Ivar Stenberg signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the San Jose Sharks on Thursday, July 2, and the fans have been buzzing about it on social media ever since.

The 18-year-old forward made the big leap in his young career just a few days after the Sharks selected him as the No. 2 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft last month.

“That was fast,” wrote the Sharks in a post on their official X account on Thursday to announce the news of Stenberg becoming a member of their 2026-27 roster.

In his first comments after signing the entry-level contract, Stenberg felt “super happy” and “amazing” about the entire process of becoming a part of the Sharks in recent days.

“I'm super excited. It is a dream, so I am super happy,” the Swede said about being in San Jose, as per NHL.com. “It's been amazing. Meeting new guys and being here for the first time, it's been amazing.”

Notably, Stenberg established himself among the top prospects ahead of the 2026 NHL Draft after a successful last season with Frolunda in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). He scored 33 points (11G/ 22A) in 43 games in the 2025-26 SHL season, the highest tally for a player 18 years old or younger in the league in the last 27 years.

On Thursday, Stenberg showcased his skill at the Sharks development camp just before they made the announcement about his entry-level contract. During the third day of the event, he scored a goal in the Sharks jersey in front of the fans at the Prospect Scrimmage inside the Tech CU Arena in San Jose.

After that, he confirmed his intention to leave for Sweden very soon and train alongside his older brother, Otto Stenberg, this summer. His sibling is a 21-year-old forward who was selected as the No. 25 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft by the St. Louis Blues.

“I [will] train in Sweden. Then I don't know yet, maybe come over a little bit earlier. Be around here a little bit earlier,’ Stenberg said about his plans, as per NHL.com. “We have a pretty good group. Some NHL guys. I train with my brother every day. We keep pushing each other and make each other better every day.”

Moreover, Stenberg is slated to take part in his first NHL training camp with the Sharks in September to prepare for the upcoming 2026-27 season.

Fans react to Ivar Stenberg signing an entry-level contract with the San Jose Sharks

The San Jose Sharks shared a post on their official X account on Thursday to announce that Ivar Stenberg signed a three-year, entry-level contract with them. In the comments section of their X post, the fans were quite ecstatic about the ascent of Stenberg in the last few days and expected big things from him.

“He is going to be a star!! ,” wrote a fan for Stenberg about his future with the Sharks, while another one proclaimed that, “IN STENBERG WE TRUST.”

One of the fans compared him with his new teammate Macklin Celebrini, who had also signed an entry-level contract just like him with the Sharks only days after being drafted.

The 20-year-old forward was selected as the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NHL Draft before he penned a three-year deal with them, as per NHL.com.

“The Swedish Celebrini!! But in all seriousness he'll be a beast in his own right! ,” they remarked.

A couple of Sharks faithful felt that the arrival of Stenberg could mean big things for the franchise in the coming seasons.

“The team is ready,” said one fan about the Sharks after the addition of Stenberg, while another fan remarked, “We're waiting for the Stanley Cup now.”

Will the San Jose Sharks achieve great things with the addition of Ivar Stenberg on their roster? Give us your opinion in the comments.

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Written by

Arjun Sharma

Edited by

Kaamna Dwivedi