The San Jose Sharks added one of the most wanted prospects in the 2026 NHL Draft on Friday, June 26. They selected Swedish forward Ivar Stenberg as the No. 2 overall pick at KeyBank Center in Buffalo. 

This move came right after the Toronto Maple Leafs chose Gavin McKenna as their first overall pick, and it returned a player Sharks fans had been hoping to see in the lineup for a while.

Stenberg spent the 2025-26 season with Frölunda HC in Sweden's SHL. He finished with 11 goals and 33 points in 43 games, which are the fifth-most points recorded by an 18-year-old in SHL history. 

The Sharks immediately announced this move in an X post.

"Stenberg looks good in teal," the team posted on June 26.

Frölunda coach Robert Ohlsson described Stenberg’s one quality that sets him apart from the other players.

“Decision-making is what stands out with this kid,” Ohlsson told The Athletic’s Scott Powers and Eric Stephens. "He can really read a game. He can play it in slow tempo. He can control the tempo. He reads the situation before he goes into it. He always [scans] where he's got his teammates and where he's got the opponents."

This is what made Stenberg the top prospect in the draft and a player that San Jose wanted as a long-term cornerstone.

The Sharks were also in a position to get a forward after trading William Eklund to the Ottawa Senators earlier in the week. This earned back a spot on the roster and brought back the No. 9 overall pick, which was used Friday night on defenseman Keaton Verhoeff.

Stenberg is now a part of one of the NHL's most promising young cores. The Sharks drafted Will Smith as the fourth overall pick in 2023, Macklin Celebrini as the first overall pick in 2024, and Michael Misa as the second overall pick in 2025. 

Fans are already buzzing after San Jose added Stenberg.

Fans shower love onto Ivar Stenberg

The reaction from the Sharks fans was immediate and enthusiastic under San Jose's official post. According to a fan, Stenberg's personality, playing style, talent, or overall image matches the team's identity

"He was born to wear the teal," he wrote.

Another fan doubled on the same feeling. "The teal jersey matches him perfectly, can't wait to see him on the ice," he wrote. At the World Championship, Stenberg tallied four goals and four assists for eight points in eight games, according to San Jose Hockey Now.

Many comments discussed Stenberg's arrival along with Celebrini. "He and Celebrini will be crazy," one fan predicted. Stenberg believes he is ready for the NHL and could play on Celebrini's line when the Sharks hold training camp in September.

To a fan, it was a notable move by San Jose. "Sharks fans have every reason to be excited. Landing Stenberg at No. 2 could end up being a franchise-changing pick," one observer wrote.

Stenberg finished Worlds with eight points in eight games, becoming one of only a few draft-year players since World War II to average a point per game at the tournament, joining Patrik Laine, Auston Matthews and Paul Kariya.

Another added, "Solid pick for San Jose. Stenberg at No. 2 feels like a steal. The Sharks' future is looking brighter already."

Stenberg still has time to play an NHL game, but in San Jose, the same energy is anticipated surrounding him, and the Sharks' young core is already going strong.

What do you think of San Jose's move to pick Stenberg? Let us know in the comments.

Read more at NHL Fan Central.

Written by

Aadhya Nalla

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar