The San Jose Sharks are deep into the Connor Bedard race as the season is winding down to a close. With only a handful of games remaining in the season, they have found themselves in the midst of a point streak, which is slowly pulling them further and further away from the bottom of the standings. While this is only an issue in the sense that they are decreasing their chance of winning the draft lottery, there are numerous talented players up for grabs this year, so the Sharks should be just fine.
However, while the Sharks’ first-round draft pick will be the biggest discussion point until said round is over, there are a variety of players, who could be late-round steals for the team. After all, some of the best players in Sharks’ history have come from outside of the first round. As a result, these are three players the Sharks could look at taking outside of the first round.
Markus Vidicek
When the draft comes around each year, the main focus is on the young players preparing to join their new team. However, players that are considered overagers are nothing to scoff at. Plenty of current NHL players were selected one or two years after they were initially eligible. In that regard, Markus Vidicek could be the next name in the overagers that made a name for themselves.
This season, Vidicek put up 80 points in 68 games with the Halifax Mooseheads in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. In those 68 games, he had 48 assists, which was only one assist more than his draft year. However, Vidicek’s goal-scoring ability began to shine through big time this year. He went from 18 goals in his first draft-eligible year to 32 points this season. His plus/minus rating increased to a plus-38 as well. Clearly, Vidicek has begun to round out his play quite a bit.
Related: Sharks Goaltending No Longer an Issue
Success is often found in teams that know how to use their late-round picks wisely. It is rare to see overagers go very high in drafts because of their age, so taking them with later picks is always the way to go. For the Sharks, finding a player who is developing his goal-scoring ability could help them solve their occasional goal-scoring issues. There is no telling what will happen in the draft, but Vidicek is definitely a player to keep an eye on.
Aiden Fink
If there is one thing Cale Makar taught the hockey world, it is to never sleep on the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL). While it seems rare to find generational talents there than it is in the other popular junior hockey leagues, the potential to draft another gem from that league is still a possibility. Aiden Fink might be the next name from the AJHL to turn heads once he makes it to the NHL.
In 51 games this season, Fink posted 97 points with the Brooks Bandits, which lead the league. He managed to put up just shy of a goal-per-game at 41 goals. Clearly, Fink is a dynamic forward who managed to control the flow of the game in the AJHL, yet he is only projected to go in the third round. If the Sharks are able to steal a player like him with a late pick, they could come away from that draft looking like geniuses.
Yegor Zavragin
The 2023 NHL Entry Draft is not projected to be known for the goaltender prospects available. However, there are still some goaltenders projected to go decently high in the draft. One such goalie from the Molodyozhnaya Hokkeinaya Liga is Yegor Zavragin, who managed to make a name for himself this season with some head-turning stats. In 21 games with the Mamonty Yugry, he had a .920 save percentage and a 2.49 goals-against average.
Although the Sharks have a variety of goalie prospects, their development is always substantially different than their skater counterparts. He could absolutely be another goalie prospect for the Sharks to take a look at, especially when it is uncertain who pans out and who does not. Then again, Zavragin certainly seems like he could be less of a risk than other goalies.
Whether or not the Sharks select any of these players, the decisions they make at the draft will determine how long it will be before they are pushing for a playoff spot again. As of right now, the odds are not in their favor, at least for a while. That being said, anything can happen in the offseason. For now, Sharks’ fans’ best bet is hoping for a draft lottery win to select Bedard on June 28th.
