How scouts evaluate Sharks’ top 10 prospects from 2023-24 season originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Editor’s Note:Sheng Peng will be a regular contributor to NBC Sports California’s Sharks coverage. You can read more of his coverage on San Jose Hockey Now, listen to him on the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast, and follow him on Twitter at @Sheng_Peng.
Even after the NHL trade deadline, a perhaps surprising amount has changed with the San Jose Sharks‘ prospects pool.
The Sharks signed arguably the No. 1 college free agent this year, Collin Graf.
Thomas Bordeleau has changed the trajectory of his San Jose career with an impressive NHL showing since the deadline.
Filip Bystedt made an impressive AHL debut earlier this week, dropping two goals and an assist in San Diego.
Right after the deadline, these were my top-10 Sharks prospects, a list vetted by an organizational source and outside it.
I should add, that this is not necessarily what the Sharks organization thinks, but I do consider my source’s opinion, of course.
10). Kasper Halttunen
9). Cam Lund
8). Thomas Bordeleau
7). Danil Gushchin
6). Henry Thrun
5). Filip Bystedt
4). David Edstrom
3). Quentin Musty
2). Shakir Mukhamadullin
1). Will Smith
Today? I’d still have Graf just outside my top 10. Bordeleau, I’d move ahead of Thrun.
I also checked in with multiple NHL scouts from outside the Sharks organization to see what they thought about some of my burning questions about my rankings: Where do they fit Graf in? Do they like Halttunen or Lund more? Mukhamadullin or Musty for the No. 2 Sharks prospect? And what are their thoughts about prospects just outside my top 10 like Luca Cagnoni and Ethan Cardwell?
Luca Cagnoni
Scout #1: Cagnoni is a stud, he’s just really short. Closer to 5-foot-8 or 5-foot-9, but he’s really good.
Scout #2: Certainly has a chance but don’t see NHL impact. Ceiling is Calen Addison. Small, not dynamic [for the NHL]. Just not a move-the-needle guy, likely.
Scout #3: Cagnoni is really f–king good, man. But there are a lot of good players there [in the Sharks’ system]. And he’s tiny.
No. 11 [on this list] is solid [for him]. Not forgotten. But not ahead of some of these guys like Halttunen or NHL [games played] like Bordeleau.
Ethan Cardwell
Scout #1: From the last two seasons, I’d probably have Cardwell above Lund/Halttunen
He’s built really strong and he’s fast, I think he’s a versatile 3RW that can help on both special teams.
Collin Graf
Scout #3: I feel like he fits in that…