The San Jose Sharks traded their first-round draft pick, No. 31 overall in 2020, for Ozzie Wiesblatt.
The Sharks acquired prospect Egor Afanasyev from the Nashville Predators in exchange for Wiesblatt.
Afanasiev, 23, is a 6-foot-4 winger who was selected by the Predators in the second round of the 2019 draft. He led the Milwaukee Admirals with 27 goals and 54 points last season. He also had five goals and four assists in 15 playoff games.
Afanasiev played in 19 NHL games over two seasons and scored his first NHL goal on April 10, 2023 against the Calgary Flames.
Afanasiev is an RFA.
Wiesblatt, 22, is a 5-foot-10 winger who played for the San Jose Barracuda and Admirals last season. Unusually, he was loaned to Milwaukee at season's end, but the Predators organization clearly liked Wiesblatt's play.
He appeared in 34 games with the Barracuda, recording three goals and eight assists, then had one goal and five assists with the Admirals, and in the postseason he appeared in 15 games with Milwaukee, recording two goals and seven assists.
Wiesblatt is still on his entry-level contract and will become an RFA after the 2024-25 season.
Wiesblatt's journey with the San Jose Sharks organization has been full of ups and downs, but it's good to see him back on an upward trajectory.
Why would the Sharks loan Wiesblatt to the Milwaukee Admirals?
Memorably, Wiesblatt, former San Jose Sharks director of scouting Doug Wilson Jr. and Wiesblatt’s family were some of the most heartwarming moments of the 2020 draft.
Ozzie Wiesblatt: “My mother will never forget that.”
