Ivar Stenberg Looks Like the Sharks’ Next First-Round Hit

The San Jose Sharks have made a habit of turning premium draft picks into franchise pillars. Macklin Celebrini arrived first overall in 2024 and became a superstar. Michael Misa followed second overall in 2025 and flashed real promise as a rookie. When San Jose selected Ivar Stenberg second overall this June, the expectation was that the streak would continue.

His first taste of North American hockey did nothing to dampen it. At last weekend’s Rookie Faceoff, the 18-year-old Swede scored twice in a 25-second span during an 8-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings, skating on a line between Misa and Igor Chernyshov. It was the kind of highlight that lights up social media and stokes fan excitement.

It was also, importantly, a small sample against weak competition, and the smart way to evaluate Stenberg is to treat the tournament as a glimpse rather than a verdict. The Rookie Faceoff pits prospects against a level of talent that hovers somewhere between NCAA and American Hockey League (AHL) caliber, so two goals against rookies proves little on its own.

San Jose Barracuda coach John McCarthy offered a useful benchmark, noting that Collin Graf was the best player in last year’s tournament and turned it into a 21-goal NHL season. Multiple scouts who watched Stenberg told San Jose Hockey Now he has managed to impress folks without running away from the field. The real case for Stenberg does not rest on those two goals. It rests on everything that came before them.

An Elite Résumé Against Men

Stenberg’s draft season was historic. Playing against grown professionals in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL), he recorded 11 goals and 22 assists for 33 points in 43 games with Frolunda, one of the best seasons by a U-19 player in recent SHL history. Among draft-eligible skaters, that production ranks third all-time in the league, trailing only Henrik and Daniel Sedin and ahead of names like Nicklas Backstrom, Leo Carlsson, and William Eklund.

Producing at that level as a teenager in a men’s league is the single most reliable predictor of NHL success for a European forward. The scouting consensus backs up the numbers. NHL Central Scouting ranked him the top international skater in the class, narrowly ahead of Alberts Smits. Evaluators describe an elite hockey IQ, high-end vision, and the rare ability to process the game faster than everyone around him.

He is a playmaker and scorer hybrid who can run a power play, drive offense off the rush, and finish with a deceptive, accurate wrist shot. Just as important for a Sharks team that values two-way reliability, Stenberg is a diligent forechecker who generates turnovers and defends responsibly, traits that tend to earn young players trust and ice time quickly.

The Questions That Remain

No prospect is flawless, and Stenberg’s profile has genuine question marks. The most consistent one is his skating. Some scouts call it excellent, but others describe his acceleration and top-end speed as merely average, a real concern given how much faster the NHL plays than the SHL. If his first step does not improve, his elite vision may not translate as cleanly against NHL defenders who close gaps in an instant.

There are two other caveats worth noting, honestly. Stenberg’s production tapered as last season wore on, and at times he tries to force plays when tired or under pressure, holding the puck too long or forcing passes. And at a listed 6-foot and around 180 pounds, he will need to add strength to win puck battles consistently against NHL defensemen.

His September 2007 birthday also makes him one of the oldest players in the class, which slightly tempers the projection compared to younger peers. None of those flaws are disqualifying. Skating can be refined, strength can be added in an NHL gym, and the tendency to force plays lessened across the season as he matured. What cannot be taught is the hockey sense, the vision, and the poise under pressure that scouts rave about, and Stenberg has all of it in abundance.

That combination is why the projection is so strong. Stenberg profiles as a top-line NHL winger with elite offensive upside, and he lands in an organization built to develop him patiently alongside a young core that already includes Celebrini and Misa. The Sharks do not need to rush him, and his ceiling gives them every reason to be excited. The Rookie Faceoff was only a flash. The résumé behind it suggests San Jose has found another first-round hit.