Sheng Peng will be a regular contributor to NBC Sports California’s Sharks coverage. You can read more of his coverage on San Jose Hockey Now, listen to him on the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast, and follow him on Twitter at @Sheng_Peng.
LAS VEGAS — How does the rest of the league see the Sharks’ 2024 NHL Draft?
San Jose Hockey Now reached out to multiple NHL scouts and league sources, all from outside the Sharks, to get their thoughts and grades on Macklin Celebrini and beyond.
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Before we get to their overall grades (and mine), let’s hear some of their thoughts, in draft order, about center Celebrini, defenseman Sam Dickinson, winger Igor Chernyshov, defenseman Leo Sahlin Wallenius, winger Carson Wetsch, goalie Christian Kirsch, defenseman Colton Roberts, defenseman Nate Misskey, and goalie Yaroslav Korostelyov.
Sharks director of scouting Chris Morehouse and director of player personnel Scott Fitzgerald also lent some perspective.
Macklin Celebrini (Pick No. 1)
The 6-foot center, compared favorably to Jonathan Toews and Sidney Crosby, is responsible for an excitement among Sharks fans that I pretty much haven’t seen since I started covering the team in 2018-19. The 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs marked the last time Sharks fans were so excited about anything.
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“Not a better organization [to join] now,” Wetsch said about being drafted by the Sharks. “It's going to be the best.”
I honestly don’t think that the 18-year-old would say that if the Sharks hadn’t picked Celebrini. Celebrini, who projects to be a franchise player, makes people believe.
Let’s see if he can live up to the immense hype.
Sheng’s grade: A-plus
Sam Dickinson (Pick No. 11)
Dickinson or Zeev Buium will be hotly debated in the years to come.
It’s the new Will Smith or Matvei Michkov for Sharks fans.
A league source does believe that the 6-foot-3 Dickinson is somewhat “topped out," that his ceiling isn’t as high as Buium’s.
Scout No. 1 concedes that possibility, but with one caveat: “Depends on if his shooting translates to the NHL … He can rip it.”
There is some question whether Dickinson’s offense will translate to the NHL, and that’s what’s likely to cap his ceiling.
“Solid all-around D,” Scout No. 2 said, before predicting, “He’ll be a top pair for you guys in 3-5 years.”
Expect Dickinson in the NHL sooner than that, though.
“He's close to NHL-ready,” Scout No. 1 said. “Great size. Elite skating, too.”
Dickinson is a safe pick with real upside -- the question is how much.
Sheng’s Grade: A
Igor Chernyshov (Pick No. 33)
No one would’ve batted an eye if the Russian winger went in the high-teens of the first round.
Instead, the Sharks landed the 6-foot-3 winger with the first pick of the second day.
“High skill. High sense. When he wants to get after it and compete, he is a monster physically; very hard to contain,” Scout No. 2 said. “The defensive side of the game? He wants to go out and score goals and hit people and whatever. Defensive play is not his strength.”
That’s OK. Chernyshov looks like a big bet on ceiling, a la Quentin Musty in the late first round last year.
Sheng’s Grade: A
Leo Sahlin Wallenius (Pick No. 53)
Sahlin Wallenius is a little more polarizing.
The 6-foot blueliner skates well and can move the puck, but his defending and hockey IQ are questionable.
“I have major concerns about Sahlin Wallenius' hockey sense, his ability to process the game quickly enough,” Scout No. 3 said.
Of course, at the 53rd pick, you’re going to run into flawed prospects. He’s still a real talent.
Sheng’s Grade: B
Carson Wetsch (Pick No. 82)
“He is a through and through agitator. Some team might really like that. They might think this guy is Matthew Tkachuk-lite. I don't know,” Scout No. 2 said. “He skates really well. Very competitive. But that's about it. [He’s more] like Brendan Lemieux.”
This might be a little high to pick a Lemieux, a fourth-line agitator with not a lot of offense.
For what it’s worth, though, Lemieux was selected in the second round of the 2014 draft -- teams always crave potential culture-setters.
“He's a great energy guy,” Scout No. 3 said of 6-foot-1 winger Wetsch, “but he's not that big and doesn't have offense, so I don't see value there.”
That said, Wetsch did end up 70th on Bob McKenzie’s final Draft rankings, a poll of 10 NHL amateur scouts, so he was valued by other teams.
Sheng’s Grade: B-
Christian Kirsch (Pick No. 116)
Morehouse said that the 6-foot-3 Swiss netminder was the top goalie on the Sharks’ board.
Goalies are voodoo, of course, so that’s great news that the Sharks, sorely in need of goaltending prospects, got their man.
Kirsch wasn’t among the more-hyped keepers of the 2024 draft class, but this position is so random, that doesn’t matter so much.
I wonder if they could’ve waited on Kirsch, though?
Kirsch was the third in a run of three consecutive goalie picks, following Nicholas Kempf and Dmitry Gamzin, so maybe not.
Sheng’s Grade: C-plus
Colton Roberts (Pick No. 131)
“Roberts is a big physical D, plays heavy and hard, but doesn’t have a super-defined game defensively or offensively. Needs work on both,” Scout No. 2 said. “Will be an okay shutdown guy if all works out.”
The 6-foot-4 blueliner was 84th on McKenzie’s final rankings, so grabbing him so late looks like a solid value.
Sheng’s Grade: B
Nate Misskey (Pick No. 143)
“Misskey is a good overage D on Victoria. Smart, moves a puck real well, big, physical, but has some [mistake] blow-ups and lackadaisical moments, both defending and moving the puck,” Scout No. 2 said.
Sheng’s Grade: B-minus
Yaroslav Korostelyov (Pick No. 194)
Morehouse said the unheralded 6-foot-2 netminder from Russia was second or third on the Sharks’ goaltending board.
“He is a hugely underrated goalie, had an injury that hurt a little bit of his development,” Scout No. 4 said.
Again, goaltending is so random, and the Sharks needed to infuse their organization with younger keepers.
They did that and got two underrated goalies that they like in Kirsch and Korostelyov.
You can’t argue with that in the seventh round.
Sheng’s Grade: B
Sharks’ 2024 Draft Grade
The consensus among the scouts? The Sharks really smashed their early picks, so what they did later in the draft wasn’t as crucial.
“At least an A, if not A-plus,” Scout No. 1 said. “Their top four picks are really good.”
“Would give the Sharks an A,” Scout No. 2 said. “Two major contributors in Celebrini and Dickinson. Probably a first-round value in Chernyshov. Wallenius has potential to be an excellent second-pair puck-mover. Wetsch can be a culture guy. Late-round potential in the big goalie Kirsch and the two big D.”
“Probably an A,” Scout No. 3 said. “The most important picks were good.”
Who am I to rock the boat? I’m giving the Sharks an “A” grade for their 2024 draft.