The San Jose Sharks may not have the deepest prospect pool, but they’re putting together a group that not only project to be effective NHLers but are fun to watch as well. The additions of Will Smith and Quentin Musty only build on that, but there are a few notable names who are closer to being NHL-ready that have been in the system longer; namely William Eklund and Thomas Bordeleau. While it’s likely the Sharks will stay near the bottom of the highly competitive Pacific Division for the foreseeable future, they’re a team that will be worth watching regardless.
The New Additions
Smith won’t be an immediate impact player in the NHL, in fact, it’s unknown how soon he’ll make the jump to the professional game as a whole. He’s currently committed to playing for Boston College this upcoming season and may decide to stay longer depending on how things go. One thing is for certain with Smith though, he has the potential to be an elite offensive threat when he does arrive in San Jose. He also appears to be the type of player who will be able to hold his own defensively and on the penalty kill if necessary; he’s an all-around top talent who has the potential to be a star.
Although he fell to fourth overall, a few teams believed him to be a top-three talent in the draft. He doesn’t have the same star power attached to his name as Connor Bedard or Adam Fantilli, but he’s not far off of the latter in terms of ability. There’s the question of how high his ceiling will end up being, but many believe he can become one of the best in the class; he does have slightly more risk than those who were selected in front of him though, simply because he’s not seen as NHL ready just yet.
Musty, on the other hand, is much more of a project and although his playmaking ability will be very entertaining if he makes it to the league, there’s not much of a guarantee. Ideally, he will need to grow into his frame and start using his size to his advantage more often and becoming a useful power forward. In a perfect scenario, Mike Grier and company would probably hope that he can replace the production and role of the recently departed Timo Meier in the long run. More than likely that won’t be the case and he’ll end up being a solid middle-six winger. Nonetheless, he’ll be a fun player to watch develop over the coming seasons.
The NHL Hopefuls
Eklund and Bordeleau have been spending some time with the American Hockey League’s (AHL) San Jose Barracuda and occasionally getting an opportunity at the NHL level. This upcoming season though, it seems likely that both of them will make a strong push to make the Sharks lineup on a regular basis. Both had strong rookie seasons at the AHL level and were fairly impressive when given a chance with the main club. Eklund’s impressive playmaking will be a strong addition to the lineup, and his recently increased ability on the goal-scoring front is just an added bonus. Meanwhile, Bordeleau has become a strong two-way center whose offensive production and size have both increased since his draft year.
Although Eklund is a center as well, his ability to play comfortably on the wing will be an added bonus throughout his career. Having him as an offensive playmaker beside the steady 200-foot game of Bordeleau is the start of an ideal top-six line. If a player like the aforementioned Musty reaches his potential and slots in on the other wing, that has the makings of a great line that can stay together for quite a while.
Related: Sharks’ 2023 Draft Is a Good Start to Team’s Rebuild
The Sharks’ prospect pool has been fairly barren for quite a while, however, over the last few seasons they’ve slowly started to build it back up. While management has done a great job finding talented players who project to be productive pieces in the relatively near future, they’ve also made sure that the next generation of Sharks hockey will be an entertaining one as well.
