Sharks Top-10 Prospects Rankings: 2010 to 2023

How do these San Jose Sharks prospects, Will Smith and company, stack up against past groups?

Well, is my guess.

But the only way to really know is to actually go, one by one, through San Jose Sharks prospects groups of the past.

So here’s the pre-season top-10 prospects for the Sharks, for the last 14 years, from 2010-11 to 2023-24. I used San Jose Hockey Now’s rankings from 2021-22 to 2023-24, and The Hockey News Yearbook’s for all other pre-season rankings.

There will be an article with rankings from the 2000’s, and another with rankings from the 1990’s.

Then, I’ll get with some special guests and see if the 2023-24 pre-season San Jose Sharks prospects pool indeed stands out.

Where Does Sharks’ Current Prospects Pool Rank Historically?

2023-24 (San Jose Hockey Now)

1) Will Smith
2) William Eklund
3) Shakir Mukhamadullin
4) Filip Bystedt
5) Quentin Musty
6) Henry Thrun
7) Cam Lund
8) Danil Gushchin
9) Thomas Bordeleau
10) Kasper Halttunen

Quote: From an NHL scout, “Smith is future top-liner for your franchise, but I’m really high on Eklund, he can be a franchise player in my view.”

San Jose Hockey Now’s Pre-Season Top-10 Sharks Prospects

2022-23 (SJHN)

1) William Eklund
2) Thomas Bordeleau
3) Tristen Robins
4) Gannon Laroque
5) Filip Bystedt
6) Cam Lund
7) Mattias Havelid
8) Danil Gushchin
9) Ozzy Wiesblatt
10) Brandon Coe

Quote: I didn’t do a pre-season prospects rankings, but it might have looked like this. Eklund and Bordeleau are the clear one-two, while No. 3 to 9 were pretty interchangeable.

2021-22 (SJHN)

1) William Eklund
2) Thomas Bordeleau
3) Ozzy Wiesblatt
4) Artemi Kniazev
5) Tristen Robins
6) Santeri Hatakka
7) Ryan Merkley
8) Danil Gushchin
9) Ben Gaudreau
10) Jonathan Dahlen

Quote: “I think he is very much at this point a boom-or-bust prospect…and not necessarily going the right way, No. 7 is Ryan Merkley.”

SJHN’s Top-10 Sharks Prospects + McKenna Talks Hill’s Pros & Cons

2020-21 (The Hockey News)

1) Ryan Merkley
2) Ozzy Wiesblatt
3) Joachim Blichfeld
4) Thomas Bordeleau
5) Noah Gregor
6) Tristen Robins
7) Danil Gushchin
8) Sasha Chmelevski
9) John Leonard
10) Artemi Kniazev

Quote: “The Sharks had a productive draft, and the timing couldn’t have been better. San Jose was dead last in Future Watch last year.”

2019-20 (THN)

1) Ryan Merkley
2) Mario Ferraro
3) Jeremy Roy
4) Dylan Gambrell
5) Sasha Chmelevski
6) Artemi Kniazev
7) Jonathan Dahlen
8) Ivan Chekhovich
9) Joachim Blichfeld
10) Noah Gregor

Quote: “GM Doug Wilson expects there to be roster fights this fall, with a group of forwards in the running. Dylan Gambrell, Sasha Chmelevski, Ivan Chekhovich and Joachim Blichfeld are among the prominent candidates.”

2018-19 (THN)

1) Josh Norris
2) Ryan Merkley
3) Dylan Gambrell
4) Mario Ferraro
5) Rudolfs Balcers
6) Maxim Letunov
7) Scott Reedy
8) Sasha Chmelevski
9) Alexander True
10) Joachim Blichfeld

Quote: “The most controversial player in the draft, Merkley is high-risk, high-reward. The red flags involve his mental maturity and commitment to defense. But he’s one of the most dynamic talents in his age group.”

2017-18 (THN)

1) Josh Norris
2) Danny O’Regan
3) Jeremy Roy
4) Noah Rod
5) Mario Ferraro
6) Dylan Gambrell
7) Julius Bergman
8) Scott Reedy
9) Adam Helewka
10) Rudolfs Balcers

Quote: “An athletic freak who won numerous categories at the draft combine, Norris was a consistent player on a so-so U.S. NTDP squad.”

2016-17 (THN)

1) Timo Meier
2) Mirco Mueller
3) Nikolay Goldobin
4) Jeremy Roy
5) Noah Rod
6) Maxim Letunov
7) Julius Bergman
8) Kevin Labanc
9) Dylan Gambrell
10) Adam Helewka

Quote: On Goldobin, “Lots of skill and hockey sense. Needs to learn when to make the simple plays.”

2015-16 (THN)

1) Timo Meier
2) Nikolay Goldobin
3) Jeremy Roy
4) Noah Rod
5) Julius Bergman
6) Mike Robinson
7) Fredrik Bergvik
8) Dylan Sadowy
9) Adam Helewka
10) Joonas Donskoi

Quote: On Donskoi, “Explosive, two-way player is good with the puck.”

2014-15 (THN)

1) Mirco Mueller
2) Nikolay Goldobin
3) Gabryel Boudreau
4) Taylor Doherty
5) Noah Rod
6) Freddie Hamilton
7) Chris Tierney
8) Konrad Abeltshauser
9) Christophe Lalancette
10) Dylan Demelo

Quote: On Mueller, “Cerebral defender soared to top-20 in [Future Watch 2014].”

2013-14 (THN)

1) Tomas Hertl
2) Mirco Mueller
3) Nick Petrecki
4) Gabryel Boudreau
5) Taylor Doherty
6) Freddie Hamilton
7) Matt Nieto
8) Chris Tierney
9) Konrad Abeltshauser
10) Harri Sateri

Quote: “Even if scouts don’t, Sharks believe their young talent will keep them competitive.”

2012-13 (THN)

1) Tomas Hertl
2) Nick Petrecki
3) Taylor Doherty
4) Freddie Hamilton
5) Matt Nieto
6) Brandon Mashinter
7) Chris Tierney
8) Konrad Abeltshauser
9) Harri Sateri
10) Justin Daniels

Quote: On just-drafted Hertl, “His world junior tourney was eye-opening for Czechs and he boasts great on-ice awareness.”

2011-12 (THN)

1) Nick Petrecki
2) Matt Nieto
3) Taylor Doherty
4) Harri Sateri
5) Tommy Wingels
6) Alex Stalock
7) Brandon Mashinter
8) Frazer McLaren
9) Justin Braun
10) Konrad Abeltshauser

Quote: “The Sharks are finally confident Petrecki has blended his strong physical play with good positional hockey. He has been going up against opponents’ top lines consistently and is on the cusp of being ready for NHL action.”

2010-11 (THN)

1) Logan Couture
2) Nick Petrecki
3) Charlie Coyle
4) Derek Joslin
5) Steven Zalewski
6) Patrick Zackrisson
7) Tyson Sexsmith
8) William Wrenn
9) Taylor Doherty
10) Julien Demers

Quote: On just-drafted Coyle, “Big winger mixes size and athleticism with puck skills and a good shot.”