Sheng Peng
Do the San Jose Sharks have a surprise up their sleeve with the No. 4 pick?
We know Connor Bedard is going first-overall. Adam Fantilli should be No. 2.
“If [Leo] Carlsson goes No. 3, I could easily see the Sharks being like hey No. 4 is for sale,” an NHL scout suggested to San Jose Hockey Now.
Or if not a trade, maybe the surprise will be who they pick at No. 4? If not Carlsson, fast-rising Will Smith, or polarizing Matvei Michkov, who else could the Sharks be looking at with the fourth-overall pick?
“If Tim Burke was still running the Draft, I would think it’d be Will Smith or Carlsson. If it was Doug Jr., he’d probably take Michkov,” this scout mused. “Now with the new guy, who knows? Maybe it’s like Ryan Leonard or Nate Danielson or Reinbacher.”
I spoke with three NHL scouts about some of the other top prospects that the Sharks could be considering at No. 4. They gave me four names.
David Reinbacher
Scout #1: David Reinbacher, the production for a D that he put up in [Switzerland] this year was really, really impressive.
He’s got top-pairing upside, probably second-pair floor. He’s big. He’s mobile. He’s really good with his puck play. He can defend.
He’s got a legit chance to be a pillar defenseman and probably someone who can play shortly.
Scout #2: It kind of echoes the Moritz Seider thing a little bit. If some team has just that right feeling about him?
He’s a good player. If you look at what he did in the NLA this year, nobody’s done that. Not even Josi has played the minutes he played as a 17-year-old, put up the points he put up.
I think a lot of teams were late to the party on him.
About World Juniors, it was like, oh geez, this guy is good. It’s a similar track to Seider. Like Seider was the more known commodity coming in, it just wasn’t known how good he was until the completion of his year. This guy was a little more out of nowhere.
I don’t think he would have the momentum of a Seider to jump into the top-5. I think he’ll go top-10.
A team will take a shot because he’s a complete defenseman. And it’s a weak defensive Draft.
I would be more comfortable saying he’s a sure-fire top-four. But you know what? I could see [top-pairing] if everything falls together for him and it all translates. He was real solid defensively, transitioning the puck, skating, physicality. There aren’t a lot of holes.
Scout #3: I think Reinbacher belongs in that discussion [with Carlsson, Smith, and Michkov].
He’s a highly competitive two-way D with size and a right-handed shot. He had an excellent season in one of the best leagues in the world at age-18, similar to Carlsson. He’s ready to jump into the AHL this fall and likely to the NHL a year from now.
He doesn’t have the offensive game to become a true No. 1 D, but it’s hard to find a top-pair RHD with size which makes a player like him very valuable in the NHL.
Ryan Leonard
Scout #1: If they’re gonna put a premium on compete and speed and these things, maybe they go get Ryan Leonard. I know there are teams that like Leonard more than Smith.
Skating No. 1, powerful, fast skater. Very good speed at the NHL level. He’s got a very good shot, heavy shot, goal scorer. He’s also really tough, really physical, really competitive.
On that end of things, he’s like a Brad Marchand. He’s going to agitate, irritate, get under people’s skin. He’s going to play way bigger than his size.
He’s got that honestly like over-the-top edge to his game. He’s gonna score, he’s gonna get penalties.
Another guy small by NHL standards, not six feet. Really not much of a playmaker. If you’re a team that wants more cerebral skill, that’s not Leonard’s game. It’s more hard skill, more direct.
I think people would be surprised how many — I talked to a lot of guys that have him ahead of Smith, in the league.
Nate Danielson
Scout #1: The guy that gets some love up there too is a center from Brandon, Nate Danielson.
Prototypical 6-foot-3 center. Big, long body. Plays 200 feet. He’s very intelligent. He’s got good skill. I personally don’t think it’s high-end, but I have a few friends that are like oh no, he’s got top-end skill.
He’s getting like Eric Staal, Jordan Staal, Dylan Cozens-type hype. In my experience being in those Draft meetings, once you start getting the GM involved, the scouts, you put your list together, and then the GMs are like, well, we really could use a 6-foot-3 center.
I think that’s gonna drive up this kid’s value between now and the Draft.
Zach Benson
Scout #2: Benson is awesome. I love Benson. For a guy his size, God, he works so hard. He’s everything you want a small player to be. He’s just so small. If Benson was 6-foot-1, we might be talking about him as the No. 3 pick.
That’s what it is, right? If he was a couple inches taller, his skating isn’t as big a worry.
His skating is pretty good. You want it to be a little better for a guy who’s 5-foot-9.