The San Jose Sharks are here in the NHL prospect pool overview series.
Tony Ferrari digs into the Sharks’ strengths and weaknesses, latest draft class, positional depth chart, next player in line for an NHL opportunity and more. A player who no longer holds rookie eligibility in the NHL is considered graduated and no longer a prospect for these exercises, with few exceptions.
Initial Thoughts
The Sharks are amid a true teardown rebuild and seem to be doing it better than just about anyone, despite still being at the bottom of the standings. The vibes are high in Northern California as the Sharks had plenty to get excited about.
Macklin Celebrini was outstanding as a rookie, playing high-level hockey at both ends of the ice while finishing second in rookie scoring and rookie goals. His detail-oriented game will make him an effective NHL player for a long time. Fellow rookie Will Smith was a bit more up and down, but his run at the end of the season had people thinking the incredibly skilled and creative playmaker was hitting his stride.
On top of those two, William Eklund broke out and nearly reached the 60-point plateau for the first time. The skilled, tactical playmaking winger is the veteran among the new core, heading into his age-23 season. He has another level to hit, and many expect him to reach the 70-point mark this season.
When you get into the team’s players who are still prospects, the 2025 NHL draft class is obviously very important with Michael Misa, Joshua Ravensbergen, Haoxi ‘Simon’ Wang and Cole McKinney all likely to be important pieces moving forward. Even still, the prospect pool is loaded beyond those guys.
Last year was a weird one for Quentin Musty. It started off with a trade request that the Sudbury Wolves never granted, and he ultimately played for them. He was good for Sudbury, putting up nearly two points per game. Musty would have greatly benefited from playing in the AHL, but due to the rules at the time, he had to return to the OHL.
Despite the odd year, Musty remains one of the most intriguing prospects in the Sharks' system. His power and playmaking are intriguing aspects on the wing. He has a great shot, and he started to use it more consistently, scoring 30 goals in 33 games last year. As long as Musty stays engaged next season as an AHL rookie, he could be one of the most entertaining players on the San Jose Barracuda.
Igor Chernyshov was injured to start this past season, and many had allowed him to fade from…