The San Jose Sharks have been a team on the rise and although they played themselves out of wild-card contention toward the end of the season, there’s a lot of hope in Silicon Valley following the NHL draft lottery.
San Jose was awarded the second pick of the 2026 NHL draft, following the draft lottery.
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The Sharks finished the 2025-26 season with a 39-35 record, eight overtime losses and 86 total points, just on the outside of the postseason race. But San Jose’s youth gave a glimpse at its future potential.
The Sharks have been building their team through the draft, earning a top-10 selection in four of the past five drafts. The cycle continues with this surprising luck of the draw for Sharks general manager Mike Grier.
“Shocked really,” Grier told reporters about landing the No. 2 pick. “You never know what’s going to happen and how the how the balls are going to bounce. So, yeah, happy and excited. It’s a good day for the organization. A little bit surprised and happy and fortunate.”
WINNERS/LOSERS: NHL draft lottery winners, losers include Maple Leafs, Canucks
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NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season
April 18: A fan shows off a rally towel before Game 1 between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena.
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NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season
April 18: A fan shows off a rally towel before Game 1 between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena.
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NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season
April 7: Tusky, the Utah Mammoth mascot, rides on the Zammoth (Mammoth Zamboni) on the ice after an overtime win against the Edmonton Oilers at Delta Center.
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NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season
April 5: A Toronto Maple Leafs fan attends the game between the Carolina Hurricanes and Ottawa Senators at the Canadian Tire Centre.
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NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season
April 4: Fans of the Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche bang on the glass during the second period of the game between the Stars and Avalanche at the American Airlines Center.
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NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season
March 5; Fans in the stands during the first period between the Calgary Flames and the Ottawa Senators at Scotiabank Saddledome.
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NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season
Montreal Canadiens mascot Youppi! stands on seats during the second period against the Buffalo Sabres at the Bell Centre on Jan. 22, 2026.
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NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season
Vegas Golden Knights right wing Mitch Marner (93) skates during warmup in front of fans’ signs welcoming him back to Toronto.
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NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season
Anaheim Ducks center Leo Carlsson (91) poses for a photo with a fan as he comes off the ice after warmups.
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NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season
A fan cheers during the third period in the 2026 Winter Classic ice hockey game between the Florida Panthers and the New York Rangers at loanDepot Park.
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NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season
New York Rangers fans cheer after the 2026 Winter Classic against the Florida Panthers at loanDepot Park.
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NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season
Philadelphia Flyers mascot Gritty and members of the Dance Team perform before game against the Vancouver Canucks at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
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NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season
Young Detroit Red Wings fans make as much noise as they can during the third period at Little Caesars Arena.
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NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season
Carolina Hurricanes and former Winnipeg Jets left wing Nikolaj Ehlers (27) tosses a puck to a fan in his return to Canada Life Centre.
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NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season
A young fan watches the action during the third period of the game between the Utah Mammoth and San Jose Sharks at SAP Center at San Jose.
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NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season
Hockey fans hold up signs before a Global Series ice hockey game between the Nashville Predators and the Pittsburgh Penguins at Avicii Arena.
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NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season
Hockey fans hold up signs before a Global Series ice hockey game between the Nashville Predators and the Pittsburgh Penguins at Avicii Arena.
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NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season
Minnesota Wild mascot Nordy poses for photos with fans during the first period of the game against the Winnipeg Jets at Grand Casino Arena.
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NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season
Seattle Kraken mascot Buoy celebrates with goalie Joey Daccord (35) after a victory against the Chicago Blackhawks at Climate Pledge Arena.
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NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season
Colorado Avalanche fans cheer in the first period against the Buffalo Sabres at Ball Arena.
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NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season
A Colorado Avalanche fans holds up a sign for Colorado Avalanche goaltender Scott Wedgewood in the third period against the Anaheim Ducks at Ball Arena.
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NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season
A young fan sees her reflection in the arena glass during a game between the New York Rangers and the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena.
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NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season
Minnesota Wild mascot Nordy poses for photos with fans during the first period of the game against the Winnipeg Jets at Grand Casino Arena.
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NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season
A San Jose Sharks fan dresses in costume for Halloween during a game against the New Jersey Devils at SAP Center.
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NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season
Tusky, the new Utah Mammoth mascot, is introduced to the fans before the game against the Calgary Flames at Delta Center.
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NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season
A San Jose Sharks fan reacts after her team scores during the second period against the Carolina Hurricanes.
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NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season
A Boston Bruins fan cheers for the team during the second period against the Philadelphia Flyers at TD Garden.
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NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season
Philadelphia Flyers mascot Gritty performs before a game against the Florida Panthers
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NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season
Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski (8) greets fans on the blue carpet before opening night against the New York Islanders.
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NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season
Fans reach for a puck flipped over the glass by Vancouver Canucks forward Linus Karlsson (94) during warmup before a game against the St. Louis Blues.
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NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season
Calgary Flames mascot Harvey the Hound before a game against the Winnipeg Jets.
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NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season
Dallas Stars center Wyatt Johnston signs autographs for the fans as he walks the green carpet before the game between the Dallas Stars and the Minnesota Wild.
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NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season
Tampa Bay Lightning mascot Thunderbug celebrates after beating the Florida Panthers at Benchmark International Arena.
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NHL fans and mascots cheer on their teams in 2025-26 season
Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury (29) skates past fans holding signs during warmups before the game against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Fleury suited up for the Penguins one last time during the preseason game.
Grier added: “We thought we were going to get a good young player to add to our core. With the second pick, you got a chance to add some more high end talent to the group. So that’s exciting. When I look at our group, we took some steps forward and hopefully this player can just come in and add to it. I think were hopefully trending in the right direction, but there’s a lot of work to be done as a whole.”
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Now the question is what to do with the pick. Grier said he will be open to listening to offers on whether to trade the No. 2 pick or make the selection themselves.
Grier said, “I’m always open to listening to what’s out there, and if people have ideas or thoughts, and then I’ll listen, and we’ll kind of go from there.
“It’s obviously a different price tag, trading the ninth pick or what you might be asking for, and if you’re going to move the second pick, what your ask would be. So that’s probably what the part of the equation that changes, and we’ll see. We’ll see if anything comes our way.”
Sharks center Macklin Celebrini (71) and Blackhawks center Connor Bedard (98) face off during the second period at SAP Center at San Jose in California on April 6, 2026.
The Sharks picked No. 2 in 2025, selecting Michael Misa. They took Macklin Celebrini with the first overall pick in 2024, and grabbed Igor Chernyshov in the second round. In 2023, they picked Will Smith with the fourth overall pick, and William Eklund joined the Sharks as a No. 7 overall pick in 2021.
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Two of the top prospects in the 2026 NHL Draft include Gavin McKenna, a 5-foot-11, 170-pound left wing from Penn State, and Keaton Verhoeff, a 6-foot-4 defenseman from North Dakota.
“They’re very talented, gifted players,” Grier told reporters. “I’ve had a chance to watch them both quite a bit over the last two years. Dynamic with the puck. They’re both, I think, shoot-pass threats, which is not always the case with young players, but, you know, there’s play-making and vision on both of them. So very talented players.”
But there’s time to decipher. The NHL draft is nearly six weeks away. Grier is methodically taking his time to observe talent with his scout team before making a decision. However, he said the team will likely be selecting the best player available.
“We’ll dig into it,” Grier said. “When you’re picking at the top of the draft, we always try and go with the best player available. Really, I don’t think we’re gonna pass if there’s a big gap between two players or two positions. We’re not going to take a player just for need in that situation. So we got to do our homework. We got to dig into it. And most likely, we’ll take who we feel is the best fit and the best player available.”
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2026 NHL draft order
When is 2026 NHL draft?
The 2026 NHL Draft will be held on June 26-27, 2026 at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York.
Round 1: Friday, June 26 (7 p.m. ET on ESPN)
Rounds 2-7: Saturday, June 27 (10 a.m. ET on NHL Network)
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NHL draft lottery 2026: How the Sharks ended up with the No. 2 pick
