San Jose Sharks: Final Rounds Of NHL Draft

The San Jose Sharks had three picks in the final rounds (4th-7th), so here they are below.

In the 4th round the Sharks went with defenseman Alexis Vanier. He played in the Quebec Major-Junior League (QMJHL) for Baie-Comeau and tallied 36 points in 61 points despite a shoulder injury which took him out early from the playoffs. 

At 6’5″ 215+ he possess fantastic size, though as you’d expect from someone that big he leaves something to be desired as far as skating goes. Still, there is plenty to like about his game according to Elite Prospects:

"Though he has skating issues, the rest of Vanier’s package is very entertaining. The hulking defenseman isn’t shy to throw the body and picks his spots well. With his frame, he also has a booming shot that is highly effective on the power play."

Ben Kerr from Last Word On Sports also has this to say about the “boom or bust prospect”:

"While he is more suited to be the trigger man of the powerplay than the quarterback, he does have decent passing skill, including a good first pass in his own zone, and even some decent vision and playmaking in the offensive zone."

In the 5th round, 149th overall, the San Jose Sharks selected Rourke Chartier, a centerman from the Kelowna Rockets. After a slow start to the season he picked right back up from last season and tallied 58 points in 72 games played. He also had and additional 12 points in 14 playoff games.

Chartier is a fantastic two-way player that can create offense as well as kill penalties. Here’s his report, per Future Considerations:

"Chartier is a skilled forward with a high work ethic. He shows impressive quickness and excellent overall skating ability. He makes opposing players miss and has the hands to carry the puck into the opposition zone. He possesses great vision and is smart with/without the puck. Only issue is lack of size and game to game consistency."

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He does leave a bit on the table though as far as size considering he is 5’10” but only weighs a little over 160. He would definitely need to add to that frame to compete at the NHL level.

The San Jose Sharks’ final pick of the draft, which came in the 6th round, was Kevin Labanc. With the Barrie Colts in the OHL Labanc had 35 points in 65 games.  Here is his scouting report according to the New York Hockey Journal:

"Speedy, shifty winger plays with a high degree of energy and brings a constant work ethic to every shift. Tenacious on the forecheck and in puck pursuit; keeps his feet moving and forces turnovers with dogged pressure. Above-average puck skills and vision; an effective power-play presence who uses his quickness to exploit open space and work the play to the net. Average size, though did benefit from the off-ice conditioning at the NTDP."

This turned out to be a pretty decent draft at first glance. The San Jose Sharks were definitely targeting hard-nosed, high energy guys along with forwards with high offensive potential. Obviously we’ll have to wait a few years to see how successful this draft ends up turning out, but at least for now things look promising.