BREAKING: Sharks Claim Emberson Off Waivers

That’s not the Ty we were expecting.

The San Jose Sharks claimed defenseman Ty Emberson off waivers today, after passing on 2018 first-round pick Ty Smith yesterday.

Emberson, 23, played last season for the New York Rangers’ AHL affiliate Hartford Wolfpack. The 6-foot-1 blueliner notched seven goals and 20 assists last year in 69 games, and notably, was voted by his peers as the best defensive defenseman in the Eastern Conference.

#SJSharks claimed D Ty Emberson off waivers from #NYR.

Emberson, 23, was voted the best defensive defenseman in the AHL's Eastern Conference in the @thephpa Player-Voted Awards last season. pic.twitter.com/frDQY8TDZf

— Jacob Stoller (@JLStoller) September 30, 2023

Emberson was an Arizona Coyotes’ third-round pick in 2018 and has had a decorated college and international career. He captained the Wisconsin Badgers during the 2020-21 campaign and represented Team USA at both the 2020 World Junior Championships and the 2018 U18 World Junior Championships.

The Coyotes traded Emberson to the Rangers last summer.

Emberson adds even more competition to an already-full San Jose Sharks blueline.

Veterans Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Mario Ferraro, Jan Rutta, Radim Simek, Matt Benning, Nikolai Knyzhov, Kyle Burroughs, and Jacob MacDonald, along with prospects Nikita Okhotiuk and Leon Gawanke, are not waiver-exempt. There are also waiver-exempt prospects like Henry Thrun and Shakir Mukhamadullin pushing from below.

For what it’s worth, I’ve reached out to multiple league sources about Emberson, and so far, all the buzz is positive. It sounds like he’s going to be a real contender for an opening night roster spot with the Sharks.

We’ll see how it all shakes out. After their game tonight, the San Jose Sharks have two more pre-season contests on Oct. 3 and 5. They open the regular season on Oct. 12.