Saturday was a pleasant afternoon for San Jose Sharks fans, who were glad to see some teal on the clock at First Niagara Center.
The Sharks selected center Dylan Gambrell with the 60th overall pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.
The 19-year-old grew up in Bonney Lake, Washington, but moved to Colorado to play for the Colorado Thunderbirds U16. His love for the city of Denver eventually influenced him to play hockey for the University of Denver.
Gambrell can replace a struggling Sharks forward. He led all DU freshmen in scoring with 17 goals and 30 assists. His 47 points in 41 games ranked as the 12th-best total in DU history. He was an excellent rookie.
The Sharks selected center Manuel Wiederer with the 150th overall pick.
The 19-year-old can complement other players in an existing Sharks line. He scored 64 points (29 goals, 35 assists) in 54 games with the Moncton Wildcats of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
The Sharks selected a second center, Noah Gregor, with the 111th overall pick.
The 17-year-old is one of the youngest players in the draft. However, Gregor led the Albert Midget Hockey League with 30 points (21 goals, 9 assists) in 35 games. He’s a good addition for the Sharks.
The Sharks selected defenseman Mark Shoemaker with the 180th overall pick.
The 18-year-old scored 13 points with the North Bay Battalion in the 2015-16 season. He has recorded 1.5 seasons with the Battalion, scoring 18 points (5 goals, 13 assists) in 106 games. However, Shoemaker has plenty of time to improve. He’ll eventually contribute to the Sharks defense.
The Sharks selected forward Joachim Blichfeld with the 210th pick.
The 17-year-old became the first winger selected the Sharks in the draft. Blichfeld scored 25 points in 48 games with the Malmo Redhawks J20 team.
The draft came to an end. The Sharks thanked the Buffalo Sabres for hosting the two-day event and reflected on a few things.
“We came in and used our first round pick to acquire Martin Jones last year,” Sharks general manager Doug Wilson told NBCSN. “But every year, you want to add players. . .I think in the last two years, we’ve added about 37 young players, so our scouts have done a phenomenal job of trying to replenish the system and for us to win at the same time.”
