Fun times as a Sharks fan with so many good prospects, it's actually crazy!
But.... that defence though?
LD:
Which brings me to a question if Sharks are kinda okay on LD?
NHL ready: Walman, Ferraro, Thrun
Prospect pool: Dickinson, Mukhamadullin, Sahlin-Wallenius, Cagnoni, Furlong etc.
Fringe D/veteran: Vlasic
Walman is the only real top 4 LD on the roster. He also seems to have a great personality that I wouldn't hate to have as an veteran presence for more than couple of years.
Thrun is kinda NHL ready(ish) with showing some flashes of good play both ways, but is kinda of a fringe player until proven otherwise.
Prospect pool looks good with Dickinson leading the way, Mukhamadullin being NHL ready(ish) and the rest needing couple of years. I believe in Cagnoni, but I hope he can play RD in case of the logjam.
RD:
On the RD side, I think it's clear we need a lot more competition. It's just awful.
NHL ready: Benning, Emberson (close enough)
Prospect pool: Pohlkamp, Thompson, Hävelid etc.
Fringe D/veteran: Rutta
Benning should be 3rd pair/7th realistically, but still can play for an NHL team.
Emberson and rest of the prospect pool are projected for the 3rd pair and 7th defencemen spots for the future. I have some hope for Pohlkamp, but wouldn't bet my money on it.
We need to draft RD in the top 10 + get 2-3 RD though trades. That way we can build a solid foundation for the future.
Future projection:
Dickinson - X/trade/draft
Mukhamadullin - X/trade/draft
Cagnoni/Thrun/FA - Emberson/Pohlkamp/FA