Earlier this week, I did a deep dive on the 2020 draft class, and I thought it would be good to take a more positive look at the Sharks' drafting history, ranking my top 3 Sharks draft classes in franchise history.
3 - The 2007 Draft Class
1 - Logan Couture
1 - Nick Petrecki
3 - Timo Pielmeier
3 - Tyson Sexsmith
6 - Patrick Zackrisson
6- Nick Bonino
7 - Justin Braun
7 - Frazer McLaren
Coming in at number three is the 2007 draft class. I juggled a lot of options for this slot, but ultimately, the career and legacy Logan Couture brought to the Sharks put this class over the top. Couture just ended his playing career early due to injury, capping his career at 933 games and 701 points, all for the Sharks. Couture was a captain and dominant playoff performer, scoring 30 points on route to the Sharks’ on route to their Stanley Cup final appearance in 2015-16.
While the rest of the class has some duds, mainly Nick Petrecki, who played in just one game as a first-round pick, if you swap him with 7th-round pick Justin Braun, the class looks better as a whole. Braun played over 600 games across 9 seasons in teal and was a steady top-4 defenseman for the Sharks. The Sharks also drafted Nick Bonino in this class. Bonino would be traded soon after, but he would return to San Jose later in his career. Bonino was a playoff-caliber 3rd-line center for the Penguins in the mid-2010s and played over 800 games in his career. Overall, despite some missteps, this was a solid and impactful haul for the Sharks.
2 - The 1997 Draft Class
1 - Patrick Marleau
1 - Scott Hannan
4 - Adam Colagiacomo
5 - Adam Spylo
7 - Joe Dusbabek
8 - Cam Svenson
9 - Mark Smith
Coming in second is the 1997 draft class. This class is probably the most influential draft class in Sharks history. The Sharks drafted Mr. Shark, Patrick Marleau, 2nd overall, and 1,779 games and 1,197 points later, he is one of the greatest Sharks in franchise history and potentially a Hall of Famer one day. The Sharks also drafted Scott Hannan later in the first round. The defensive defenseman would play 1055 games in the NHL, with 626 coming with the Sharks, with two stints in teal. After that, the Sharks didn't hit on much talent; they got some years out of Mark Smith in the 9th round, but he was far from an impact player.
This draft class would be number one if I included Joe Thornton, the now Hall of Famer, who is the greatest player in Sharks history and the number one overall player taken in this class. However, since the Sharks didn't draft him, he is excluded from this exercise.
1 - The 2003 Draft Class
1 - Milan Michalek
1 - Steve Bernier
2 - Josh Hennessy
2 - Matt Carle
5 - Patrick Ehelechner
7 - Jonathan Trembley
7 - Joe Pavelski
7- Kai Hospelt
8- Alexander Hult
9- Brian O’Hanley
9 - Carter Lee
This leaves us with the Sharks' best draft class, and I'm going to go with the 2003 draft class as the greatest in Sharks history. This is also a draft where I feel the Sharks missed a boatload of opportunities by passing on very talented players, such as Getzlaf, Perry, Weber, Parise, and Bergeron; the list could honestly go on forever. And the Sharks were well-positioned to make a perennial cup contender in hindsight.
That said, it's more a testament to the 2003 draft’s strength than it is to how the Sharks did. 6th overall pick Milan Michalek played 747 games, scoring 446 points, and was a talented player before injuries derailed his career. While Steve Bernier and Matt Carle are not the best players taken with their picks, they both carved out careers for themselves in the NHL. The Really prize came in the 7th round with Joe Pavelski.
Pavelski is one of the most talented players ever to wear the jersey, and he meant everything to this team and city throughout his time in San Jose. While the Sharks have had a lot of star players, Pavelski may be the most talented player the Sharks have ever drafted. While Marleau is a Sharks legend, it's hard to argue Pavelski’s peak wasn't higher. Pavelski’s 1,068 points in 1,332 games puts him first in scoring in the 2003 draft class, often viewed as the best draft class ever. Combine that with his impact with the Sharks and where he was selected, and it puts this class over the top for me as the greatest Sharks draft class.
It will be interesting to see how the Sharks' recent draft classes hold up over time. The 2024 draft class is off to an excellent start and could very well be number 1 in a few years, with Celebrini, Dickinson, and Chernyshov all looking like studs a year out. Time will tell if it can live up to the early upside.