The San Jose Sharks added three prospects in the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft on Friday at KeyBank Center in Buffalo.
With the No. 2 overall pick, the Sharks selected Swedish forward Ivar Stenberg from Frolunda in the Swedish Hockey League.
Stenberg recorded 33 points in 43 games last season, the highest scoring output by an SHL player aged 18 or younger since 1998-99.
San Jose moved up from the ninth position after winning the draft lottery.
The team acquired the No. 9 pick earlier in the week by trading winger William Eklund to the Ottawa Senators.
Stenberg expressed excitement about joining a young core led by 19-year-old center Macklin Celebrini, who finished fourth in the NHL with 115 points last season.
"They have something really good going on," Stenberg said.
The forward previously attended the 2023 draft when his brother, Otto Stenberg, was selected by the St. Louis Blues in the first round.
"I have seen it before, so I think it helped me a lot," Stenberg said.
After his selection, Stenberg spoke with Celebrini, general manager Mike Grier, and forward Alexander Wennberg.
"Yeah, so happy that it's over and I'm a Shark," Stenberg said. "Super excited to join that organization."
Sharks Add Two Defensemen in First Round
At No. 9, San Jose selected defenseman Keaton Verhoeff from the University of North Dakota.
Verhoeff, the fourth-youngest player in NCAA men's hockey last season, recorded 20 points in 36 games.
Verhoeff previously played two seasons with the Victoria Royals in the Western Hockey League before the NCAA opened eligibility to CHL players.
"The next 10, 15 years are going to be pretty special there," Verhoeff said of the Sharks' future.
The Sharks traded picks No. 27, No. 62, and No. 120 to the Philadelphia Flyers to move up to No. 21, where they selected defenseman Ryan Lin from the Vancouver Giants of the WHL.
Lin, a Vancouver native, recorded 57 points in 53 games last season and has skated with Celebrini during the offseason.
"All the young talent they have, they're rich with it," Lin said. "To join that and hopefully be a part of that one day, it's really, really surreal."
General manager Mike Grier said before the draft that the Sharks would focus on selecting the best available players rather than drafting based on positional needs.
"It's just all about trying to make the team better," Grier said.
"We'll be aggressive if something kind of fits those two timelines and can make us better now but also in the future."
The Sharks have now secured four top-four draft picks over the last four seasons, including Will Smith and Michael Misa.
