San Jose Sharks at the NHL Combine – So, Who’s Coming to Dinner?

With the 2026 NHL Entry Draft less than a month away, the San Jose Sharks continue to work to determine who they should select with the second overall pick. While dinners between teams and prospects at the Draft Combine don’t give the full story of who a team is targeting, they do offer some angles to examine and an opportunity to dive deeper into certain players. At this year’s combine, the Sharks reportedly had dinner with six attendees, and publicly revealed four of them. All four would bring unique skillsets to San Jose, and the team would take different approaches to drafting each of them.

Ivar Stenberg

From the moment the Sharks landed the second pick at the Draft Lottery, the entire hockey world knew Swedish forward Ivar Stenberg might end up in San Jose. He has been ranked first or second on big boards throughout the draft process, and Sharks general manager Mike Grier tends to take the best player available when he drafts high. His combination of intelligence, skill and competitiveness allow him to make a massive impact on both offense and defense.

This past season, the Sharks won just two games where Macklin Celebrini went pointless. They still have plenty of work to do to improve their offense, and Stenberg could fulfill a combination of need and best player available as a complement to the many promising young forwards they already have.

Chase Reid

Over the last few weeks, most mock drafts have featured the Sharks using the second choice to take American defenseman Chase Reid. The fit makes a lot of sense — San Jose has just three blueliners with NHL experience under contract for next season, and the only known commodity among them is the aging Dmitry Orlov. Reid doesn’t rank as high as Stenberg in most prospect rankings, but he’s widely seen as the best defenseman in this year’s class. Add in that he’s right-handed, and the match with the Sharks makes even more sense.

In addition to being a capable albeit unspectacular defender, Reid offers tremendous offensive skill from the blue line, whether as a puck carrier, passer or shooter. The Sharks need defensemen who can initiate their offense, and adding Reid might be the next step in making them a fully-rounded team.

Keaton Verhoeff

Once projected as the top blueliner at this year’s draft, Canadian defenseman Keaton Verhoeff has declined slightly, but he’s still very highly regarded. Another righty, his frame at 6-foot-4 and over 200 pounds, fits the Sharks’ desire for big defensemen. His physicality and strength stand out on defense, but he’s also an excellent puck-mover. Combined with a strong shot and hockey IQ, he is a capable power-play quarterback, something the Sharks could use, as their power play has finished in the middle to bottom of the NHL in recent seasons.

Verhoeff’s skating could use development, and he’ll need time to get up to the pace of the NHL. Given how many prospects the Sharks have developed recently, the two could be a good match to turn him into the best defenseman possible.

Carson Carels

In efforts to determine tiers of defensemen in this draft class, Canadian blueliner Carson Carels has gradually moved into the upper echelon. Though he takes too many risks on offense, he is one of the best skaters and passers in the draft with a strong shot as well. His defense is defined by engagement and his willingness to put his body on the line by dishing out hits and blocking shots. The Sharks expect to be a playoff team soon, but they have to put a better defense in front of their goaltenders to do so. Carels can help set a defensive tone in San Jose while also boosting the Sharks’ offense.

As a left-hander, Carels wouldn’t fit into the Sharks’ system quite as neatly as Reid or Verhoeff. But with the Sharks loading up on inexperienced, unproven blueliners, he will still get his opportunities to prove himself and earn his place in San Jose’s future plans.

Sharks Have Numerous Options at Draft

The Sharks could approach the second pick in a number of ways, and it’s safe to assume that all four of the aforementioned players are potential targets. Drafting Stenberg would help build up their offense around Celebrini, while taking any of the defensemen would bolster a unit that has been one of the worst in the NHL over the last few seasons.

They would likely stay at the second overall pick to take Stenberg, but trade down to grab Verhoeff or Carels. Reid is the most ambiguous candidate, as drafting him may involve either of those options. The decision comes down to which player the Sharks feel most improves them, combined with how much value they think they can get out of the asset that is the second pick.

If the Sharks’ plans for next season come to fruition, this could be the last time for a while that they draft so high. They should consider the jump to the second pick to be a tremendous opportunity, and now they have a lot of different ways to take advantage of it.