The San Jose Sharks picked Swedish forward Ivar Stenberg as the second overall pick at the 2026 Upper Deck NHL Draft at KeyBank Center in Buffalo on Friday. After Gavin McKenna was acquired as the first overall to the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Sharks immediately selected Stenberg.

They have now added one of the draft's most wanted prospects to an already young core led by center Macklin Celebrini. Stenberg, right after the pick was announced, spoke to Grier, Celebrini, and veteran forward Alexander Wennberg by phone. 

"I have talked to Mike, Celebrini, and Wennberg, too. So happy that it's over and I'm a Shark," Stenberg said, speaking to the media as posted by the San Jose Sharks YouTube channel on June 27. "Super excited to join that organization."

San Jose entered the draft with three first-round picks after an active trade week led by general manager Mike Grier. The 18-year-old left wing spoke enthusiastically when talking about playing with Celebrini, calling him one of the top players in the world. 

"That would be sick," he added in the same interview. "Just give him the puck, and he will fix it. He's a special player."

Stenberg and Celebrini faced each other on the ice at the 2026 IIHF World Championship. This was where Stenberg represented Sweden on the top line and scored eight points across eight games. 

Stenberg's contribution this season was pretty strong, too. He scored 33 points in 43 games for Frölunda. His average of 0.77 points per game is the second-highest ever by a draft-eligible player in the league, behind only Daniel Sedin, according to The Score.

The Sharks were able to acquire Stenberg after winning the second drawing of the 2026 NHL Draft Lottery. San Jose then acquired the No. 9 pick earlier in the week. They sent forward William Eklund and two prospects to the Ottawa Senators.

With Stenberg's addition, San Jose's collection of young talent keeps expanding.

Sharks' young core keeps growing with Ivar Stenberg

San Jose's draft night was beyond Stenberg. They got the No. 9 pick with the Eklund deal. They then drafted North Dakota defenseman Keaton Verhoeff. 

Later, Grier was traded up again. San Jose sent the No. 27, No. 62, and No. 120 picks to the Philadelphia Flyers to move up six spots to select Ryan Lin, a defenseman from the Vancouver Giants, as announced by the Sharks' official X account.

The three first-round picks on Friday gave the Sharks nine first-round selections in the past four drafts, which include the four top-four picks: Will Smith in No.4 2023, Celebrini at No. 1 in 2024, Michael Misa at No. 2 in 2025, and now Stenberg.

With Celebrini, Smith, Misa, Stenberg, Verhoeff, and Lin all now part of the team’s young core, the Sharks have built the most talented young roster in the NHL to date.

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Written by

Aadhya Nalla

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar