When the New Jersey Devils return to Prudential Center on Sunday, they will have a rested San Jose Sharks team waiting for them. However, if you look at how both general managers have built their teams, the feeling is similar, especially how they have mixed the young players they drafted with the veterans they brought in.
“I think it’s similar. The Sharks just started rebuild,” former Devils and current San Jose Sharks goaltender Vitek Vanecek said. “Like they just drafted young guys. In here was like, Nico couple years, Hughes couple years. So it’s a little bit different, but it’s, it’s very similar.”
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As Vanecek mentioned, the Devils have a leg up on the Sharks because of when the Devils drafted their young players. The Devils, under President and general manager Tom Fitzgerald, drafted Nico Hischier first overall in 2017 and Jack Hughes first overall in 2019. Those players were the foundation for the Devil’s young core, especially down the middle.
The Devils also drafted Luke Hughes, Dawson Mercer, Jesper Bratt, Simon Nemec, and Seamus Casey. The latter two are in the AHL development stage. However, if you look at the Sharks under general manager Mike Grier, they are at the stages the Devils were in 2017. They got the number one pick in 2024, drafting Mackin Celebrini. But if you look at their prospect pool, it is on par with what the Devils did.
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Along with Celebrini, the San Jose Sharks drafted William Eklund and Will Smith, along with Sam Dickinson, Igor Chernyshov, and Filip Bystedt, who are coming up through the system. Not to mention a young goaltender in Yaroslav Askarov, whom they acquired from Nashville, ready to join this group. And while Mike Grier might take some flack for his trades, the results he is getting from the players he acquired are similar to what Tom Fitzgerald got in his first couple of seasons.
While the Devils and Sharks are at different stages of their rebuild plans, you can see how they mirror each other. Even former New Jersey Devils and current San Jose Sharks goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood, who has seen both from the start, notices that the Sharks and Devils have the same feel and pathway.
“Yeah, it’s a similar feel, but I’m at a different stage (laughs). No, no, no, I’m just teasing, but yeah, it’s similar,” Blackwood said. “Like they’re experiencing similar things to what the Devils did many years ago. And it’s cool to see teams’ visions can change over time. Like the Devils right now are building and growing and getting better and better, and that’s good to see. And this team is in the middle of a rebuild right now, but it’s exciting to see the plan ahead.”
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The Devils and Sharks are on opposite ends of what they want to do, but both teams knew they could not rely on young talent just to win hockey games. Even before this season, Fitzgerald tried to bring in those veterans with a championship background to set the standard and the routine for the younger players. The Sharks are doing the same thing.
This past off-season, the Sharks brought in Tyler Toffoli, Alexander Wennberg, Ty Dellandrea, Cody Ceci, and Barclay Goodrow to go along with Mikael Granlund, Logan Couture, and Luke Kunin. The Sharks just acquired Timothy Liljegren to help stabilize the defense corps.
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Again, these are similar moves to when Fitzgerald came in, bringing in guys like Ondrej Palat, Dougie Hamilton, Tomas Tatar, Erik Haula, Jonas Siegenthaler, and others to set the tone for the young players. And that mix is paying off in San Jose.
“Yeah, I mean, we have, we have a good mix,” Fabian Zetterlund said. “I know, like a couple of veteran guys, and then we have, of course, a young core too. But I mean, everyone is when they’re playing at the best. We’re a good hockey team, so we’re just gonna show that tomorrow (Sunday) and step it up.”
This group has allowed the Sharks to gain confidence on the ice and help them in all situations as they take from each other. Similar to the mix that is happening with the New Jersey Devils. It may take a little longer, but if they learn to play consistently and not cheat the game, the Sharks can accelerate their rebuild.
