GM Doug Wilson became a player at the 2013 draft dealing two of his three second round picks. The first move was to acquire Tyler Kennedy from the Penguins and the second was used to move up in the first round to select Swiss defenseman Mirco Mueller.

First for the skinny on the 6’3 Mirco Mueller from the nation where hockey has taken a substantial step forward Switzerland. In many cases taking a European player can be more risky than North American (NA) skaters for many reasons, however when the player in question is playing junior hockey here for the Everett Silvertips in the WHL there is some reassurance.

He will learn the game on an NHL size rink which will help with his adjustment from an Olympic size. At the midpoint of the season he was ranked by central scouting as the 12th best NA skater and finished the season as the 9th which means he is still on the upside of his learning curve. His biggest strength is his skating ability which seems to be the Sharks forte since the trade deadline and the scouts have been impressed with his awareness in the defensive zone. He has been complimented on his hockey sense and appears to be a smart young man which is a must in many people’s books. Talent alone isn’t enough to succeed in pro sports anymore.

The question which we won’t know for a few years is will he be worth giving up a second round pick as well as the first pick to move up two spots. I mean two spots in the draft should be more like a first round and a 4th or 5th rounder.

The other deal of the day was a trade for Tyler Kennedy who won a Cup with the Penguins in 2009 and although he was a healthy scratch in the Conference finals for many games he should fit in very well in San Jose. Kennedy isn’t the biggest player out there, but could be the missing piece on the third line with Joe Pavelski and Raffi Torres or a standout on the fourth line.

Kennedy has a knack for scoring clutch goals and has been known to drop the gloves once in a while so he brings some grit with him. He is listed at 5’11 but that could be a stretch and weighs in at 183. He plays bigger than his size and brings a winning pedigree to San Jose. He will be 27 years young when the season begins and has one twenty goal season under his belt which he should come close to playing with the Sharks.

The fact that he was a healthy scratch for a few games in the payoffs shouldn’t set off any bells considering the riches of talent Pittsburgh had up front this year.

With the last second round pick the Sharks selected Gabryel Boudreau from Baie Comeau in the QMJHL. Boudreau junior coach calls him the most underrated player he has coached in years. Boudreau finished his season with 22g 41a in 67 games. The 18 year old will be a work in progress but has shown the skills to contribute at the next level.

The Sharks didn’t have a third round pick but took goalie Fredrik Bergvik from Sweden in the fourth.

The defensive position continued to be a trend for San Jose as the day progressed picking two rearguards with their fifth round picks. Michael Brodzinski from Muskegon of the USHL went 141st overall and Gage Ausmus from the USA U-18 (USHL) went ten spots later at 151.

The Sharks finished off the draft with two picks in the seventh round and they selected forwards Jacob Jackson from Tartan High (MN) and Emil Galimov from Yaraslavl Russia.

Tomas Hertl was San Jose’s first round pick of the 2012 draft and he may be a name that we hear with the big club in the upcoming season. Mirco Mueller is a name that could take longer to make it to the NHL mainly because it takes defensemen longer to develop than forwards. He stands at 6’3 but needs to add some bulk to his 176 pound frame before he will be able to endure the physical challenges that come with being an NHL blue liner.

We should expect to see him in San Jose eventually, however it is the names further down the line that often make a difference in the direction an organization goes. The Sharks have had some good success with late draft picks contributing to the team’s success and with the right development and some luck we will look back on the 2013 depth picks as a reason for San Jose’s continued success.

Keep your sticks on the ice,
Cam Gore

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