Ranking San Jose Sharks Prospects (5-1)

 

In the first part of this series, I revealed my top 10 sharks prospects from 10-6. In this article, I will go over my picks for the Sharks top 5 prospects. Sharks fans should be excited about these prospects because they’ll be major contributors in a few years. 

5.  John Leonard (LW)

    Leonard, a 2018 6th round draft pick, is probably the most underrated prospect in the Sharks’ system. The 5’11” soon to be 22 year old, is a shifty winger who is gifted with offensive talent with silky hands and a good scoring ability. Leonard consistently got better each year playing in the NCAA with UMass Amherst, where former teammate and current Shark Mario Ferraro also played there. John put up an extremely impressive season this year with 37 points in 33 games. The best part of his high point total is that he scored 27 goals. Leonards goal total had him number 1 in goals in the division 1 NCAA throughout the entire country. While there is no question that Leonard has the offensive ability in his game, his coach also said he’s been impressed with Leonard’s improved play in his defensive zone. If he can have skill in both zones, his chances of making the NHL skyrockets due to the Sharks need of scoring. The hope is that Leonard can become a very solid top 9 or even a second line two-way winger who can also put up nice goal totals. The crazy thing is that he’s still heavily underrated for what he did this season. Hopefully he gets the recognition he deserves in the next few years.

4. Joachim Blichfeld (RW)

    Stop me if you’ve heard this one before; the Sharks have possibly drafted yet another steal. Joachim Blichfeld was selected 210th overall in 2016 and just finished his rookie season in the AHL. Joachim was named an AHL all star and played 3 games for the Sharks. Blichfeld absolutely tore up the WHL in his time there including his final season where he notched 114 points in 68 for the Portland Winterhawks. He turned pro this year and did not disappoint, recording 32 points in 44 games for the Barracuda. He was called up to play for the Sharks, he was held pointless. In his games with the main club, he showed very nice promise. Now 22 years old, the 6’2” winger will look to grab a spot in the Sharks lineup next season. Blichfeld is an all around winger who can either dish the puck or score a few goals himself. He’s also taken on more defensive responsibility to become an all around good two-way player. Blichfeld has the potential to be a solid top 6 winger for the Sharks if he can transition from the AHL to the NHL. Expect big things from Blichfeld very soon.

3. Alexei Melnichuk (G)

    The Sharks have never shied away from bringing in players from Europe and turning them into quality NHL players. They look to have done it again, locking down Russian goalie star Alexei Melnichuk. They may have found their goalie of the future. At only 22, Melnichuk looks to become the goalie that the Sharks so desperately need. Melnichuk went undrafted and played his entire career moving up in the Russian feeder system for SKA St.Petersburg. He’s played in leagues like the MHL, VHL and eventually the  KHL. He’s really shown how good he is, especially the last two seasons. His save percentage never dropped below .924% and that includes the playoffs. Standing at 6’1”, Melnichuk relies on his technique in net. His control is very good down in the butterfly stance. He isn’t afraid to show off his athleticism when needed. In 16 games with SKA in the KHL this year, Melnichuk put up an impressive 1.68 GAA and .930SV% as the backup. This instantly gave hope to the Sharks organization that he could help put this franchise back on track. It looks like Melnichuk will need a year of development in the AHL before he gets his shot at the Sharks crease but you never know depending on how camp goes. We could see Melnichuk sooner than we think. He’s definitely a player you must keep your eye on.

2. Sasha Chmelevski (C/RW)

    Chmelevski’s another late round gem found by the Sharks. Alexander “Sasha” Chmelevski was picked up by San Jose 185th overall in 2017. In his final season with Ottawa of the OHL (18-19), Sasha put up 75 points in 56 games and added another 31 in 18 playoff games. Chmelevski’s offensive abilities have never shied away, due to him being a playmaking force whenever he’s on the ice. He also has a good shot and is able to work with the puck in tight areas. There have been questions about his defensive game. His main problem is lack of consistency. Slowly but surely, Chmelevski has gotten better in those aspects and looks to be rounding out his game. Chmelevski turned pro this year and had a slow start with the Barracuda, due to an injury. Once he returned, he started to heat up. He finished the season with 27 points in 42 games. Sharks fans should still be excited for Chmelevski because I think he can turn into at least a third line player for the Sharks. He’ll also help their lack of offensive depth. Next year will be a big season for him as he will be given the chance to make the Sharks roster. If he fails to make it, then a big season with the Barracuda will be critical to keep Chmelevski at the top of the Sharks prospects depth chart.

1. Ryan Merkley (D)

    One of the most polarizing prospects across the NHL is the Sharks 2018 first round pick, Ryan Merkley. Merkley was picked 1st overall in the OHL draft and did not disappoint because he won OHL rookie of the year. Merkley’s extremely gifted and has been regarded as the best defenceman out of the 2018 draft behind Rasmus Dahlin in terms of talent. The offensive defenceman is absolutely lethal when he has the puck on his stick in the offensive zone. His skating is great, his passing and vision is elite and his ability to run a power play is just special. Having this much skill and talent in the offensive zone means that Merkley’s defensive game is not the strongest. He’s sometimes caught watching and over committing on plays. It looks as though these issues may be in the past. After being traded to the London Knights, Merkley’s offensive and defensive game both improved. The other main concern people had was Merkley’s proclaimed attitude issues (the reason he fell so low in the draft). He was seen as uncoachable and ruled by his emotions both on and off the. Once again, that may be a thing of the past as Knights head coach Dale Hunter has said that Merkley has absolutely no issues and he was exactly the kind of teammate and leader they needed. Doug Wilson has never been shy to swing for the fences; either they were getting a bust of a pick, or they were getting a top 5 talent all the way down at 21. Merkley is giving them the latter option. After recording 76 points in 60 games for London this past season, Merkley will turn pro and get a chance to prove himself at the next level in the AHL. I think he’s going to prove all his haters wrong and show that he’s a true elite prospect and a future star NHL defenceman.

~sjsharks_hockey (Instagram), BTH Writers