With the Season at a close, it is a good time to examine the state of the Sharks' prospect pool. Over the next 3 days, I will personally rank my top 15 Sharks prospects after the 2024-25 season.
Criteria
Regarding eligibility, my cut-off for what I consider a prospect will be 50 NHL games played for Skaters and 25 games played for Goalies, with an age cut-off of 24. I feel this is a good range for this exercise.
With this cut-off, key Sharks graduates from previous lists would be Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith, and Zack Ostapchuck. With that, let’s get into the List. We covered prospects 15-11 yesterday and will cover prospects 10-6 today.
10. Leo Sahlin Wallenius, D, 2nd round 2024
Kicking off the top 10, we have Leo Sahlin Wallenius. The Swedish defenseman is slightly undersized at 6” and is known more for his defensive game and skating ability than his offensive prowess. He uses his skating and hockey IQ as his main weapon defensively rather than physicality and is an extremely smart defender. Wallenius got bounced around a lot this season, playing in 3 different leagues, not including Sweden at the U20 World Juniors, so it was hard for him to get into a groove this season. Hopefully, he will be able to play a full year in the SHL next season, which is best for his long-term development. Wallenius could be a solid bottom-4 d man if his game translates to the North American ice.
9. Kasper Halttunen, W, 2nd round 2023
I recently talked about Halttunen last week. Since then, Halttunen has continued his heater, finishing the OHL finals with nine goals in 5 games and capping it off with the MVP in the OHL finals. While this is extremely impressive, it hasn't shifted my perception in the rankings; some of that is the depth of the Sharks' pool, but Halttunen still needs to prove his game can translate to the pro level if it can he is going to be a really good player. Next year will be a big test for Halttunen and where he fits in the Sharks rebuild going forward.
8. Filip Bystedt, C, 1st round 2022
Bystedt had a solid first full season this year, with 31 points in 50 games. The big center has solid skill, skating ability, and all the tools to play down the middle in the NHL; however, he still has to put it all together consistently. He ended the year on a high note with an excellent playoff, taking over 1C duties from Poturalski. Bystedt will look to challenge for an NHL job next season and should get a look at some point next year as he continues to develop. He has the potential to be a solid top 9 center or winger for the Sharks in the long term.
7. Luca Cagnoni, D, 4th round 2023
Luca Cagnoni has been an underdog his entire career. I was ecstatic when the Sharks took him in the 4th round in 2023, as I viewed him as a first-round talent in that draft. The reason he fell is solely due to size. At 5’9", Cagnoni is very small for the position and has been doubted at every level by the vast majority. This season, Cagnoni was expected to return to the WHL for his overage season. However, an impressive camp led him to crack the AHL roster at 19, and an even more remarkable rookie AHL season, where he had 52 points in 64 games as a rookie defenseman, led to an NHL call-up at the age of 20 by season’s end. Cagnoni has a lot going against him when it comes to his game translating to the NHL level; he lacks the size and physicality, and that will probably always be the case; he also isn't the fastest skater for a player his size. He does, however, have a high-end hockey IQ and is an excellent offensive creator, and he has shown by the vast majority at every level that at every level he has played to this point. Expect Cagnoni to continue to develop and refine his game next season as he continues to push for NHL time. At his peak, Cagnoni could be an exciting offensive d man who can run a top power play but may need to be sheltered five-on-five if his game does not round out.
6. Colin Graf, W, Undrafted
A couple of days ago, I wrote a story on Graf, and he just managed to crack the list playing in 40 NHL games. He finds himself in the top 6 despite being undrafted, and that is due to his play for the Sharks this season. Graf is an all-situations winger who plays with speed and underrated skill and looked great in a middle-six role for the Sharks. expect him to be a full-time NHLer early next season as he looks to build off an impressive first full pro season.