With the NHL draft happening today, there’s a lot of speculation about who the San Jose Sharks will pick with the 11th overall pick. I am firmly of the belief that after using the number one overall pick to take Macklin Celebrini, the Sharks have to use that 11th pick to select a defenseman. The defensive depth in the Sharks’ organization at this time is just too weak to do anything else. Plus, with the depth at defense in this year’s prospect pool, now is a great time to snag a quality, top-four defenseman with the 14th overall pick.
That said, General Manager Mike Grier has said he’s going with the best player available, regardless of position. That could be gamesmanship, but it could also just be sound practice for drafts in general. Take the best and then use what you have to trade your way to a Cup winning team.
So, if the Sharks do decide to go with a forward, here are some of the players that could find their way into a Sharks jersey on draft day.
Beckett Sennecke, F – Oshawa Generals (OHL)
Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 182 lbs.
Age/DOB: 18, January 1, 2006
Shoots: Right
Oshawa Generals (OHL): 63 games, 68 points (27 G, 41 A)
Several lists have Sennecke as the 14th-best player in the draft. McKeen’s Hockey, Elite Prospects, Daily Faceoff and Sam Cosentino at Sportsnet all believe Sennecke is the 14th most talented player.
Adam Kimelman of NHL.com says, “Sennecke is a strong skater and knows how to pull pucks out of traffic and make plays in tight.”
While fellow NHL.com writer Mike Morreale said, “He has a nice combination of size and strength, brings a heavy shot, plays a 200-foot game and has a solid work ethic.”
Sennecke has a lot of skill, but also some concerns. According to The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler, at the beginning of the season, some scouts didn’t even think Sennecke should be selected int he first round.
“Everyone saw the skill and the potential, but as one OHL coach told me, he had a lot of bad habits he needed to break, a tendency to play one-on-one too much, and wavering competitiveness. There were also benchings and off-ice questions,” wrote Wheeler. “As recently as my March 25 draft ranking, I had an OHL GM reach out to me to say, ‘Sennecke’s character is a concern but he has the frame and puck skills. Where you have him (No. 23 at the time, he’s now No. 16 on my list) I think is fair.’”
Cole Eiserman, F – USNTDP Juniors
Height: 6-foot-0
Weight: 197 lbs.
Age/DOB: 17, August 29, 2006
Shoots: Right
U.S. National U18 Team (NTDP): 57 games, 89 points (58 G, 31 A)
USNTDP Juniors (USHL): 24 games, 34 points (25 G, 9 A)
For many scouts, it was a toss-up between Sennecke and Eiserman at 14th overall. Chris Peters at FloHockey and the folks at DobberProspects both have Eiserman ranked 14th on their lists. Morreale at NHL.com liked Eiserman over Sennecke for the Sharks.
“Eiserman possesses one of the best shots of any player in the draft class and can utilize that big asset every shift from anywhere in the offensive end,” wrote Morreale, who also pointed out that Eiserman played with Celebrini at Shattuck-St. Mary’s for two seasons.
Kimelman also highlighted Eiserman’s shot.
“He has the best shot in the draft, scoring 58 goals in 57 games this season, and his 127 goals are the most by any player in NTDP history. But is he just a sensational shot? Scouts seem to be torn on that issue,” wrote Kimelman. “Some believe he can become more of a threat as a playmaker and be more reliable defensively. He’ll spend at least one season at Boston University trying to expand his game. If he can, Eiserman has the chance to be one of the top players in the draft class.”
Wheeler’s article in The Athletic says Eiserman’s game in the U18s is what dropped him down a few spots in recent rankings.
“His U18s was the usual mixed bag. He lit up the bad teams early, faded in a couple more competitive games in the middle and then was better in the last two,” wrote Wheeler. “I know his game inside-out at this point and have settled on him as a top-10 talent still, even if that’s no longer the consensus.”
While Eiserman has the skill to be a sensational forward, there are some questions about his consistency.
Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, F – Mora IK (Hockey AllSvenskan)
Height: 6-foot-1
Weight: 207 lbs.
Age/DOB: 18, October 5, 2005
Shoots: Right
Mora IK J20: 7 games, 12 points (5 G, 7 A)
Mora IK: 41 games, 18 points (8 G, 10 A)
Norway U20: 9 games, 12 points (8 G, 4 A)
Norway World Championship: 6 games, 4 points (4 G, 0 A)
Brandsegg-Nygard isn’t the flashy forward like some of the other top talents that will get drafted above him, but he could still be a quality pick up at 14. According to Rachel Doerrie of ESPN, he may be the best two-way forward in the draft not named Celebrini.
“An impressive physical package complements a modernized power game with projectable two-way play,” wrote Doerrie. “The Norwegian forward is one of the most well-rounded players in the draft. The blend of grit, skill and in-tight scoring ability has scouts believing he is a Swiss army knife at the NHL level. There is belief that he could be the best two-way forward in the draft not named Celebrini.”
While Wheeler of The Athletic says Brandsegg-Nygard’s best comparables are Gabe Landeskog, T.J. Oshie and Justin Williams.
Bob McKenzie describes Brandsegg-Nygard as a “hard-shooting right winger.” That’s something the Sharks could use, especially if Celebrini and Will Smith slot in as one and two down the middle.
Konsta Helenius, F – Jukurit (Liiga)
Height: 5-foot-11
Weight: 190 lbs.
Age/DOB: 18, May 11, 2006
Shoots: Right
Jukurit (Liiga): 51 games, 36 points (14 G, 22 A)
Finland U18: 5 games, 7 points (0 G, 7 A)
Finland U20: 13 games, 11 points (3 G, 8 A)
Finland World Championship: 4 games, 1 point (0 G, 1 A)
Helenius has been all over the board when it comes to draft predictions. Some have him ranked in the top five, while others have him in the top seven. Still others have him dropping all the way down to 18, which is why he’s here on our potential targets for draft day.
TSN’s McKenzie talked to scouts about Helenius, who told him that Helenius projects to be a number two center.
“If you don’t think so, maybe you don’t want to use a Top 10 pick on him, but worst case, he’s going to be a good two-way No. 2 [centre],” one scout told McKenzie.
Another scout pointed out that Helenius was putting up those numbers listed above in a men’s league, which means he was holding his own against players older, wiser and larger than him.
Doerrie of ESPN also focused on Helenius’ defense first.
“Helenius is excellent defensively, and his play is immediately projectable to the NHL. Offensively, he is effective, not flashy,” wrote Doerrie. “He retrieves pucks, enters the zone with possession, creates space with effective body positioning, and relies on his elite hockey sense to make sound decisions with the puck. The combination of his competitiveness, hockey sense and puck management make him a highly effective and reliable player in all three zones.”
Wheeler, when asked for a comparable, offered up players like Thomas Vanek, Marco Rossi and Nick Suzuki.
Liam Greentree, F – Windsor Spitfires (OHL)
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 214 lbs.
Age/DOB: 18, Jan. 1, 2006
Shoots: Left
Windsor Spitfires (OHL): 64 games, 90 points (36 G, 54 A)
Canada U18: 7 games, 4 points (2 G, 2 A)
With Quentin Musty already in the fold, the team may not be looking for another power forward type of player. However, if the team is, then Liam Greentree is a good option.
“Greentree has many attributes that scouts love — he plays in the middle of the ice, sees the ice very well, is an adept playmaker and a throwback build in the style of a power forward,” wrote ESPN’s Doerrie in her breakdown of the prospects. “He ranks highly across the board from his physical game to his hockey sense to his high-end playmaking. He lacks in the most important, yet most easily improvable, area: skating. Were Greentree an average or slightly above average skater, we’re likely talking about him as a potential top-10 pick because he’s that good in the other areas of his game.”
Doerrie also points out that Greentree was on a rebuilding team in the OHL and says his numbers might have been even better if he were surrounded by stronger talent.
Trevor Connelly
We’ll make this short. Trevor Connelly might also make his way onto the list for 14 if there weren’t off-ice problems. Doerrie of ESPN may have the best quote from a scout, who said, “Top-10 talent, bottom-10 character. Can’t do it.”
Connelly doesn’t have the character that Grier is looking for, that’s why he was not interviewed by the Sharks at the draft combine. Even if the skilled forward is available at 14, Grier won’t draft him.
Conclusion
I still believe that the most likely scenario is that Grier drafts one of the three defensemen we’ve already highlighted: Stian Solberg, Carter Yakemchuk or Adam Jiricek. Either that, or he’s trading up to try and get another of the top six defensemen in the draft. With no inside knowledge, I think Grier is going defense all the way in spite of what he’s told the media.
That said, if he truly does lean “best player available,” then there will be some excellent forward options left at 11.
