It’s widely assumed that the Sharks will select Macklin Celebrini with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, but how will San Jose approach its No. 14 pick?
Speaking on the “NHL Draft Class Podcast,” Sharks’ director of amateur scouting Chris Morehouse revealed the front office’s draft strategy, specifically in an area of the draft in which every team’s selections can become a lot harder to predict.
“It’s a hard question to ask,” Morehouse said. “I still think in that area of the draft, you’re still gravitating towards the talent aspect.
“I think there are some situations where you start the need versus want versus best talent available. You also want to draft a kid that is going to be put in the best situation to succeed.”
Last summer, the Sharks acquired the No. 14 selection from the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Erik Karlsson trade.
And although Morehouse wasn’t clear on the direction the Sharks will take after presumably drafting Celebrini, the director admitted that it’s his and his staff’s job to debunk the draft projection lists that are highly influenced by media members.
To him, the Sharks ultimately will do what makes sense for the organization and the player at all levels of the game – both on and off the ice – and not solely let the best available factor decide.
“The idea of the best player available at that for the general consensus might not be what ours is,” Morehouse added. “So that’s where you get the ‘Why did they do that for?’ Well, if you think about it, we’re trying to piece together a team. We’re not necessarily thinking of that value, that player.
“On our team, [it] might not be the same value if you take that player and you put him somewhere else.”
With a rebuild in progress, it remains intriguing how the Sharks will follow the franchise’s first No. 1 pick in an NHL draft.
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