Sharks select Ryan Lin No. 21 overall in 2026 NHL Draft

With the No. 21 overall pick of the 2026 NHL Draft Friday night at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, the San Jose Sharks selected defensemen Ryan Lin of the WHL’s Vancouver Giants, continuing the run of skilled defensemen in the first round.

The pick originally belonged to the Philadelphia Flyers, but the Sharks gave up the No. 27 pick, as well as second- and fourth-round picks, to acquire the spot.

Lin, 18, fits the mould of a blueliner who wouldn’t have been given the same opportunity from an NHL team in another era. He’s one of the smaller players at his position, listed at 5-foot-11 and 176 pounds. But his draft year arrives during a period when the likes of Quinn Hughes, Lane Huson and Cale Makar are flourishing in their puck-moving roles. Scouts’ eyes are wide open on Lin’s potential.

If you’re going to be a smaller defensemen in the NHL, you have to make up for it with your speed, smarts and skill, and Lin has all three in spades. As one scout told Daily Faceoff prospect analyst Steven Ellis this season, “There isn’t a more skilled defender in the first round this year.”

Lin, a righthanded shot, has the dynamic starting-and-stopping ability, wheels and evasiveness to become the type of NHL defenseman who can skate the puck out of trouble on his own, dictate where the play goes and run a power play. On a Giants team that finished last in its division this year, he posted 14 goals and 57 points in 53 games. He also won gold representing Canada at Under-17 World Hockey Challenge and Under-18 World Championship last season, and he led all defensemen in scoring at the U-18s this season.

Lin has committed to the defending NCAA national champion Denver Pioneers for next season and will get the chance to work on getting stronger. Skill is his best trait, but he’s effective in his own zone, too, and that all-around package gives him potential for stardom in the NHL someday.