Behind the Scenes of Sharks Picking Smith, Dickinson & Cagnoni (+)

How long does it take to fairly evaluate a draft?

“In general, I don’t think you can get anything out of it for five years, I really don’t,” San Jose Sharks director of amateur scouting Chris Morehouse told San Jose Hockey Now last week. “Some kids are playing Minnesota high school when they’re drafted, other kids are playing NCAA. It feels like there’s just a big gap, especially now with the new rules and changes like that.”

So obviously, it’s a little early to be passing judgment on Morehouse’s drafts with the Sharks, which kicked off in 2023 with making Will Smith the No. 4 pick.

“Everyone wants to look at our drafts already, but you can’t,” Morehouse said. “I don’t agree that anybody can, because you have no idea.”

That said, Morehouse did share some stories about these recent drafts, like trading up to get one of the top half-dozen defensive prospects in the 2024 Draft (Sam Dickinson), Luca Cagnoni falling to the fourth round in the 2023 Draft, and choosing Will Smith over Matvei Michkov (and others).