Jake Gustafson on His Favorite Sharks’ Fan Moment, Blacking Out When Grier Called

Jake Gustafson is coming home.

The San Jose Sharks drafted the Jr. Shark, the son of the SAP Center vice president Jon Gustafson, with the No. 174 pick.

“It’s a dream come true to play for my hometown’s team,” he said. “I grew up cheering for them, rooting for them. It’s just a dream come true.”

The 6-foot-4 center played for the Portland Winterhawks of the WHL this past season, putting up 13 goals and 25 points in 68 games played.

Following in his father’s footsteps, in the 2027-28 season he will play for Colorado College in the NCAA.

“It means so much to him,” Jake said. “He’s proud of me. This is a dream come true for both of us. I get to stay, I get to play in my hometown, play in front of him.”

Jake Gustafson spoke about getting the call from GM Mike Grier, his favorite San Jose Sharks moment, how excited he was to see SAP Center getting filled up once again.

On how he heard he’d been drafted…

I was sitting outside, kind of like I am now, just waiting, watching, hoping every time the Sharks came by they were going to pick me. And thankfully, the time came around, Mike Grier gave me a call. He called my dad, actually, and then my dad handed me the phone. It was a pretty special moment.

I was sitting here sweating bullets a little bit, and then my dad walks outside and he’s like, “I have someone on the phone for you.’ And everything went black after that. It was just a wave of emotions, I can’t even describe it.

On what type of player he is…

Tall, lanky, good-skating, 200-foot forward, plays a hard style, right in front of the net, gets in the dirty areas.

On his favorite moment as a San Jose Sharks fan…

Game Seven against Vegas. I was at that game when Joe Pavelski went down. I remember we were going to leave because school night, it was getting late. We decided to stay for the power play, and thankfully bang, bang, bang, bang, four quick goals, and then it was a brand-new ball game.

On when he started playing hockey…

My brother started playing, and when he started, I just watched him. As I grew up, I started skating a little bit. Me and him are super competitive, so me and him would always go at it when we were little. I just fell in love with it through him and my dad.

On what the last year has been like as a Sharks fan, seeing the excitement come back…

Unbelievable. Nothing else to say about it. It’s great to see the team starting to take the steps again, and I’m super happy to be a part of the organization.

On seeing the Jr. Sharks program grow…

I think Scott Hannan took it over now, and he’s done a really good job. He’s pushing kids to stay because there’s no reason to really leave home until they’re 15, 16. He’s pushing and developing kids, he’s bringing stuff in, bringing in camps, getting them really good tournaments. They’re doing a great job.

From growing up in San Jose cheering for the @SanJoseSharks to becoming one, it's full circle for Jake Gustafson! 🦈 #NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/TXlsSdWumt

— NHL (@NHL) June 27, 2026

On this photo of him in goalie gear, his dad’s position…

I’m pretty sure he tried to steer me away from goalie, but I’d always see the pictures and everything of him, all his stuff. I was like, “Oh, I want to be a goalie, I want to be a goalie,’ until I got hit in the head by my brother, he shot a puck at my head, and it didn’t feel too good, and I was like, “I want to be a player now, and I want to score goals.”

Watch the full interview here