Sharks Conclude 2015 NHL Draft With Nine Total Selections

Sharks Conclude 2015 NHL Draft With Nine Total Selections

Jun 27, 2015

SAN JOSE - The San Jose Sharks concluded the 2015 NHL Draft today with Sharks General Manager Doug Wilson and Director of Scouting Tim Burke making  a total of nine selections.

A complete overview of the Sharks activity during the 2015 NHL Draft, as well as information about each selection, can be found below.

SHARKS ROUND-BY-ROUND DRAFT ACTIVITY

1ST ROUND: Sharks select right wing Timo Meier (9th overall)
TRANSACTION: Sharks acquire 31st overall pick from Colorado in exchange for 39th overall in 2015, second-round pick in 2016, and sixth-round pick in 2017
2ND ROUND: Sharks select defenseman Jeremy Roy (31st overall)
TRANSACTION: Sharks acquired third-round selection (86th overall) from Edmonton
3RD ROUND: Sharks select goaltender Mike Robinson (86th overall)
4TH ROUND: Sharks select left wing Adam Helewka (106th overall)
5TH ROUND: Sharks select defenseman Karlis Cukste (130rd overall)
5TH ROUND: Sharks select left wing Rudolfs Balcers (142nd overall)
6TH ROUND: Sharks select defenseman Adam Parsells (160th overall)
7TH ROUND: Sharks select center Marcus Vela (190th overall)
TRANSACTION: Sharks acquire 193rd overall pick from Dallas in exchange for rights to goaltender Antti Niemi
7TH ROUND: Sharks select goaltender John Kupsky (193rd overall)
TRANSACTION: Sharks acquire defenseman Patrick McNally from Vancouver in exchange for 210th overall pick

After selecting right wing Timo Meier in the first round (9th overall) on Day One of the 2015 NHL Draft, the Sharks moved up to obtain the 31st overall selection from Colorado in exchange for the 39th pick in 2015, a second-round pick in 2016, and a sixth-round pick in 2017. The Sharks used the 31st overall pick to select defenseman Jeremy Roy from Sherbrooke of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). He was ranked 6th by Central Scouting among all North American defensemen.

Roy, a six-foot, 188-pound defenseman from Longueuil, QC, played in 46 games for Sherbrooke during 2014-15, registering 43 points (5-38=45) which ranked 2nd amongst all QMJHL defenseman in points per game (0.93). Roy also represented his home country of Canada at the 2015 U-18 World Junior Championships, registering four points (3-1=4), won a bronze medal, and was named one of Canada's top three players by his coaches.

The Sharks used the 86th overall pick to select goaltender Mike Robinson from Lawrence Academy. Robinson played for Lawrence Academy (USHS) and the Boston Jr. Rangers (EHL) last season, notably registering a 2.94 GAA and .937 SV% in eight games with the Rangers. The 18-year old Robinson is committed to play for the University of New Hampshire beginning in the 2017-18 season. He was ranked 8th by Central Scouting among all North American goaltenders.

In the fourth-round (106th overall), San Jose selected left-wing Adam Helewka from Spokane of the Western Hockey League (WHL). The six-foot-one, 201-pound Helewka registered 87 points (44-43=87) in 69 games, ranking 5th in the entire WHL in goals (44) and 8th in points (87) during the season.

With San Jose's fifth-round (130th overall) selection, the Sharks drafted six-foot-two, 203-pound defenseman Karlis Cukste from HK Riga of the MHL. Cukste was ranked 100th by Central Scouting among all European skaters, and registered 15 points (7-8=15) and 40 penalty minutes in 56 games last season.

With the 142nd overall selection (fifth-round), San Jose picked Latvian left-wing Rudolfs Balcers from Stavanger of the GET-ligaen, Norway's top division of hockey. Balcers split time between Stavanger and its U-20 junior team during 2014-15, notably posting 21 points (8-13=21) and a plus-14 rating in 36 games with Stavanger. He was ranked 80th by Central Scouting among all European skaters.

In the sixth-round (160th overall), the Sharks selected defenseman Adam Parsells from Wausau West High School (USHS). The 18-year-old registered 22 points (7-15-22) and 28 penalty minutes in 23 games with Wausau West during 2014-15. In addition, the six-foot-six, 192-pound defenseman was named the Gannett Central Wisconsin Media's hockey player of the year and was named to the All-Area Boys Team. Parsells was ranked 94th by Central Scouting among all North America skaters.

San Jose selected six-foot, 204-pound center Marcus Vela from Langley of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) with the 190th overall selection in the seventh-round. Vela played in 50 games for Langley during the 2014-15 season, registering near a point-per-game pace with 46 points (20-26=56). Vela was ranked 131st by Central Scouting among all North American skaters.

Following the selection of Vela, San Jose acquired the 193rd overall pick in the seventh-round by trading the rights to goaltender Antti Niemi. In what would be their final selection in the draft, San Jose selected six-foot-five, 210-pound goaltender John Kupsky from Lone Star of the North American Hockey League (NAHL). Kupsky posted a 2.16 GAA and .911 SV% in 30 regular season games with Lone Star, following that up with a 1.86 GAA and .930 SV% performance in nine playoff games. Kupsky has committed to Union College (NCAA) for the 2015-16 season.

In addition, San Jose traded the 210th overall selection in the seventh-round to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for defenseman Patrick McNally. The 23 year-old McNally was originally selected by Vancouver in the fourth round (115th overall) in the 2010 NHL Draft. He has played collegiately at Harvard University for the past four seasons, where he totaled 60 points (14 goals, 46 assists) in 82 NCAA games.