Ivar Stenberg will join other young, talented forwards in San Jose. David Berding / Getty ImagesJune 26, 2026 7:30 pm EDT Updated The San Jose Sharks drafted Ivar Stenberg with the No. 2 pick on Friday night.After Penn State standout and former Canadian major junior star Gavin McKenna went No. 1, as expected, to the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Sharks landed on Stenberg after weighing trade offers for that pick.Stenberg, 18, joins a deep San Jose forward group, a 23-and-under core of Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith, Michael Misa and Collin Graf that is complemented by veterans Tyler Toffoli, Kiefer Sherwood and Alexander Wennberg.The Sharks opted for Stenberg, a teenager who flourished in a Swedish Hockey League largely populated by older professional players. Stenberg had 11 goals and 22 assists for Frolunda HC in 43 regular-season games, one of the best seasons in SHL history by an under-19 player. His .767 points per game trail only Markus Naslund, William Nylander and Daniel Sedin for draft-eligible players in a SHL season.
Stenberg had four goals and 10 points for Sweden in its gold medal-winning World Junior Championship run. He also played for Sweden at the World Championships, with four goals and four assists in eight games.To clear a direct path for Stenberg, San Jose general manager Mike Grier traded William Eklund and forward prospects Kasper Halttunen and Brandon Svoboda to the Ottawa Senators for the No. 9 pick this week. The Senators had obtained that No. 9 pick when they traded captain Brady Tkachuk to the Florida Panthers.This draft completes a three-year run of picks at the top of the draft for the Sharks, who jumped from the No. 9 position to No. 2 in the draft lottery. Celebrini was the No. 1 pick in 2024 and Misa went No. 2 behind Matthew Schaefer in 2025. Smith went No. 4 overall in 2023 as San Jose went through a bottoming-out phase when Grier became the NHL’s first Black general manager in 2022.Jun 26, 2026Connections: Sports EditionSpot the pattern. Connect the termsFind the hidden link between sports terms
