We Looked at 11 Mock Drafts: Who’s Available at No. 11 for Sharks?

We were at the pool, and planning for the San Jose Sharks to have the No. 14 pick in the 2024 Draft.

But then?

BREAKING: Sharks Move Up in 1st Round, Get No. 11 From Sabres

Originally, this article was slated to be a review of all the available reputable mock drafts to see what the consensus pick for the Sharks was at #14. Spoiler alert, it was Stian Solberg, the bruising Norwegian defenseman.

Re-write!

So who’s mocked to be available at #11 from the consensus top picks, and more importantly, who seems to be the best fit for the Sharks with their current prospect pool and drafting style?

There are 11 mock drafts and 2 rankings (TSN’s Bob McKenzie’s and Eliteprospects.com) to sift through. We’ll be taking a look at who could be available from the top 13 of Bob McKenzie’s list given the Sharks moved up from the #14 spot.

Let’s start with the big six defensemen in Artyom Levshunov, Anton Silayev, Zeev Buium, Sam Dickinson, Carter Yakemchuk and Zayne Parekh.

No mock drafts had Artyom Levshunov or Sam Dickinson making it to pick #11. Safe to say, both of these defenders don’t make it past #10. Chicago has been rumored to be eyeing Levshunov at #2, and Dickinson has been a top 10 pick for what seems like the majority of the draft season.

Anton Silayev, the hulking Russian defenseman who stands at 6’7″ tall, made it to #11 on only 2/13 lists. There are legitimate questions about Silayev’s offensive upside, but it appears that a team inside the top 10 will find his physical traits a little too good to pass up. I think it’s unlikely he makes it to #11.

Zeev Buium, a freshman defenseman phenom at the University of Denver put up 50 points in 42 games in the NCAA last season. He’s also only available on 2/13 lists. He’s a player that has continuously risen up boards this draft season after winning the World Junior Championships, the World U-18 Championships, and the NCAA title all in the span of about six months. There are some questions about how effective his offense will be at the next level, but I personally don’t see him making it out of the top-10 either based on his draft season, being arguably one of the most impressive ever for a defenseman.

That leaves Carter Yakemchuk and Zayne Parekh. Parek was available on just 4/13 mocks, including on The Athletic’s Corey Pronman’s. There’s a possibility that he’s available at #11 given legitimate questions about his defensive game and some late risers like Beckett Sennecke and Tij Iginla rising into top-10 consideration. Does San Jose Sharks GM Mike Grier swing for the fences if Parekh is available?

He’s not a two-way defenseman. He’s a prospect that is hopefully going to anchor your power play and push play at even strength enough that his defensive woes are somewhat overlooked. Sharks have not had a defenseman in his mold since they traded Erik Karlsson last off-season. It’s not a bad fit, but definitely with some risk if he falls to #11.

Finally Carter Yakemchuk appeared on 12/13 lists as being available at #11. Interestingly, he was not available on The Athletic’s Corey Pronman’s list, with Parekh falling out of the top-10 instead. Not everyone can go top-10, and I think that’s what Mike Grier is betting on here. It’s certainly possible one of these defenders fall out. Yakemchuk just appears to be the most likely.

Undoubtedly an offensive talent, putting up 71 points in 66 games in the WHL this season as a defenseman, there have been questions about his skating that have kept him down many lists. He’s more physical than Parekh, but may have issues getting back defensively given his aggressive activation style and slower than average feet.

So what happens if all six aforementioned D are gone by 11? Well, first it is worth mentioning that all 13 lists had at least one of the above available at #11, with seven lists having two available.

However, let’s say it’s a special year and 6 defensemen are taken in the top-10. Who is likely to be available at #11 from the forward group?

It’s time to talk about the elephant in the room in Cole Eiserman. I haven’t included him on the above list of available prospects. He’s ranked at #14 by Bob McKenzie, which was the Sharks pick before they traded up. It’s possible they traded up to really secure Eiserman, but I have my doubts. Either way, according to the mocks, he should be available at #11 if that’s the pick for the Sharks.

He’s been sliding on many mocks and rankings the entire year over concerns about his translatability as a scorer and how his game isn’t well-rounded. I would think that he would have either been available at #14 for the Sharks, or if someone above took him, someone like Yakemchuk would fall to #14.

Like Eiserman, if you’re a fan of Berkly Catton or Konsta Helenius, I have some good news for you! Both Catton and Helenius were available on 9/13 lists at #11. It is worth noting though that on many mocks, one or both of these players would be gone by #14.

Catton is a 5’10” forward from the Spokane Chiefs in the WHL. There are questions of whether he sticks as a center at the next level, given his size and lack of some physicality. Catton is however a dynamic skilled forward, who put up 116 points in 68 games in the WHL in his draft year. This puts him 9th in WHL scoring for a draft eligible over the last 30 years.

Does Grier swing for the skill and production here after having taken offensive players like Smith, Musty, Halttunen already in the past draft? Coupled with the size, I think it’s a bit unlikely, but an interesting discussion regardless.

Helenius measured in at just 5’11”, but unlike Catton, seems to be a natural fit at center. He’s available on 9/13 lists at #11. He was extremely productive for a draft eligible from the Finnish Liiga, putting up 36 points in 51 games at that level. This places him fifth all-time in scoring for a draft eligible, with his production similar to players like Anton Lundell, current Shark Mikael Granlund and Patrik Laine. He’s also a competitive, 200-ft player that seems to be in the mold of a Mike Grier forward.

I think it’s a good bet that it’s going to be one of Yakemchuk, Parekh, Helenius, Catton or Eiserman at #11. I personally would rank them in that order of likelihood as well.

Yakemchuk seemingly checks the most boxes. The San Jose Sharks have no right-shot defenders at his size in the prospect pool. They have no right-shot defenders with his offensive ceiling. It just so happens he’s the one defenseman available on most mocks at #11 as well.