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Sharks Among League’s Worst at Drafting Goalies

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Credit: San Jose Sharks

Quick, name the last San Jose Sharks-drafted goalie to make the NHL.

You’ve got to go back 15 years to answer that – 2008 fourth-round pick Harri Sateri.

That’s a long time, so long in fact, it’s a league-worst.

That’s right, every team – including the six-year-old Vegas Golden Knights, but not the two-year-old Seattle Kraken – has had a more recent goalie Draft pick appear in an NHL game than the Sharks.

Since Sateri, the San Jose Sharks have selected Fredrik Bergvik (2013), Mike Robinson and Jake Kupsky (2015), Zachary Emond (2018), Ben Gaudreau (2021), and Mason Beaupit (2022). Now that’s not a lot of netminders drafted, but that’s also zero success.

It’s a mark of an organization that hasn’t been able to figure out their goaltending in a while, whether via the Draft, free agency, or trade.

The recent decision for Gaudreau to re-enter the 2023 Draft is just another example of that.

AGENT: Ben Gaudreau Re-Entering Draft

2021 No. 81 Gaudreau, by the way, was the highest Sharks goaltender pick since No. 55 Terry Friesen in 1996. That also makes Gaudreau the second-highest San Jose-drafted goalie ever, followed closely by Robinson (No. 86 in 2015), Timo Pielmeier (No. 83 in 2007), Tyson Sexsmith (No. 91 in 2007), Thomas Greiss (No. 94 in 2004), Vesa Toskala (No. 90 in 1995), and Dan Ryder (No. 89 in 1991).

But back to Harri Sateri!

Pulling up at the rear with the Sharks and 2008 in drafting goalies futility are the Chicago Blackhawks (2010: Kent Simpson), Detroit Red Wings (2010: Petr Mrazek), Los Angeles Kings (2011: Christopher Gibson), and Winnipeg Jets (2013: Eric Comrie).

Another telling piece of history: The last significant netminder drafted by the San Jose Sharks was Alex Stalock in 2005, “significant” loosely defined as a keeper who’s played 20-plus games in an NHL season.

That’s also a long time ago too, with only the Blackhawks (2003: Corey Crawford), Montreal Canadiens (2005: Carey Price), and Kings (2006: Jonathan Bernier) suffering a similar drought.

All this is to say, the San Jose Sharks need to draft a good goalie, and fast. Will this be the year?

TeamLast Drafted NHL GoalieDraft YearLast Drafted "Significant" NHL GoalieDraft Year
Anaheim DucksLukas Dostal2018Frederik Andersen2012
Arizona CoyotesIvan Prosvetov2018Adin Hill2015
Boston BruinsJeremy Swayman2017Jeremy Swayman2017
Buffalo SabresUkko-Pekka Luukkonen2017Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen2017
Calgary FlamesDustin Wolf2019Jon Gillies2012
Carolina HurricanesPyotr Kochetkov2019Pyotr Kochetkov2019
Chicago BlackhawksKent Simpson2010Corey Crawford2003
Colorado AvalancheJustus Annunen2018Spencer Martin2013
Columbus Blue JacketsVeini Vehvilainen2018Elvis Merzlikins2014
Dallas StarsJake Oettinger2017Jake Oettinger2017
Detroit Red WingsPetr Mrazek2010Petr Mrazek2010
Edmonton OilersStuart Skinner2017Stuart Skinner2017
Florida PanthersSpencer Knight2019Spencer Knight2019
Los Angeles KingsChristopher Gibson2011Jonathan Bernier2006
Minnesota WildKaapo Kahkonen2014Kaapo Kahkonen2014
Montreal CanadiensCayden Primeau2017Carey Price2005
Nashville PredatorsYaroslav Askarov2020Karel Vejmelka2015
New Jersey DevilsNico Daws2020Nico Daws2020
New York IslandersIlya Sorokin2014Ilya Sorokin2014
New York RangersIgor Shesterkin2014Igor Shesterkin2014
Ottawa SenatorsLeevi Merilainen2020Marcus Hogberg2013
Philadelphia FlyersSamuel Ersson2018Carter Hart2016
Pittsburgh PenguinsFilip Gustavsson2016Filip Gustavsson2016
San Jose SharksHarri Sateri2008Alex Stalock2005
St. Louis BluesJoel Hofer2018Ville Husso2014
Tampa Bay LightningHugo Alnefelt2019Connor Ingram2016
Toronto Maple LeafsJoseph Woll2016Garret Sparks2011
Vancouver CanucksArturs Silovs2019Thatcher Demko2014
Vegas Golden KnightsJiri Patera2017N/AN/A
Washington CapitalsIlya Samsonov2015Ilya Samsonov2015
Winnipeg JetsEric Comrie2013Connor Hellebuyck2012
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Eric Pichette

Great article. I find it interesting that the sharks have never used a 1st or 2nd round pick on a goalie in 32 drafts. Now, there are plenty of examples of mid to late round goalies becoming star net-minders (Nabokov, Kiprussoff) for the Sharks but still…plenty of other teams are willing to take the chance in the first round on players like Fleury, Price, Vasilievsky, Oettinger and more recently Askarov, Cossa and Wallstedt. I realize I’m cherry picking and lots of current starting goalies were not 1st round picks. I guess the point I’m trying to make is when there… Read more »

Smokingmiddletons

Yeah none of those guys project as elite but there’s always a surprise or two a year. If I’m drafting I’m taking 2 goalies and one every year after this, until I have a situation like kipper/nabby and toskala. It sucks because I should be super excited about the off-season and the picks and I’m just completely filled with dread about what blunder will be next.

Kaspar Vivaldi

How do you consider Garret Sparks, Marcus Hogberg, Connor Ingram and Spencer Martin to be “significant” goaltenders? What exactly are your parameters to get to that level of significance? Theyre hardly significant imo Sparks is an AHL starter and 3rd string NHL goalie that played 20 games in 18-19 due to injury, he’s seen 3 games since. Hogberg hasnt seen nhl ice in 2 years. Ingram got a shot last year due to a tanking Coyotes team that outside lf Schmaltz and Keller basically iced an AHL squad. Martin got a chance this season, also due to injury, and was… Read more »

Last edited 12 days ago by Kaspar Vivaldi
Kaspar Vivaldi

Thanks sheng. It’s a good article, I guess I just wanted clarity.

Bob D

Seems right on par with their drafting of forwards and defenseman

Kaspar Vivaldi

Yeah Hertl, Marleau, Pavelski, Couture, Meier, Vlasic just to name a very small few are all just awful players.

Great comment, you’re so smart!

Bob D

Oh yeah you’re right, that’s the single greatest group of forwards ever conceived. And their contracts prove they are great, except for Joe, the only one who proved he has heart, and was paid the least

Last edited 12 days ago by Bob D
Smokingmiddletons

at worst they’re league average at drafting. It’s not like we were picking at number one and top 5 for a decade like the oilers. After all those picks they still don’t have a full squad needed to make a deep playoff run. I would honestly rate our drafting as above average.

Joseph

It is objectively below average, especially their track record in the first round. This is a team that traded up to get Setoguchi, an off the board pick that ended up going before Anze Kopitar. This is a team that used the 7th and 16th overall picks in 2003 to draft Michalek and Bernier over Getzlaf and Perry.

Give me a break.

skatium

Sheng, great topic and article.
How much of this is poor scouting/selection and how much of it is a philosophy that goalies are a crapshoot so our picks are in the late rounds? Vs. other teams, if we looked at a graphic of where our picks are for the last fifteen years, would we be significantly later than most other teams.

Without looking at it, I would guess it’s a bit of both?

Old Time Hockey Fan

Why is Nabby still around after so many years of poor drafting, developing goalies?
He was the king of letting in soft goals in the playoffs.

BOOMBA

Perhaps the Sharks can go for Tristan Jarry, Jonas Korpisalo or Anthony Stolarz. All are UFAs but Jarry might be a little too expensive and wouldn’t bet against the Penguins resigning him, so that leaves Korpisalo or Stolarz. A lot of UFA goalies are up in age, so it is a “crap shoot” with the remaining goalies have in the “pipeline”.

Zeke

THIS!!

Everything the Sharks do has to be thru a lens which goes out 4+ years. Really 4-6 years.

The way to look at is simple: Can getting Jarry, Korpisalo or Stolarz help the 2028 Sharks? If it is unlikely, then don’t do it. If there’s a decent chance, go for it. But this is viewpoint management needs to take. Given how strange life is with goalies, I’d be hesitant to acquire a netminder which is expensive — in either cap or draft capital. At least for another 3 years.

David Gotlieb

The barracuda have had a weird run of goalies. First couple of years the sent their goalies to the ahl all star games. But the only one to see any “success” was Dell and Grosnek. Otherwise just a rotating door of high expectations and meh.

Now that I think about it the all star game selections may have been more a commentary on how poor out skaters were then how good our goalies were.

But any way I don’t think it’s just our bad drafting but our development is equally a problem.

Smokingmiddletons

Ah yes I totally agree. Having a head coach for an Ahl team that has never coached before, you get about the same results as you’d get as hiring a guy who’s been a director of player personnel for one year as his only real front office experience. I do think that McCarthy could turn it around, he seems like maybe a decent leader, but I think that again his mentality as a 4th liner will probably hold him back. Idk man it’s not like the only two teams who win the cup every year are Boston, Nashville and St.… Read more »

Joseph

Drafting goalies is a waste of a pick. They are impossible to accurately scout at age 17.

Zeke

To be fair, if you take 6 random players selected after pick 80, the chances you get a meaningful NHL player in that group of 6 is pretty modest.

That’s essentially what the Sharks have done, with a bunch of the goalie picks selected well into triple digits.

Ironically, the cross section of goalie draft picks and 3rd round draft picks (another Sharks black hole), you’ll find the 3rd most successful Sharks goalie pick (behind Nabby and Kipper) and the most successful 3rd round pick in team history: Thomas Greiss.

Scott

Gone are the days of Nabokov, Kiprusoff, and Toskala. Add this to the many needs. And a indication on how unsuccessful the drafts have been.

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