After selecting forward Ozzy Wiesblatt with the last pick of the first round, the San Jose Sharks selected eight more players in Rounds 2-7 of the 2020 NHL Draft yesterday.
The Sharks made quite a few deals during the second day of the draft, first moving down from 34th to 38th and adding a fourth-round pick in the process. Then they traded up to select Daniil Gushchin at 76th overall, trading a fourth and fifth-round pick to do so.
Later, they would trade a third-round pick in next year’s draft to select Brandon Coe in the fourth round which was… interesting. Finally, they also traded their fifth-round pick for two seventh-round picks.
Here’s a list of every player drafted by the Sharks, as well as a quick description of each prospect and some general thoughts on the draft for San Jose as a whole.
Ozzy Wiesblatt- As discussed yesterday, Wiesblatt is a likely middle-six and even potentially top-six forward in the NHL. He had 70 points in 64 WHL games this past season.
Thomas Bordeleau- Bordeleau, a 5-foot-9 center, didn’t have outstanding numbers with the U.S. Under-18 team but still managed 16 goals and 46 points in 47 games.
Tristen Robins- Robins has a late birthday, meaning he was in his third year of CHL eligibility this year. The right winger scored 33 goals and 73 points in 62 games with the Saskatoon Blades this past season.
Daniil Guschin- At least on a statistical basis, Gushchin is an exciting pick for the Sharks at 76th overall. He had 22 goals and 47 points in 42 USHL games, though he is listed at just 5-foot-8.
Brandon Coe- The right winger was nearly a point-per-game player with the OHL’s North Bay Battalion this past season. Coe has a late birthday as well as great size, standing at 6-foot-3.
Alex Young- Young played in the AJHL this year, where he was a center for the Canmore Eagles. There, he scored 36 goals and 82 points in 53 games.
Adam Raska- Raska, a Czech-born winger, played 35 games with the QMJHL’s Rimouski Oceanic last season, where he scored 13 goals and 21 points. While the goal total is decent, his point production was quite low, considering he was in his third year of CHL eligibility.
Linus Oberg- He may be 20 years old, however, Oberg is off to a very hot start in the SHL this season, having scored five goals in his first four games. However, last season he did have just eight points in 37 games.
Timofei Spitserov- Spitserov played high school hockey this past season and scored 49 goals and 76 points in 40 games.
ANALYSIS
Obviously, the most striking thing about San Jose’s methods is that they selected nine forwards, no defense and no goalies. Offensive depth is certainly a need for the Sharks, however, that is quite an interesting strategy.
The other note is how many trades the Sharks made. I’m not a huge fan of dealing a third-round pick in next year’s draft to select Coe, however, next year’s draft is projected to be quite a bit weaker anyways.
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Here’s today’s poll question (results and discussion will be posted in a future article):
Are you happy with San Jose's picks in rounds 2-7?
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