The 2015 NHL Entry Draft marked the first time that the Sharks would be selecting in the top 10 without trading up since 2003. Coincidentally, the 2015 draft class was also one of the most talented in years with generational talents like Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel forming the top two picks.

Considering that the Sharks had nine picks in this draft, I’m splitting this up into two parts just to keep this from being a miniature book. The Sharks’ first five picks of this draft will be in this part, while the last four will be in the piece that goes up on Thursday.

With that said, let’s begin.

Timo Meier

First Round, Ninth Overall Pick

Position: Winger

Handedness: Left

As mentioned above, the first round of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft was loaded with top-end NHL talent. Players like McDavid, Eichel, Noah Hanifin, Ivan Provorov, and Zach Werenski were all selected before the Sharks picked Meier with the ninth overall pick. At the time, the pick was considered a bit of a reach considering that then-prospects like Matthew Barzal, Mikko Rantanen, and Kyle Connor were all still on the board. But measuring at 6’1″ and 209 pounds combined with high-end scoring talent (90 points in 61 games with the Halifax Mooseheads), Meier’s physical playing style and scoring abilities were too attractive to the Sharks to pass up.

Meier spent the 2015-16 season with the Mooseheads and, after being traded, the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies. Spending roughly half his season on a last-place Mooseheads squad, Meier still scored 36 points in 23 games, which would still be good enough for fourth on the team by the end of the season. Upon being traded to a first-place Huskies squad, Meier exploded for 51 points in just 26 games.

Bolstered by the addition of Meier, the Huskies would eventually go all the way to the Memorial Cup Finals, where they would lose to a stacked London Knights team that had future NHL talents Christian Dvorak, Mitch Marner, and Matthew Tkachuk. Meier had 23 points in 18 games during the Huskies’ run. Meier also played for Team Switzerland at the World Junior Championships that year, scoring five points in six games.

Heading into the 2016-17 season, Meier nearly made the Sharks’ opening night roster as they prepared to defend their Western Conference title, but a bout of mononucleosis kept him out of the lineup. After a brief stint in the AHL, Meier finally joined the team in December and scored his first career NHL goal on his first NHL shot against Carey Price and the Montreal Canadiens.

But that was about as good as it would get for Meier’s first season in teal. Meier found himself struggling to adjust in the pro game and he would be in and out of the lineup, splitting the rest of the season between the AHL and the NHL. Meier would be a decent AHL player, scoring 14 goals and 23 points in 33 games with the Barracuda, but Meier’s measly six points in 33 games had some questioning Meier’s NHL potential. Meier would play in five of the Sharks’ six playoff games against the Oilers, but he didn’t register a point as the Sharks lost in six games. Meier would later have seven points in 14 playoff games with the Barracuda.

Heading into the 2017-18 season, Meier needed to show that his selection with the ninth overall pick was warranted in a draft loaded with talent. However, through the first two months of the season, Meier was still struggling to get onto the scoresheet. In 22 games, Meier had just four points, a 15-point pace over 82 games.

But as the season progressed and the temperatures grew colder, Meier turned hotter. Over the next 60 games, Meier had 32 points, a pace that would total 44 points over 82 games. In total, he had 21 goals and 15 assists for a total of 36 points, a vast improvement over his first season. In the playoffs, Meier also tallied five points in 10 games.

As seen last season, Meier has proven that he belongs in the NHL, now what? Meier might not have the ceiling of some of the other members of his draft class, and it’s hard not to feel that the Sharks would have been better off selecting Matthew Barzal instead of Meier, but it’s important to note that Meier can still be a really, really good NHL player.

Moving forward, Meier is a prototypical NHL power forward with speed and scoring ability. While not a pest or a goon by any means, Meier does have a physical edge in his game that he is not afraid to use. Though hits themselves are terrible, meaningless statistic, the fact that Meier led all Sharks forwards in hits shows that he loves to throw his body around.

I used this comparison a couple different times last season, and I think that it still holds. Maybe it’s the fact that he plays on the same team, or maybe it’s the fact that I watch this team more than any other, but I think that a good comparison for Timo Meier is his teammate Tomas Hertl. Both players are European forwards who have a physical edge in their game, can fit anywhere in the lineup, and can score. Both players show top-six skill and upside. Meier won’t be the best player in his draft class, but he has still been a solid pickup for the Sharks.

Jérémy Roy

Second Round, 31st Overall Pick

Position: Defense

Handedness: Right

For this pick, the Sharks decided to trade up eight spots with the Colorado Avalanche, who held the pick thanks to the Ryan O’Reilly trade. At the time, the Sharks had Colorado’s second-round pick in 2016 and their sixth-round pick in 2017 after trading veteran defenseman Brad Stuart to the Avs the previous summer. In order to trade up, the Sharks essentially un-did the trade, sending back the two picks and swapping seconds in order to move up to the 31st spot.

With the 31st pick, the Sharks selected Sherbrooke Phoenix defenseman Jérémy Roy. Nearly a point-per-game player in juniors in his draft year, Roy was highly praised for his play in both ends. Roy was expected to go in the first round but unexpectedly fell to the second round. Looking to double dip in a draft stocked with talent, the Sharks moved up to grab the talented defenseman.

However, since being drafted by the Sharks, Roy has had a rough ride. Roy has had a litany of injuries in juniors and during his time in the AHL. The season following his draft year, Roy’s production slipped to just 34 points in only 45 games. Returning to the QMJHL after being traded to the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada over the summer, Roy played in only 10 games before suffering a knee injury that kept him out for the rest of the season. And then last season, Roy injured the same knee again when he tore his ACL after playing in just 20 games with the San Jose Barracuda.

Roy still has plenty of potential and still has the skillset that had some experts comparing him to Duncan Keith of the Chicago Blackhawks. However, he needs to actually be able to play in order for him to take advantage of said skillset. Roy is expected to be ready for training camp this season, and while it is unlikely that he would make the jump to the NHL this season anyway due to both the amount of development time he has missed out on and the depth at defense at the NHL level already, the Sharks still need him to have full slate of games to ensure that he develops into an NHL-caliber defenseman like he was hyped up to be. It stings that other selections after Roy, such as Sebastian Aho of the Carolina Hurricanes and Brandon Carlo of the Boston Bruins, have already made it to the NHL and provide valuable contributions to their respective teams, there is still time for Roy to do the same as long as he stays healthy.

Mike Robinson

3rd Round, 86th overall

Position: Goalie

Catches: Left

This is a head-scratcher. With the 86th overall pick, the Sharks selected Massachusetts high-school goalie Mike Robinson. Robinson was ranked as the eighth-best North American goalies according to the NHL Central Scouting Rankings. At the time, the Sharks’ goaltending situation was dicey, to put it lightly. With Antti Niemi’s contract expiring and the Sharks wanting to bring in a younger goalie, it made sense for the Sharks to draft one to develop over time.

But this wasn’t the right one, not in the slightest.

It’s easy to say that now, as Robinson is struggling to see time in the crease at the University of New Hampshire, but unless something changes, this is a huge bust for the Sharks. Even more infuriating is the fact that this isn’t even the pick that the Sharks originally held. They traded their third-round pick the previous summer for Tye McGinn, he of five points in 33 games in teal, to the Philadelphia Flyers, who then used the pick to also select a goalie: Felix Sandstrom, a much more highly-regarded prospect than Robinson.

Since being drafted by the Sharks, Robinson has bounced around in leagues like the USHL and the NAHL before landing a backup goalie spot at the University of New Hampshire. It’s doubtful that Sharks fans will ever see him between the pipes for the Sharks.

Adam Helewka

4th Round, 106th Overall

Position: Forward

Handedness: Left

Adam Helewka was probably picked too early to be considered a Doug Wilson Late-Draft Special™, but he has done reasonably well so far for a late fourth-round pick. Helewka was picked with the 106th overall pick from the Spokane Chiefs of the WHL after scoring 87 points in 69 games for the Chiefs.

Helewka would spend the next season with Chiefs and then with the Red Deer Rebels, scoring a combined 74 points in 53 games between the two teams. Helewka also added 18 points in 17 postseason games for the Rebels, who were eliminated in the WHL Western Conference Finals.

Moving on from juniors, Helewka then spent the 2016-17 season with the San Jose Barracuda, tallying 29 points in 58 games, a respectable total for a player straight out of juniors adjusting to the professional game with grown men. Helewka had a similar point total for the Barracuda this past season with 38 in 63 games and led the team in assists with 29. He appeared to be a bit snake-bitten this season as well, scoring on just 6.6% of his shots despite being second on the team in shots on goal (137).

At 6’3″, 205 pounds, Helewka has the frame of an NHL player and possesses some of the skills that could develop into that of an NHL player. Remember, this is a player who is a fourth-round pick playing just his second year of professional hockey, so there is still plenty of development time for Helewka, who seems to be taking full advantage of it. Whether or not he has NHL potential has yet to be determined, but Helewka appears to be doing well for a fourth-round pick.

Karlis Cukste

Fifth Round, 130th Overall

Position: Defense

Handedness: Left

With the 130th overall pick, the Sharks selected Karlis Cukste, a Latvian defenseman playing in, well, the Latvian pro league. After playing with the Chicago Steel of the USHL for a season, the Latvia native later accepted an offer from Quinnipiac University to play hockey at the college level. Cukste finished his second year at Quinnipiac this year, and will likely need all four for his development. Cukste doesn’t appear to be a hot prospect at this time. He appears to be a decent college defenseman with the occasional goal and assist.

Part two will be published on Thursday

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