Which Sharks Prospects Are The Most NHL Ready?

With a top-ranked prospect pool, the San Jose Sharks look ready to take a step forward in 25-26, but which prospects are ready for the NHL?

NHL Ready Tier

The two prominent names of Sharks prospects who are the most NHL-ready are Collin Graf and Sam Dickinson.

Graf held down a full-time NHL spot for a significant part of the 2024-2025 season, but next year he shouldn’t be anywhere but with San Jose. In 33 games last season, Graf had five goals and six assists. He was also a useful penalty killer for Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky.

He showed significant development and will look to continue it in the NHL next season.

Dickinson, whose season is still going on with the London Knights, looks ready to make the jump to professional hockey. The Knight’s No. 1 d-man had a historic season with 91 points (29 goals, 62 assists) in 55 games.

“Dickinson is a very projectable defenseman who has size, high-end skating and an offensive game that really rounded into form last season and has taken an even bigger step this year,” The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler wrote in February.

Dickinson averaged 30 minutes a night, according to Wheeler.

If the 18-year-old wants to make the San Jose Sharks roster next season, he will need to have a strong summer and prove why his foot speed has taken the necessary step to an NHL level.

Yaroslav Askarov is slated to be in the NHL next season full-time.

The next closest prospects to the NHL, but not bubble players, include: Jack Thompson, Shakir Mukhamadullin, and Egor Afanasyev.

On the bubble

Sharks GM Mike Grier has done a great job stacking the cubbards with highly rated prospects, but most of them still need refinement.

Quentin Musty, Igor Chernyshov, and Luca Cagnoni made their professional hockey debuts with the San Jose Barracuda this season (Cagnoni also played six NHL games).

Of the three players above, Cagnoni has the best chance to play the most with the Sharks in 25-26. All three players likely will play games at the NHL and AHL levels next season.

Another top Sharks prospect that comes to mind is Filip Bystedt. The Swedish centerman just completed his first full season in North America. Mike Grier’s first draft pick is watching established NHL centers who play a two-way game as a development model.

“That’s my goal with this off-season, to get ready to take a [Sharks] jersey right from training camp,” Bystedt said after the Barracuda’s season ended. “That’s where I want to be. I’ll do whatever I can and whatever they want me to do to be ready.”

Other top Sharks prospects that fit in the middle tier include: Kasper Halttunen, Danil Gushchin, Thomas Bordeleau, and Cam Lund.

Not quite ready for NHL action

Many of the San Jose Sharks’ prospects are ready for professional hockey, but not yet at the NHL level.

San Jose signed Mattias Havelid and Leo Sahlin Wallenius shortly after the season ended. Both players will be coming from Sweden and haven’t experienced North American-sized ice yet.

The two defensemen will likely take on top roles for the San Jose Barracuda in 25-26. Sahlin Wallenius and Havelid are flying under the radar as potential top prospects in the San Jose Sharks system. Still, with the Barracuda next door, the front office can keep a closer eye on their development.

Other Sharks prospects that require additional development time include: Eric Pohlkamp, Ethan Cardwell, Brandon Svoboda, Jake Furlong, and Georgi Romanov.

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