Should the San Jose Sharks Pick Ivar Stenberg or Chase Reid second overall?

As the 26th of June looms over the minds of general managers and hockey fanatics alike, there still are major questions to be answered as speculations continue to arise. Specifically, one that continuously is planted in my head, over and over again. Who will the San Jose Sharks take second overall? To say that the Sharks need a game breaker at the defensive position is an understatement. Not to discredit any of the D core, but having a player like Macklin Celebrini allows you to become competitive from the get go.

Thus, there are two key options here.

Firstly, the Sharks can draft Ivar Stenberg. Stenberg, a 6’0”, 18 year old playing in the SHL, breaking all kinds of records as a LW for Frölunda HC, is a gift in the lap of general managers who are starved for offensive talent with the ability to play a two way game. Stenberg was incredible at both ends of the ice in the SHL, where he put up 33 points in 43 games whilst out producing all time Swedish greats like Peter Forsberg and Nicklas Bäckström.

This alone is exceptionally impressive, but that wasn’t the limit to his impressive achievements this year. Not only did he show out in the SHL, but against his own age group, he led the Swedes in the 2026 WJC to win gold as the team’s top scorer.

Thus, we can conclude that Ivar Stenberg is not a player to scoff at, and for a while, he and Gavin Mckenna, the phenom and almost surefire first overall pick, were battling for that status.

In this case, many would think that Stenberg is the obvious choice. Although many might be right, there’s still speculation. Stenberg is seen as a NHL ready prospect that can slot in immediately to make a difference and potentially change the course of an NHL team. Therefore, the opportunity of picking him second overall means a team like the Sharks are expecting to compete very soon, which isn’t far off at all, as they barely missed the wildcard spot after they went 5-4-1 in their last 10 games of the season.

That isn’t the only choice that the Sharks have been given on a silver platter, though. There is, of course, a second option, that is drafting a game manager in 18 year old Chase Reid. The 6’2”, American born, right shot, star studded defensemen shot up the rankings after a tough start to his promising career, where Reid was drafted by the Soo Greyhounds in the 7th round of the OHL priority draft as what looked to be a long shot.

This was looking like the case as in the 2024-25 season. Reid was cut from the USHL and was forced to play in the NAHL after being demoted, where he then worked to progress day in and day out to get back to the level he desired. To say that Chase Reid was an unexpected star would be an understatement.

Once joining the Greyhounds, the right shot defensemen put up a very solid 40 points in 39 games, and most recently, in the 2025-26 season, put up 48 points in 45 games. Reid went from being overlooked in the USHL, to being demoted to a tier 2 junior hockey league, to clawing his way back up to the OHL, just to become the Assistant Captain of the Greyhounds and very possibly a top 5 pick in the 2026 NHL draft.

Nonetheless, his effort and resilience is admirable, but it’s his elite skating, defensive IQ, and his ability to transition the puck and make it look easy at that, which causes fans and scouts alike to look at him in awe. Compared to Stenberg, Reid, on the other hand, is committed to Michigan State University for the 2026/27 season to polish his game and get the opportunity to play for a national championship with the Spartans.

Although taking that right shot defensemen second overall, over the best player available, has turned out to bite teams back, the specific example being the Chicago Blackhawks picking Artyom Levshunov second overall over the best player available and the Russian phenom in Ivan Demidov.

Although Demidov dropped to the Montreal Canadiens (I’m so happy to be a Habs and Sharks fan) at the 5th overall spot, that didn’t take away from his offensive capabilities and the fact that he could easily be a game changer.

This sounds eerily similar to the situation the Sharks are currently in, to a certain degree. Although Reid is seen as a slightly more polished player, they are both seen as very similar players, who play the defensive position to much of the same degree.

As they both have great size, physicality, and strong two way games. Even more than the already scary similarities, both will have gone to play for the same college hockey team, as long as Reid does not decommit from the Spartans. This means that both big RD’s will have gone through their collegiate careers in the same place.

In my opinion, the San Jose Sharks cannot afford to make this mistake. They need a right hand defensemen, of course, but their need to get the best player available is vital to the chance of the Sharks not messing up this pick like the Hawks might have.

So, the question becomes, do the Sharks take that franchise winger who can play with Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith as the dynamic first line that, in their prime, can rival any other team’s top competitors? Or do they go for that number 1 right hand defensemen who can change their blue line forever and create an option for a defensive and offensive superstar trio with Smith, Celebrini, and Reid?

In my opinion, as you may have figured throughout the article, was to take the record breaking left winger who seems to have a high end motor, partnered with his highly touted shooting and play making skills. Partnering him with the previous 1st and 4th overall picks, respectively, on his line.

Even if, by some odd chance of luck, the Sharks do poorly next year and end up bottom 5 again, they have the option of drafting the franchise altering defensemen in Landon Dupont.

Please let me know what you think of my first article down below, and if you have any requests for other topics you would like me to cover, please do comment!!

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