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The Many Sharks’ Bloodlines in 2022 Draft

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Credit: AP Photo/David Zalubowski

There are a ton of San Jose Sharks connections in the fast-approaching 2022 NHL Draft.

SJHN readers have recently heard from Sean Gauthier, talking about his son Cutter Gauthier. Cutter is a likely top-10 pick.

Sharks Goalie Sean Gauthier on Son Cutter’s Draft Climb, Playing With John Nabokov

The Gauthiers are not the only San Jose Sharks bloodline to potentially continue making their way into the NHL this summer.

For instance, 2020 first-round pick Ozzy Wiesblatt may see his brother Oasiz hear his name called in less than two weeks’ time. Oasiz contributed 29 points in 64 games for a struggling Medicine Hat Tigers roster in the WHL this season.

While Dave Snuggerud spent just 36 games with the Sharks in parts of two seasons, he gives plenty of connection to San Jose for fans to keep an eye on where potential first-round selection Jimmy Snuggerud may land this summer. The USNTDP product is committed to join the University of Minnesota this fall, but first, he’ll have a few NHL teams hoping to add him to their organization soon.

With 6 points in 29 prep school games this season, the numbers don’t bode well for Nathan Rivet‘s draft possibilities. His father Craig Rivet spent just over one season with the Sharks, from 2006-2008 en route to a final count of 16 seasons in the NHL.

Curtis Brown spent 736 games in the NHL, 123 of them as a member of the San Jose Sharks. His son, Garrett Brown, played his youth hockey with the San Jose Jr. Sharks program before joining the Sioux City Musketeers in the USHL. It is possible that in the later rounds of this year’s draft, Garrett makes his way back into a Sharks organization before heading to the University of Denver this fall. Brown is Central Scouting’s 102nd-ranked North American skater.

Mike Grier spent three seasons with the San Jose Sharks from 2006-2009 as part of a 15-year NHL career and this summer, his son Jayden Grier could make his own way into the NHL. Having picked up 27 points in 23 games for St. Sebastian’s School in the USHS-Prep league, we may see Grier on the back of an NHL jersey again one day soon.

Jorian Donovan may find himself heading into the NHL Draft having already accomplished something his father never did. Shean Donovan may have played in the NHL for 15 seasons, spending parts of four of them with the Sharks, but he never saw himself lift the CHL’s Memorial Cup. As a member of the OHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs, Jorian is playing for the Memorial Cup this weekend, and victory in Saint John, New Brunswick would be a fantastic way for the defenseman to head into the NHL Draft.

Following Jorian’s OHL draft in 2020, Shean told TSN1200 Ottawa this when asked what his son brings to the game.

“More than me which is good,” was the father’s first response before going on to talk about some of his son’s positives. “He likes offense, so he likes to jump in the play, but I think he can play defense also. And he’s raw which is a good thing. He can skate. He has a passion for the game.”

Speaking of that passion for the game, it appears just a few months after Shean spoke to TSN, the younger Donovan did a fun presentation on his journey through sports, probably for school. Donovan is Central Scouting’s 81st-ranked North American skater.

From 2010 to 2015, Antti Niemi defended the net for the Sharks, and though they aren’t related by blood, his nephew-in-law is eligible for selection in this year’s draft. Rene Nummelin is a defenseman who has played in Finland for his entire career.

In 1996, the San Jose Sharks selected Marco Sturm with the 21st pick of the NHL Draft. Now, in 2022, Mason Sturm is a draft-eligible defenseman. Marco spent eight seasons of his 17 years in the NHL with the Sharks.

Ray Whitney saw parts of six seasons with the San Jose Sharks starting in 1991 and he didn’t call it quits in the NHL until 2014. Eight years later, Hudson Whitney is eligible to be drafted and follow in his father’s footsteps.

While not all of the new generation with Sharks bloodlines will hear their names called this summer, imagine if just one of them blossomed into the level of player their father (or uncle-in-law) was?

Shout out to the users who contributed to this HFBoards thread for putting together some comprehensive lists of draft-eligible players with NHL bloodlines! Did we miss anybody else with Sharks’ ties?

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