There’s certainly some hope for the San Jose Sharks’ blueline in the near future. The flashiest name is obviously that of Ryan Merkley, but names like Artemi Kniazev and Santeri Hatakka fly under the radar. Hatakka, especially, is a prospect that should not be overlooked, despite the lack of name-recognition.
In his 2019 draft year, Hatakka was in the Finnish men’s juniors system, splitting his season between Jokerit’s U18 and U20 squads. He played three games for the U18 team, tallying one assist, but saw much more action with the U20 team, playing in 43 games.