foot player. (laughs) Not a 200-foot player. He gets caught chasing and running around in his own end.
When it becomes defensive, when it becomes thinking [on the ice], everything’s a little bit off for him.
Terik Parascak
Scout #1: When I talk to guys about him, they kind of knock his size and skating. He’s really skilled and can make plays.
Scout #2: His skating needs to improve. But everything else with him is quite good. Very, very intelligent, really smart player. Lots of subtle, subtle, small plays.
When Ziemmer got hurt [in Prince George], he took hold of that spot on that team and was one of their go-to forwards.
Excellent, excellent shot, a very good offensive mind. Just work on the everyday effort and consistency.
Ryder Ritchie
Scout #2: He had a tough year. He’s a good player.
But there’s some guys that don’t like him.
He’s had a really different kind of upbringing. His dad played in Switzerland. So he actually grew up partly playing in Switzerland, kind of on his own page, a little bit an individual-style player.
Offensive weapon, shot, skating, can play with effort and involvement when he wants to. But it’s on his terms. I don’t think he’s a player that’s going to make guys around him better. But he himself is a productive offensive driver.
We’re talking about with Eiserman a little, like he’s on his own page. But this kid [Ritchie] doesn’t have any of the shit that comes with that.
Teddy Stiga
Scout #2: He was really good in the end-of-the-year tournament. Some team might jump on him?
Yegor Surin
Scout #1: High, high, high-end compete, guys compare him to Ivan Barbashev.
If he gets to 33 somehow, I can see the Sharks really valuing him.
Scout #2: Surin is really ultra competitive.
Oh man, he’ll skate through a brick wall to finish forecheck, go to the net.
Just not a great skater. He does have a really good power forward game.
Actually really good offensive skill and sense. Again, with the Russians, defense is really not a huge concern for them.
I think his upside is a little bit limited.
Maybe trending more towards that checking line power forward.
Marek Vanacker
Scout #2: Another guy who wasn’t in the primary role, a little bit like [Sam] O’Reilly where he was a little bit further down the line-up. But got better and better as the year went on. Very smart. Very good shot, good offensive tools, room to grow.
One of those guys, his consistency is probably a big issue. Needs to get stronger, skating probably needs to add a step or two.
Teams that would take him at the top of the second and probably be excited about his ceiling, what he could be. Because there’s a lot of tools and there isn’t a ton of holes to his game.