Of the 48 American players selected in the 2022 NHL Draft, three are California natives. Center Zakary Karpa, a sixth-round selection of the New York Rangers, was born in Newport Beach, and came up through the US National Team Development Program. Both of the other two California-born players were not only born in San Jose, but played for the San Jose Junior Sharks program for several seasons.
Center Garrett Brown went in the fourth round (99th overall) to the Winnipeg Jets. Yes, that’s Brown as in Curtis Brown’s kid — his father was traded to the Sharks in 2004 and remained with the team through 2008, playing 128 games and tallying 15 goals, 18 assists and 72 penalty minutes.