Another off-the-board defender? Doug Wilson, why?
One again, the San Jose Sharks headed into a round with two selections, the first of which was their own at 135 overall. With this pick, the Sharks selected defender Artem Guryev from the Peterborough Petes of the Ontario Hockey League.
The 6-foot-3, 198 pound defender must’ve been picked for his size, because this one is a bigger head-scratcher than the last defender they selected. Guryev did not play during the 2020-21 season, as the OHL was unable to host games during the coronavirus pandemic. Not every player was going to find a place to play abroad, however, prior to last season, he had appeared in only 14 OHL games, tallying two assists. He spent the majority of the season with the Lindsay Muskies of the Ontario Junior Hockey League, splitting six points over 30 games, while racking up 66 penalty minutes.
Somehow, the Russian native was still ranked 180 overall by McKeen’s Hockey and 99 among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting.
This story is developing.
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