Welcome back.

It’s time to kick off Daily Faceoff’s second annual NHL Prospect Pool Breakdown, looking at the best all 32 teams have to offer. We’re highlighting the top 10 prospects for every franchise, their biggest strengths and weaknesses and so much more.

The criteria for being labeled a “prospect” are simple: players generally have to have played in 50 or fewer NHL games or spent more time outside of the NHL than in it last year. Skaters over 23 years old are not included, with goaltenders needing to be 25 or under.

Today, we’re looking at the San Jose Sharks.

Talk about hitting the motherlode.

The San Jose Sharks have one of the best pipelines in the NHL, period. There isn’t a more exciting pipeline than what this team has on deck. Skill, size, versatility, you name it. The Sharks have a bright future, and while they’re still a few years away from making serious progress forward, we’re about to get a glimpse of what the future holds in just a few short weeks.

After taking Will Smith with the fourth overall pick in 2023, the Sharks nabbed Macklin Celebrini first overall in Vegas back in June. Suddenly, the Sharks found themselves with two of the best prospects in the game today, and they’ve both signed their NHL entry-level contracts, allowing them to go pro full-time in 2024-25.

What’s almost as impressive as the players who made the top 10 is who was left off. Collin Graf, Daniil Gushchin, Carson Wetsch, Brandon Svoboda, Colton Roberts, Luca Cagnoni and Leo Sahlin Wallenius are just a handful of players I feel confident in saying will become NHLers at some point. It’s rare for any team to have 10 legit prospects, but the Sharks have 15-plus.

So while it might still be a long few years as the kids keep developing and the vets keep losing, better days are ahead. And that’s all you can ask for.

Biggest Strengths

There might not be a team with better center depth in the NHL. The Celebrini/Smith 1-2 duo is incredible on its own, but Thomas Bordeleau, Filip Bystedt, Svoboda, and Cameron Lund give them serious depth to work with. Like any team with this many options, we’ll likely see a few move to the wing at some point or even moved to assess other needs. Heck, I could see Smith swap to the wing in the near future. But that’s an excellent problem to have. Seriously, it’s scary just how good they’re looking down the middle.

Biggest Weakness

The Sharks still don’t have a goaltender with a real NHL future in waiting. Benjamin Gaudreau was supposed to be that a few years ago, but he never ended up signing an NHL contract and is set to begin another year elsewhere in the AHL. The Sharks drafted Christian Kirsch and Yaroslav Korostelyov this year, but both are longshots. Magnus Chrona is intriguing thanks to his 6-foot-6 frame, but he had a difficult first year of pro bouncing between the NHL, AHL and ECHL and looks like a backup at the very best. Mackenzie Blackwood and Vitek Vanecek have both had their struggles in the past, but have shown the ability to steal games every now and again. They’ll have to keep doing that for quite a while because it doesn’t seem like there’s much in the pipeline as it stands.

Fast Facts:
NHL GM: Mike Grier
Dir. of Amateur Scouting: Chris Morehouse
Dir. of Player Development: Todd Marchant
AHL Affiliate: San Jose Barracuda
ECHL Affiliate: Wichita Thunder

*Will Smith (Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports)*

TOP 10 PROSPECTS

1. Macklin Celebrini, C, 18 (San Jose Sharks)

Acquired: Drafted first overall, first round in 2024

Celebrini is the the best prospect in the game today, and he’s set to lead the Sharks well into the future. He won the Hobey Baker Award as the top player in the NCAA last year, becoming the first 17-year-old to do so. Celebrini managed to put up great numbers while still backchecking like his life depends on it. He is good in the draw, with his pure strength allowing him to win so many faceoffs even against older competition. As a middleman, he’s better than Bedard. Skill-wise, not on par, but still quite amazing on his own. First overall picks always get significant attention and sometimes even get overhyped. With Celebrini, you can see all the translatable skills, plus how well he handled playing against older competition at only 17. Just think where he’ll be in five more years.

2. Will Smith, C, 19 (San Jose Sharks)

Acquired: Drafted fourth overall, first round in 2023

Smith was San Jose’s first pick in 2023, giving the team a much-needed high-end center with top-line potential. He slapped the NCAA with 71 points in 41 games, winning a handful of awards between Hockey East and the NCAA as a whole. Surprisingly, he wasn’t a Hobey Baker hat-trick finalist, but he should factor into the Calder Trophy in 2024-25. Two years ago, he posted one of the most productive seasons in USA Hockey National Team Development Program history with 51 goals and 127 points, capping things off with MVP honors and a gold medal at the U-18 World Championship. Add in gold at the World Juniors and a five-game stretch at the recent men’s World Championship, and it’s been a wild few years for the Lexington, Massachusetts native. Next up? The big show.

3. Sam Dickinson, LHD, 18 (London, OHL)

Acquired: Drafted 11th overall, first round in 2024

*Sam Dickinson (Steven Ellis/Daily Faceoff)*

I love Dickinson, and I think he’s thoroughly underrated by the average fan. A minute-muncher with the Knights, Dickinson can do a bit of everything. He’s calm with the puck, makes smart, quick decisions, and plays so well in transition. He’s 6-foot-3, moves really well and had one of the most productive seasons of any CHL defenseman. There are times he’ll get caught trying to do too much with the puck, but his versatility will make him an attractive option this year. Dickinson might be the safe pick compared to others with higher upside, but I still believe in him. At the very least, look for Dickinson to challenge for the No. 1 defensemen spot on Canada’s World Junior team.

4. Yaroslav Askarov, G, 22 (San Jose, AHL)

Acquired: Traded by Nashville Predators in 2024

The Sharks were desperately missing a goaltender of the future, and they got one while trading away from a position of strength with center David Edstrom. Askarov is one of the best goaltending prospects in the world, but when the Nashville Predators signed Scott Wedgewood to a two-year deal, you could see the writing on the wall. GM Barry Trotz said some of Askarov’s “on-ice antics” influenced the team’s decision to trade him, with his penchant for more high-energy celebrations (although the Milwaukee Admirals made sure to play into it). Even though the season fell apart slightly in the closing stages, it was quite the year for the two-time AHL all-star. He posted a 30-13-1 record with six shutouts and a .911 save percentage, with his season highlighted by a 14-game win streak in the winter. By all accounts, the 6-foot-4 keeper is ready for full-time NHL duty – and Vitek Vanecek and Mackenzie Blackwood are both signed until the end of 2024-25 and if either falters, you have to think it won’t take much for the Sharks to call upon Askarov. With the Sharks already boasting one of the best pipelines in hockey, this gives them something to get excited about in the crease.

5. Quentin Musty, LW, 19 (Sudbury OHL)

Acquired: Drafted 28th overall, first round in 2023

Musty is one of the best offensive threats in the OHL, showing he can play with just about everyone. He’s strong, skilled and has an excellent shot release, allowing him to be effective from just about anywhere on the ice. Musty had 43 goals and 102 points in 53 games while looking especially dominant in the second half of the season. After getting passed over last year, expect Musty to play a top-six role with USA’s World Junior Championship team this winter. That is, of course, unless he makes the Sharks out of training camp, which isn’t even completely out of the question given how good he was against his age group last year.

6. Shakir Mukhamadullin, LHD, 22 (San Jose, AHL)

Acquired: Traded by the New Jersey Devils in 2023

Mukhamadullin’s best pro hockey season to date came in his first year with the Barracuda, earning him a spot in the AHL all-star game. Mukhamadullin is a big, towering 6-foot-4 defender who moves quite well and has an excellent shot release, all things that make him so intriguing. The biggest issue during his draft year was just how often he gave the puck away unprompted, but he’s been able to figure things out with the right coaching the past few years. I was also impressed with how quickly he got up to speed in his three NHL games – and they weren’t easy, given how bad the Sharks were. I fully expect him to be an NHLer within the next two years.

7. Igor Chernyshov, LW, 18 (Dynamo, KHL)

Acquired: Drafted 33rd overall, second round in 2024

At 6-foot-2 and 192 pounds, Chernyshov has good size and isn’t afraid to use it. A typical power forward, Chernyshov played more than half the season in the KHL but was also a stout offensive threat in the MHL. For the most part, I like how he has matured this year. He doesn’t make as many poor decisions with and without the puck as last year and doesn’t seem to struggle under pressure. Chernyshov does a great job of working his tail off without the puck, and he’s not afraid of anything. He just moves all the time, which is something coaches love to see.

8. Thomas Bordeleau, C, 22 (San Jose Sharks)

Acquired: Drafted 38th overall, second round in 2020

A smaller forward, Bordeleau had to try a bit harder to impress during his NHL duty this year – but he did, in a big way. He had 11 points in 27 games this year and ahd another 25 points in 35 games with San Jose, building upon his 41-point rookie season a year ago. Bordeleau is an energetic center who plays with speed and high hockey IQ. I appreciate how he’s always consistently looking to make the right pass, and not just any pass, although he could afford to shoot the puck a bit better. With the center depth the Sharks have, it’ll be interesting to see where Bordeleau ends up in the lineup long-term, but he’s got the skill to be a solid middle-six threat for the Sharks.

9. Filip Bystedt, C, 20 (San Jose, AHL)

Acquired: Drafted 27th overall, first round in 2022

*Filip Bystedt (Steven Ellis/Daily Faceoff)*

The big thing I wanted to see from Bystedt heading into the season was improved consistency. At his best, Bystedt could overpower kids his own age with ease, but doing so against men was going ot be a different story. He had a decent season with Linkoping, putting up 17 points in 47 games, but he finished the year at nearly a point-per-game with the San Jose Barracuda. The two-way center is a tremendous playmaker and loves to shoot the puck from anywhere. He’s also 6-foot-4 and can skate, which helps. We’ll see if he can become a big piece of the Barracuda or whether his late-season push was just all adrenaline.

10. Kasper Halttunen, RW, 19 (London, OHL)

Acquired: Drafted 36th overall, second round in 2023

There might not be a prospect who plays with as much force as Halttunen. He has one of the best shot releases outside of the NHL and makes it his mission to put players through the boards whenever possible. You combine all that together and you get an uber-competitive winger who will do whatever it takes to generate something offensively. The issue, though, comes in his own zone, and his skating just isn’t good enough to be confident in his abilities beyond a power-play specialist. I hope he can get it all together because he’s truly an entertaining force out there.

Other prospects: Collin Graf, RW (21), Ethan Cardwell, RW (21), Mitch Russell, RW (23), Danil Gushchin, LW (22), Carson Wetsch, RW (18), David Klee, C (19), Egor Rimashevsky, RW (19), Brandon Svoboda, C (19), Reese Laubach, C (20), Cameron Lund, C (20), Joey Muldowney, RW (20), Theo Jacobsson, C (21), Timofey Spitserov, RW (22), Nate Misskey, RHD (19), Colton Roberts, RHD (18), Luca Cagnoni, LHD (19), Valtteri Pulli, LHD (23), Leo Sahlin Wallenius, LHD (18), Axel Landen, RHD (19), Eric Pohlkamp, RHD (20), Eli Barnett, RHD (20), Michael Fisher, RHD (20), Mattias Havelid, RHD (20), Evgenii Kashnikov, LHD (21), Artem Guryev, LHD (21), Jake Furlong, LHD (20), Gannon Laroque, RHD (20), Jack Thompson, RHD (22), Christian Kirsch, G (18), Yaroslav Korostelyov, G (18)