Draft Grade: B
2015 Draft Picks (From NHL.com)
Thoughts On The First Four Picks
Timo Meier – Meier was definitely selected ahead of where the majority of top scouting rankings had him ending up. Leaving Mathew Barzal on the board should haunt the San Jose Sharks until Meier becomes equal or better than the talented center. On the plus side Meier is a big, strong player that immediately becomes the Sharks best prospect. He’s a projected top-six winger who joins Nikolay Goldobin in that department for San Jose.
Jeremy Roy – Roy was projected by nearly everyone to go in the first round of the draft, so grabbing him at 31 should be considered a great steal. The payment to move up eight spots was a bit ridiculous, but it did net the Sharks essentially a second first round pick. Roy is now the top defensive prospect in the Sharks system and I think he can be better in the NHL than Mirco Mueller, so there’s a solid positive. Roy and Meier salvaged an otherwise underwhelming draft.
Mike Robinson – Robinson was the 8th ranked North American goaltender in Central Scouting’s final rankings. Above him – all the way at number two – was Callum Booth, who was still on the board when the Sharks chose Robinson. This pick was a bit off the board for me and a little disappointing to see the Sharks reach for a goaltender in the third round when they could have taken Booth – whom many projected to be a late second to early third round pick. Robinson is big and if the Sharks can ensure his development trends in the right direction steadily then he may turn out to be a good pick. Right now, it seems like they drafted a goalie with a ceiling for being a backup.
Adam Helewka – Helewka had a solid season for Spokane in the WHL this year – very productive. He was unranked by Central Scouting for North American players (they rank the top 210) this year. Last year, his first draft eligible year, he was ranked 72nd for North American skaters. This was a pretty massive reach by Wilson and company. His production development went well in Spokane but I won’t lie, I was hoping for Filip Ahl, also a left winger, who went three picks later. Helewka is going to be a project.
Overview:
In the end, the Sharks came away with two first round talents which makes this draft just fine. It would have been better had they not spent the rest of the day reaching for the stars, but getting Roy makes up for a lot of what was done. Overall, the Sharks drafted three wingers, three defenders, two goalies and a center. Drafting a goalie was a must-do for San Jose and, although it was off the board, it’s refreshing to see the Sharks add some goaltenders to an otherwise naked system.
When all is said and done it’s likely the Sharks have drafted two NHL players in Meier and Roy while the rest may only ever play a handful of games combined. Can't rank the team lower than B when they have two projected solid NHL players.
Thanks for reading.