Who will the San Jose Sharks select ninth-overall?<\/p>\n
After dealing William Eklund<\/a>, Kasper Halttunen, and Brandon Svoboda to the Ottawa Senators, the Sharks now have a second top-10 pick and three total first-rounders. Given all the recent trades in the first round of the draft, experts updated their predictions ahead of Friday\u2019s draft. And despite all the recent movement, five draft experts had the Sharks selecting the same player at ninth-overall.<\/p>\n It is worth noting that every mock draft had the Sharks filling Eklund\u2019s vacancy with Ivar Stenberg at second-overall.<\/p>\n In fact, every mock draft had some combination of these eight players going ahead of the Sharks at No. 9: Gavin McKenna, Stenberg, Caleb Malhotra, Viggo Bjorck, Chase Reid, Carson Carels, Alberts Smits, and Keaton Verhoeff. Without the \u201cconsensus\u201d top-four forwards and top-four defensemen, these experts had the Sharks addressing the same need.<\/p>\n \u201cSan Jose fills that pesky right-side defence hole with Daxon Rudolph,\u201d Elite Prospects\u2019 Cam Robinson predicted<\/a>. \u201cHe brings a potentially dazzling offensive toolkit wrapped in a 6-foot-2 frame on the right side. Between him and\u00a0Sam Dickinson, the makings of a young, exciting blueline core are there.\u201d<\/p>\n Rudolph put up 28 goals and 78 points in 68 games with the Prince Albert Raiders last season, and is committed to the University of Denver for next season. In Robinson\u2019s \u201cconsensus rankings<\/a>,\u201d Rudolph was the ninth-ranked player and fifth defenseman. The Athletic\u2019s Scott Wheeler sees the Sharks going the same direction.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Sharks get the best of both worlds and take Stenberg at No. 2 and their right-shot D of the future opposite lefty Sam Dickinson at No. 9 with Rudolph,\u201d Wheeler wrote<\/a>. \u201cA win-win for the Sharks, who position themselves with the league\u2019s most enviable young core.\u201d<\/p>\n Daily Faceoff\u2019s Steven Ellis foresees the Sharks making the same pick. In Ellis\u2019 own rankings<\/a>, he rates Rudolph as the sixth-best player in the draft and ahead of Smits.<\/p>\n \u201cRudolph has a booming shot, makes great breakout passes and can knock guys down,\u201d Ellis wrote.<\/a> \u201cRudolph\u2019s two-way game is intriguing, as is his ability to get himself out of trouble consistently with and without the puck. I think there\u2019s still work to be done to make him more aggressive in the D zone \u2013 he\u2019s a bit too passive for some scouts\u2019 liking. But with the puck, Rudolph should become a top-four threat who can play on one of the power-play units.\u201d<\/p>\n NHL.com\u2019s Adam Kimelman and Mike Morreale, in their mock drafts<\/a>, both had Grier selecting Rudolph. Kimelman noted that the pick would be \u201csetting a nice foundation on the back end\u201d and Morreale said \u201chis all-around game has drawn comparisons from some scouts to Los Angeles Kings defenseman\u00a0Drew Doughty.\u201d<\/p>\n It is worth noting, this consensus could switch based upon what the Sharks do at second-overall. While all the drafts mocked Stenberg to the Sharks, Wheeler does think the Sharks like the top defensemen in the class, like Chase Reid and Carson Carels.<\/p>\n Winger Ethan Belchetz or defenseman Malte Gustafsson could also be up GM Mike Grier<\/a>\u2018s alley at No. 9, if he keeps the pick. It\u2019s believed that the Sharks offered the No. 9 to the Buffalo Sabres for Bowen Byram on Tuesday.<\/p>\n As for No. 27, which the Sharks acquired in the Mike Kesselring trade, most drafts had the Sharks doubling down on defense.<\/p>\n The Athletic and Daily Faceoff mocked toolsy right-handed defenseman Tommy Bleyl, Elite Prospects had 6-foot-8 lefty Maksim Sokolovskii, and Morreale predicted Boston University commit Xavier Villeneuve. NHL.com\u2019s Kimelman, however, mocked winger Mathis Preston to the Sharks, who he feels has \u201cdynamic speed and game-breaking skill.\u201d<\/p>\n San Jose Hockey Now also spoke with a scout about a forward like Ilia Morozov<\/a>, among others, or a defenseman like William H\u00e5kansson<\/a>, among others, at No. 27.<\/p>\n