We were in the pool and projected the San Jose Sharks to pick 14th in the 2024 draft.
But then?
BREAKING: Sharks move up in the first round to take No. 11 from Sabres
Originally this article was going to be a review of every credible mock draft available and see which player the Sharks selected at No. 14. Spoiler alert, it was slugging Norwegian defenseman Stian Solberg.
rewrite!
So who is the consensus top pick projected to be selected 11th, and more importantly, who is the best fit for the Sharks with their current prospect pool and draft style?
We have 11 mock drafts to sift through and two rankings (TSN’s Bob McKenzie and Eliteprospects.com) to see who could be selected from the top 13 on Bob McKenzie’s list, as the Sharks have moved up from No. 14.
Let's start with the big six defensemen: Artyom Levshunov, Anton Shiraev, Zeev Buium, Sam Dickinson, Carter Yachemchuk and Zayn Parekh.
Mock drafts did not project Artyom Levsyunov or Sam Dickinson as the No. 11 pick, and it's safe to say neither of those defenders will go higher than No. 10. Chicago has been rumored to be targeting Levsyunov at No. 2, while Dickinson has looked like a top-10 pick for most of the draft season.
Anton Siraev, a 6'7″ Russian defenseman, was ranked #11 on only two of the 13 lists: the Eliteprospects.com list and the Daily Faceoff list. While Siraev's offensive potential is questionable, top-10 teams seem too willing to overlook his physical attributes. I think he's unlikely to make the #11 list.
Zeev Bouyum, a freshman defensive phenom from the University of Denver, played in 42 games and scored 50 points in the NCAA last season. He, like Shiraev, can only be found on the 2/13 list. He is a player who has continually climbed the ranks this draft season, winning the World Junior Championship, the World U-18 Championship, and the NCAA title all in the space of about six months. There are questions about how effective his offense will be at the next level, but personally, based on his draft season, I don't think he'll make it out of the top 10. As a defenseman, he is definitely one of the most impressive players of all time.
That leaves Carter Jakemchuk and Zane Parekh. Parekh was available in just 4/13 mocks, including one from The Athletic's Corey Pronman. Given his defensive concerns and the emergence of late starters like Beckett Senneke and Tizi Iginla as top-10 candidates, he could be available at No. 11. Would San Jose Sharks GM Mike Grier go all out if Parekh is available?
He's not a two-way defenseman. He's a top prospect expected to anchor the power play and push play at even strength, so his defensive woes will be overlooked to some extent. The Sharks haven't acquired a defenseman of his calibre since trading for Erik Karlsson last offseason. It's not a bad fit, but there's definitely some risk if he falls to 11th.
Finally, Carter Jakemchak comes in at No. 11 on the 12/13 list. Interestingly, he wasn't on The Athletic's Corey Pronman's list, with Parekh instead falling out of the top 10. Not everyone can make the top 10, but I think that's where Mike Grier is betting here. There's certainly a chance one of these defenders could fall off, and Jakemchak seems the most likely.
His offensive talent is undeniable — he's scored 71 points in 66 games as a defenseman in the WHL this season — but his questionable skating has kept him low in many rankings. He's more physical than Parekh, but his aggressive activation style and slower-than-average feet mean he may struggle to get back into the defense.
So what happens if all six of the aforementioned Ds are gone by number 11? First, it's worth mentioning that all 13 lists had at least one of the above Ds available at number 11, and seven lists had two available.
But let's say this is a special year and six defensemen are selected in the top 10. Who do you think is likely to be the 11th pick from the forward group?
Now it's time to talk about a player worth keeping an eye on: Cole Yzerman. I didn't include him in the prospect list above. He was ranked 14th by Bob McKenzie, but that was before the Sharks traded up. It's possible they traded up to really secure Yzerman, but I doubt it. Either way, according to the mock, if the Sharks were to pick 11th, he should be available at 11th.
He's been dropped in a lot of mocks and rankings all year due to concerns about his ability as a scorer and his game being unbalanced, and I think he could be available at No. 14 for the Sharks, or someone like Yachemchuk would drop to No. 14 if someone higher acquires him.
If, like Yzerman, you’re a fan of Barkley Catton or Konsta Helenius, there’s good news for you: Catton and Helenius were both available at No. 11 on the 9/13 list, but it’s worth noting that many mocks have one or both of these players selected as early as No. 14.
Catton is a 5'10″ forward coming out of the WHL's Spokane Chiefs. His size and lack of strength raise questions about whether he'll be able to play as a center at the next level. However, Catton is a dynamic, skilled forward who played in 68 WHL games the year he was drafted, scoring 116 points, good for ninth all-time in WHL scoring among draftees over the past 30 years.
Is Grier going to value skill and production here after landing offensive players like Smith, Masti and Halttunen in past drafts? I think that's a bit unlikely, given his size, but it's an interesting discussion either way.
Helenius is only 5'11″ tall but, unlike Catton, seems like a natural fit at center. He's available at No. 11 on the 9/13 list. He was very productive as a draft target in the Finnish Liiga, scoring 36 points in 51 games at that level. That's fifth-highest scoring all-time for a draft target, and his production is similar to players like Anton Rundell, current Sharks forward Mikael Granlund and Patrik Laine. He's also a competitive 200-foot forward like Mike Grier.
I think Yachemczuk, Parekh, Helenius, Catton and Yzerman are the likely candidates for No. 11. I would personally rank them in order of likelihood as well.
Jakemchuk seems to check off the most boxes: There are no right-handed defenders with his size in the San Jose Sharks prospect pool, no right-handed defenders with his offensive firepower, and he also happens to be the only defenseman ranked 11th in most mocks.
