In Episode 293 of The Fin Factor, Aaron is joined once again on the desk by Devereaux (with Paul still traveling) to dissect an absolutely monumental weekend at the 2026 NHL Entry Draft. Supported by a raucous crowd at the SAP Center Draft Party, general manager Mike Grier entirely weaponized his assets to select the future core of the franchise.
The guys break down the complete class, the trading mechanics that reshaped the draft board, and the incoming wave of talent heading to the system.
The Draft Class Anatomy: Pure Best Player Available
Mike Grier held firm to his drafting philosophy throughout the weekend, entirely selecting for raw talent rather than shifting his board for immediate team needs.
2nd Overall Pick: Ivar Stenberg (F, Frölunda SHL)
Following the massive pre-draft trade of William Eklund, elite Swedish winger Ivar Stenberg was the unanimous number-one player remaining on the Sharks’ internal board. Stenberg brings a relentless, hyper-mature 200-foot game that has already seen him dominate full-grown men in Sweden’s top professional league. Stylistically compared to Lucas Raymond and William Nylander, Stenberg possesses elite passing vision and high-end hands at maximum speed.
9th Overall Pick: Keaton Verhoeff (D, North Dakota NCAA)
In an absolute “coup” for the organization’s blue-line depth, top-tier right-handed defenseman Keaton Verhoeff slid directly into the Sharks’ lap at #9 overall. Standing a towering 6’4″ and weighing 215 pounds, Verhoeff is a former goaltender turned shutdown anchor with rare spatial vision, a booming point shot, and immediate top-power-play potential. Committed to the University of North Dakota next season, his physical net-front clearance profile perfectly fits the long-term timeline alongside Sam Dickinson.
21st Overall Pick: Ryan Lin (D, Denver NCAA)
Demonstrating pure tactical aggression, Grier packaged his newly acquired 27th overall pick alongside the 62nd and 120th selections to march up to #21 to intercept smooth-skating defenseman Ryan Lin. Heading to the national champion University of Denver, Lin is graded as one of the smartest, highest-IQ modern puck movers in the class, drawing strong stylistic comparisons to Jared Spurgeon and Sam Girard.
The Mid-Round Wildcards & Late-Round Giants
The draft board continued to yield massive storylines through the later frames:
- 127th Overall Pick: Brady Koehler (G, Saginaw OHL / BU NCAA): The front office continued its newly minted philosophy of drafting high-upside goaltending flyers annually. Koehler will marinate in the OHL before heading to Boston University, developing deep in the pipeline behind Yaroslav Askarov and Hampton Slukynsky.
- 174th Overall Pick: Jake Gustafson (F, Colorado College NCAA): A historic selection for local hockey culture, Gustafson is a big-bodied (6’4″) bottom-six energy forward who grew up in San Jose playing for the Junior Sharks and attending Bellarmine College Prep.
- 201st Overall Pick: Alexander Karmanov (D, Penn State NCAA): The final pick of the weekend is a literal giant. Standing an astronomical 7’1″ (putting him at 7’4″ on skates), the 17-year-old Moldovan native is a massive long-term developmental project heading to Penn State in 2027.
The Off-Season Trading Floor: Dougie Hamilton Looming?
Despite landing Michael Kesselring via trade earlier in the week, Grier explicitly noted that free agency and trades remain completely separate avenues. With $46.2 million in projected cap space, the Sharks must still weaponize their financial floor before July 1st.
Aaron and Devereaux spotlight a massive lingering trade target: Dougie Hamilton of the New Jersey Devils. Hamilton’s heavy $9M cap contract pays out the vast majority of its real-cash value via signing bonuses on July 1st. Any team acquiring him after that deadline pays a meager $1 million in actual salary cash while absorbing his massive $9M compliance cap hit. Because New Jersey is caught in a severe roster retool, look for the Sharks to potentially land Hamilton as a supreme, minute-eating top-pair stopgap while Verhoeff and Lin marinate in college.
