Sheng Peng
Where would Matthew Schaefer and Michael Misa go in the 2023 and 2024 Drafts?
It’s an interesting hypothetical for the San Jose Sharks, who own the No. 2 pick in the 2025 Draft. Schaefer is the consensus top defenseman and first-overall, Misa is the consensus top forward.
The NHL scout who recently spoke with San Jose Hockey Now about seven possibilities at No. 2 for the San Jose Sharks shared his thoughts.
2024 Draft
The San Jose Sharks made Macklin Celebrini the No. 1 pick. The Chicago Blackhawks followed with defenseman Artyom Levshunov at second-overall, the Anaheim Ducks with winger Beckett Sennecke at No. 3, the Columbus Blue Jackets with center Cayden Lindstrom at No. 4, and the Montreal Canadiens with winger Ivan Demidov at No. 5.
This scout sees Matthew Schaefer behind Demidov and Levshunov.
Demidov went fifth, perhaps because of the “Russian Factor”, but recently won the Alexei Cherepanov Award for KHL Rookie of the Year and impressed in his end-of-season stint with the Canadiens.
“Demidov is going to be a star,” the scout said. “Levshunov, if he hits, is a higher-end player [than Schaefer]. He’s dominant if everything goes right. If everything hits, Schaefer is just solid.”
Where would Schaefer fit in the half-dozen defensive prospects, including top San Jose Sharks prospect Sam Dickinson, who went in the first dozen selections of the 2024 Draft? Levshunov went No. 2, Carter Yakemchuk went No. 7 to the Ottawa Senators, Zayne Parekh went No. 9 to the Calgary Flames, Anton Silayev went No. 10 to the New Jersey Devils, Dickinson followed, and Zeev Buium went No. 12 to the Minnesota Wild.
“He would be higher than everybody but Levshunov,” the scout said of Schaefer.
How about Michael Misa?
This scout had him over Lindstrom and Sennecke, though not Demidov and Levshunov.
2023 Draft
How about the forward-heavy 2023 Draft?
Center Connor Bedard went No. 1 to the Blackhawks, center Leo Carlsson No. 2 to the Ducks, center Adam Fantilli No. 3 to the Blue Jackets, center Will Smith No. 4 to the San Jose Sharks, and defenseman David Reinbacher No. 5 to the Canadiens.
Winger Matvei Michkov, who fell to No. 7 to the Philadelphia Flyers, would also in the mix for this scout.
No doubt, Schaefer would’ve been the top defenseman of this Draft.
“I think [Reinbacher] was taken too high,” the scout laughed. “Schaefer goes anywhere from No. 3 to 6 in a better year [like 2023].”
As for Misa, this scout classifies him in the area of Smith.
“I don’t think he goes ahead of Fantilli. Definitely not Fantilli. I don’t think he goes ahead of Will Smith,” he said. “But they’re not far off. Smith is a maybe. I think he still goes behind him.”