Max Miller
BUFFALO — With the No. 2 overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, the San Jose Sharks selected top European prospect Ivar Stenberg.
Stenberg is considered the most NHL-ready player in the entire draft class. The winger has a chance to turn pro right away. After his dream came true, the 18-year-old met with reporters. The newest young Sharks star couldn’t help but smile through the entire interview.
“Super excited, super happy, and yeah, really happy,” Stenberg said about being drafted by the San Jose Sharks. “They have something really good going on. [I’m] super happy to join a special group.”
Stenberg told reporters that he received calls from Mike Grier, Macklin Celebrini, and fellow countryman Alexander Wennberg after he was drafted. The winger also made sure to give 9th overall pick Keaton Verhoeff some love, too.
“He’s one of the best in the world. The Sharks are really happy to have him,” Stenberg said. “I saw Keaton was going nine, so super happy for him. He’s a good guy, too.”
Verhoeff told reporters that he and Stenberg had become friends at the Draft combine and the days leading up to the first round.
Although the San Jose Sharks traded fellow Swede William Eklund, Stenberg said he is just as excited to have a guy like Wennberg on the team.
“He played in Frolunda many years ago, so I watched him play, but I don’t know [him] that much,” Stenberg said of Wennberg. “That’s super nice. It’s always nice to have some Swedes around you, so you can talk your own language and stuff like that. I think it can help me.”
Stenberg’s brother, Otto, was taken 25th overall in the 2023 NHL Draft by the St. Louis Blues. Ivar put photos of his brother’s draft night inside his suit jacket.
“He has helped me a lot, because I know what I’m going through, like I have seen it before,” Stenberg explained.
Stenberg should be part of the Sharks’ development camp, which starts on June 30th.
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