San Jose Sharks: 2013 NHL Draft Recap
Jun 30, 2013; Newark, NJ, USA; Mirco Mueller poses for a photo with team officials after being introduced as the number eighteen overall pick to the San Jose Sharks during the 2013 NHL Draft at the Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports
Here is a break down of the 2013 NHL draft for the San Jose Sharks, including all of their picks and trades. However, before we break down each player individually, here is a list of their picks and all their involvement.
Acquired rights to Tyler Kennedy from Penguins for 2nd round pick (50th)
Traded Away 1st round pick (20th) + 2nd round pick (58th)
Received 1st round pick (18th)
1st Round- (18th) Mirco Mueller, D
2nd Round- (49th) Gabryel Paquin-Boudreau, F
Traded Away 4th round pick (111th) + 5th in 2014
Received 5th round pick (117th) + 5th round pick (151st)
4th Round- (117th) Fredrik Bergvik, G
5th Round- (141st) Michael Brodzinski, D
5th Round- (151st) Gage Ausmus, D
7th Round- (201st) Jacob Jackson, C
7th Round- (207th) Emil Galimov, W/C
As I stated earlier in the day, I think it was quite a trivial trade by the Sharks in the first round to move up just two spots to select Mirco Mueller. They must have either had a tip that he was going be taken in front of them or really, really liked him and did not want to take any chances. Either way, it was a pretty steep cost as they have to give up one of their three second round picks.
In fact, while entering with the day with three, the Sharks only ended up using one of them. To be fair, they did gain a high caliber player in Tyler Kennedy who is currently an unrestricted free agent. He will cost the Sharks $2 million+ to sign, which makes San Jose’s cap space that much smaller. It could pose an even greater issue if last year’s first round pick, Thomas Hertl, is able to earn a starting role on the team. The Sharks would owe him more than $1 million if that is the case.
Now here is a bit of info about each of San Jose’s picks.
Mirco Mueller, D
Age: 18
Height: 6’3”
Weight: 185 lbs.
Shoots: Left
League: WHL
Mueller possesses pretty good offensive skills. He is great on the breakout both skating with the puck and passes out of the zone. He is a quality puck moving defenseman.
Defensively he can be used in any situation. Mueller is great not only one-on-one but is also considered an excellent shot blocker. Very sound defensively, and is rarely out of position.
Franklin Steele of Bleacher Report also said that the “scouts seem to love the fact that his game showed such an upward trend after arriving in North America; often times it can take Europeans several weeks to adjust to the smaller surfaces and increased physicality.”
Credit to thehockeyhouse.net
Gabryel Paquin-Boudreau, RW
Age: 18
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 168 lbs.
Shoots: Left
League: QMJHL
Boudreau is considered to be a great offensive talent and receives plenty of glowing reviews, but is still pretty raw and will need time to develop.
Also, Bradshaw Furlong of The Hockey House said that he “wouldn’t go so far as to say he is a liability on defense, but he definitely must improve if he wants to make the NHL. Paquin-Boudreau is also small and must add weight in order to be able to handle NHL-sized players.”
Offensively, however, he plays with top-end speed and acceleration, and has both playmaking and goal-scoring abilities. He is very creative on offense, which helps make up for his thin frame. He is one of those guys who has a high ceiling but a low floor.
Fredrik Bergvik, G
Age:18
Height: 6’1”
Weight:194 lbs.
Shoots: Left
League: Swedish Jr.
He has been considered a sleeper and dark horse by many in this draft since he is not really one of the upper tier goaltenders. According to Kyle Woodlief of USA Today “He has really refined his techniques and does a good job keeping his shoulders up to cover the top corners when down in the butterfly.”
One of the big knocks on him is his size, which is a bit small compared to a majority of NHL goaltenders nowadays who are able to cover the entire net even when they are low to the ground. Will be a welcomed addition to a pretty thin crop of goaltenders in the system for the Sharks.
Michael Brodzinski, D
Age: 18
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 181 lbs.
Shoots: Right
League: USHL
Brodzinski is a talented offensive defenseman who has all the tools to succeed, including a great shot, speed, good skating ability, and soft hands.
One of his cons is his inconsistent play as a defenseman. When he is focused he can play well, but otherwise can struggle in his own end. He likes to jump up in the play as well. He has committed to the University of Minnesota.
Gage Ausmus, D
Age: 18
Height: 6’1”
Weight: 209 lbs.
Shoots: Left
League: USHL
Ausmus is a defensive defenseman who brings size and a bit of physicality. He has a high hockey IQ and will jump in on offense given the opportunity, however he is definitely a stay at home defenseman.
He does not have a high offensive upside based off of the game he plays, but is still good at moving the puck out of his end while playing positionally sound on defense. Committed to University of North Dakota.
Jacob Jackson, C
Age: 18
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 183lbs.
Shoots:
Left League: Minnesota High School
Jackson is a great two-way player who has top-end speed and has a great shot. He fits more into the sniper mold considering his average skills with the puck as both a puck-handler and passer, although those can be developed further.
The Western College Hockey Blog considers him a “boom-or-bust prospect” with “high-end talent.” Will play in the USHL for Sioux City then will move on to Michigan Tech for college.
Emil Galimov, W/C
Age: 21
Height: 6’2”
Weight: 170 lbs.
Shoots: Left
League: KHL
Not much to say about him, other than that Galimov is old for a prospect at 21 years of age and has previously gone undrafted. He did have a strong showing this year in the KHL with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl tallying seven goals and 11 assists in 33 games.