For the next few weeks, leading up to the 2018 NHL Entry Draft in Dallas, Texas, on June 22nd, we’ll be taking a look back at how the Sharks have drafted in recent years and how those prospects are doing now. First up: the 2014 draft class.

Nikolay Goldobin

Pick: 1st round, 27th overall pick



The Sharks originally held the 20th pick in the draft but traded down with the Chicago Blackhawks, who used that pick to select Nick Schmaltz. With the 27th overall selection, the Sharks then picked forward Nikolay Goldobin from the Sarnia Sting. Leading up to the draft, Nikolay Goldobin was seen as a player with top-end offensive potential after posting 38 goals and 94 points with the Sting in 2013-14, an offensive bright spot for a squad that was terrible.

While Goldobin always had flashes of offensive potential (he has been around a point-per-game player in the AHL), his play away from the puck was what kept him out of the lineup during his time in San Jose. His defensive deficiencies in juniors were well-known heading into the draft, and they never really improved during his development. Goldobin had a couple stints with the Sharks spread out across a couple of seasons, but never stuck with the team, scoring just two points in 12 games.

Frustrated with Goldobin’s lack of development in all three zones and inconsistent offensive production, the Sharks shipped him off to Vancouver at the trade deadline in 2017 along with a conditional fourth-round pick in return for forward Jannik Hansen, who also never quite fit with the Sharks.

Goldobin would end up once again splitting time between the AHL and the NHL. Just like with the Barracuda, Goldobin was an elite scorer for the Utica Comets, scoring 31 points in 30 games. And just like his time with the Sharks, Goldobin’s defensive deficiencies were harshly criticized. Coach Travis Green was quoted saying that Goldobin’s,“opinions of working and mine are sometimes different,” before talking about the importance of strong defensive play. In 38 games with the Canucks, Goldobin did have 14 points, but his -3.42 relative xGF% shows that his team is still better off with him off the ice than on.

Goldobin still has a chance to become an everyday NHL player, but it won’t be in teal.

Julius Bergman

Pick: 2nd Round, 46th Overall Pick

After trading back in the first round only to see future legitimate NHL talents like Nick Schmaltz and David Pastrnak picked before them, the Sharks traded up five spots to select Swedish defenseman Julius Bergman. For a team that hasn’t seen a major defensive prospect reach the NHL level since Justin Braun, the Sharks desperately needed to upgrade their defensive depth in their prospect pool.

Since being drafted by the Sharks, Bergman spent a year playing in the OHL for the London Knights and then the next three with the San Jose Barracuda in the AHL. Over time, Bergman has become a solid two-way defenseman for the Barracuda, a team that has faced plenty of turnover over the past couple years.

Bergman still has time for more development, but he might be ready to see NHL action starting next season, depending on how he performs at training camp. The only problem is that between Dylan DeMelo, Tim Heed, and Bergman, the Sharks have a plethora of right-handed third-pairing defensemen, and Peter DeBoer, like most NHL coaches, prefer to not play defensemen on their off-side. And since the Sharks are paying Brendon Dillon $3.8 million a year, none of them are replacing him in the lineup.

But that just means that Bergman will have more time to develop without pressure to perform like he would playing in the NHL. Still, at some point, he is going to have to face NHL action. Whenever the opportunity arises, it does appear that Bergman should be ready for it.

Noah Rod

2nd Round, 53rd overall pick

Thanks to the Douglas Murray trade with the Penguins at the 2013 trade deadline, the Sharks still had another pick in the second round after the Bergman pick. With the 53rd pick in the draft, the Sharks selected Swiss player Noah Rod out of the NLA.

Since then, Rod has mostly played with Geneve-Servette in the NLA along with a few late season and playoff appearances with the Barracuda. Rod has been lauded for his skills in the defensive zone and physicality. At 6’0″ and 192 pounds, Rod likes to combine his large frame with physical play, something that should benefit him in North America, where the rinks are smaller and the game is more physical.

However, the problem with Rod’s game that may keep him out of the NHL is that he lacks in offensive upside. His best season with Geneve-Servette was in 2016-17 when he scored just 14 points in 27 games. Outside of his two appearances in the U-20 World Junior Championships, where he scored a point per game in both appearances, Rod hasn’t demonstrated enough offensive skill that would carry over into the NHL. He can still end up as a decent bottom-six forward, but that remains to be seen.

Alex Schoenborn

3rd Round, 72nd overall pick

Much like Rod, the Sharks were high on Schoenborn’s physical play, selecting him with the 72nd overall pick in the draft. However, Schoenborn was never an elite offensive producer in juniors. His best season came as an overage 20-year-old when he scored 57 points in 67 games. Since leaving the WHL, Schoenborn has spent his time between the AHL and the ECHL.

Schoenborn hasn’t been exactly dominant in either league, posting only 15 points in 42 games with the Allen Americans in the ECHL this past season. Turning 23 in December, Schoenborn still has some time to prove himself, but there’s a lot of work that needs to be done here. The most frustrating part about this pick is that Brayden Point was selected a handful of picks later. Oof.

Dylan Sadowy

3rd Round, Pick 81

Let Dylan Sadowy be a reminder that production in juniors doesn’t always carry over to the next level. With their second pick of the third round, the Sharks selected Dylan Sadowy from the Saginaw Spirit. Coming off a season where he scored 74 points in 65 games, Sadowy seemed like a pretty safe pick at the time. Sadowy had another solid season in 2015-16, scoring 34 points in 36 games with the Spirit and then another 36 points in 28 games after being traded to the Barrie Colts, where he played with fellow Sharks prospect Kevin Labanc (we’ll get to him later).

But with plenty of forwards already in the system, like Labanc, Timo Meier, an emerging Joonas Donskoi, Noah Rod, and Barclay Goodrow, the Sharks felt like keeping Sadowy was unnecessary. With the deadline to re-enter the draft less than a week away, the Sharks traded Sadowy to the Red Wings for a third-round pick in 2017.

At least for now, it seems like the Sharks made the right decision to recoup potential losses and trade Sadowy when he still had value. Sadowy has spent time in the ECHL and the AHL since the trade. After a miserable 2016-17 campaign where he scored only 10 points in a combined 44 games between the AHL and ECHL, Sadowy righted the ship a bit this past season by scoring 29 points in 39 games. Still, it seems like Sadowy’s biggest problem is his skating, which was one of his biggest flaws as a Sharks prospect. Time will tell, but it seems like the Sharks did alright here.

Alexis Vanier

4th Round, 102nd overall pick

To be honest, it’s really hard to find information on Vanier at this point. It’s as if after being drafted by the Sharks, the defenseman just dropped off the face of the earth. Anyway, after leaving juniors, he ended up playing a season in the ECHL and then played in the LNAH last season. Doubtful we’ll ever see him in teal.

Rourke Chartier

5th Round, 149th overall pick

File this one under “Doug Wilson late-round gems.” Granted, Chartier hasn’t actually made it to the NHL yet, but he seems like a solid pick at this point. Chartier was a decent junior when he was picked by the Sharks with 149th overall selection (58 points in 79 games), and his game only improved from there. In his second season with Kelowna, Chartier scored 82 points in 58 games and 46 in 42 games in a shortened season.

After juniors, Chartier has played with the Barracuda. He’s had a couple decent seasons as he adjusts to the pro game. However, he has had problems with concussions over the past year. When healthy, he has been a good player, as demonstrated by his 21 points in 28 games.

And it seems like he might have a path to reaching the NHL this year. If the Sharks don’t re-sign Eric Fehr (which I covered last week), the Sharks do have a hole at the fourth-line center position. While he might need another year in the AHL, it’s entirely possible that he could end up on the Sharks’ roster next year. Anytime that you can add a legitimate prospect in the later rounds of the draft should be considered a success, and that’s what Rourke Chartier is right now.

Kevin Labanc

Speaking of late-round gems from Doug Wilson and the Sharks’ scouting staff, Kevin Labanc is most assuredly one of those. You don’t expect much from sixth-round picks. At best, you usually get a guy that bounces between the European leagues and the AHL. But to get a guy who is a 40-point scorer in the NHL? That’s definitely a win for the Sharks.

When Labanc was drafted, he wasn’t anything particularly special. After scoring only 35 points in 65 games, Labanc wasn’t on anyone’s radar. But after the Sharks drafted him in 2014, Labanc had consecutive 100-point seasons with the Barrie Colts. Labanc then nearly made the Sharks’ opening-night roster in 2016. Labanc eventually made his debut not long after, and spent that season between the AHL and the NHL, where he had 20 points in 55 games. Labanc followed that up with 40 points in 77 games with the Sharks this past season.

Whatever the Sharks get out of Labanc from here is a bonus. Will he be an elite point producer like he was in juniors? No, but he should be a decent middle-six guy for the Sharks moving forward, and he should only get better as he continues to adjust to the faster NHL.

Bonus Mention!

Maxim Letunov

2nd Round, 52nd overall pick

Picked the selection before Noah Rod, Maxim Letunov was selected by the St. Louis Blues. Why is he here, you may ask? After the Sharks traded Sadowy, they then traded the 3rd-round pick they received from the Red Wings and 2016 fourth-round pick to the Arizona Coyotes, who had received the rights to Letunov when they traded Zbynek Michalek to the Blues.

Letunov has spent the last three years with the Connecticut Huskies in the NCAA with three solid seasons with the Huskies. He signed an ELC with the Barracuda at the end of last season. Letunov is skilled with the puck and is a decent playmaker. The biggest knock against Letunov is his skinny build. At 6’4″, 170 pounds, there are concerns about him being knocked off the puck easily in the professional world. If he can bulk up, he could be a decent player for the Sharks moving forward.

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