San Jose Sharks 2020 NHL Draft Profile: F John-Jason Peterka

One prospect the San Jose Sharks could be eyeing for this year’s 2020 NHL Draft is 18-year-old German forward John-Jason Peterka.

Forward John-Jason Peterka would be an interesting selection by the San Jose Sharks. The 18-year-old German has caused some controversy when it comes to where he’ll be picked.

This could be due to his inability to produce for EHC München of the DEL, but having the ability to dominate the lower leagues. In 42 games for EHC München, Peterka was only able to post 11 points (seven goals, four assists).

However, in seven games for Germany U20 of the WJC-20, he scored six points (four goals, two assists). Moreover, Peterka scored 10 points (five goals, five assists) for Germany U20 in the international juniors tournament.

Peterka’s lack of production in the DEL could be due to his lack of ice-time — he averaged under 12 minutes a game. But because of this inconsistency, some scouts rank him high and some rank him low.

Bob McKenzie of TSN ranks Peterka at No. 20, while Future Considerations ranks him at No. 41, but he’s then ranked as high as No. 14 by hockeyprospect.com. So, it’s unknown if Peterka will go on the first round or the second round.

Strengths

Peterka has a wide skating stance, but this is beneficial for the 5-foot-11, 192-pounder. The wide stance creates a low center of gravity, allowing the young forward to drive and fight through checks.

Even with the wide stance, Peterka is still a great skater. Having a great first step, Peterka accelerates quickly, changes directions on a dot, and has the ability to change his speed when he does and doesn’t possess the puck to work his way past defenders.

Along with great skating ability, Peterka’s hands are another one of his strengths. He has the ability to make dekes and passes at top speed and is good at controlling the puck down low.

Another one of the German forward’s strengths is his Hockey IQ. When coming in on the rush, he has the wherewithal to use the defender as a screen. Peterka also tends to keep his head up so he can find passing lanes and open ice so he can receive a pass himself.

One of the most if not the most important attributes of Peterka is his shot — both his wrist and snap shots are hard and accurate and have a quick release. There’s a reason the young forward tends to have more goals than assists.

Weaknesses

Although Peterka has a strong lower body, his upper half seems to be a bit weak. He tends to stay away from checking his opposition.

Peterka’s defensive positioning could use some work as well. He tends to find himself chasing the puck instead of playing his man or zone. In one word, he’s undisciplined.

Peterka’s quickness up ice has been questioned as well, along with his shooting angles and consistency of play from shift-to-shift and game-to-game — he sometimes disappears from games.

San Jose Sharks Prediction

With the Sharks having three picks over the first two rounds in this year’s draft, including two in the second round, it’s possible that they take Peterka.

San Jose’s first-round pick will be late in the round so they could take Peterka then. However, if they don’t take him in the first round, the Sharks’ first second-round pick will be early in the round, so if Peterka is still there, they could take him then.

Either way, Peterka will be a project of a prospect. His ceiling is thought to be a top-six forward, but he’ll most likely have to spend a few years in the AHL, fixing up his defense and working on the consistency of his game.