Pohlkamp signed a two-year entry-level contract with the San Jose Sharks in April 2026. His deal carries an average annual value (AAV) of $1.05M and runs through the 2027-28 season.

Pohlkamp has had a standout third college season, leading all NCAA Division I defensemen in scoring with 17 goals and 37 points in 38 games while posting a plus-24. One of 10 Hobey Baker nominees, and the only defender, his case is strong for being the top player in college hockey. However, the competition will be stiff, with names like Gavin McKenna and Ethan Wyttenbach also in the running for the prestigious award.

Pohlkamp had a fantastic season for the defending Frozen Four champs, at one point in the first half of the regular season outscoring star prospect Zeev Buium. Pohlkamp has a powerful shot, is not afraid to take or block shots, and considering he’s a right-handed player in a prospect system that is heavy on lefties, he is likely to see NHL time near the end of the NCAA season in 2025-26. He is tracking towards a bottom-four role on the San Jose Sharks as early as 2026-27, and we can likely consider him a fantastic pickup for a fifth-round pick.

The San Jose Sharks drafted Pohlkamp in the fifth round (132nd overall) in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft.

The competition for a San Jose roster spot next season will be similarly fierce – Luca Cagnoni, Sam Dickinson, and Mukhamadullin are all in the mix – but that is music to Sharks fans’ ears after years of watching Nick Leddy and Vincent Desharnais trudge up and down the ice. Pohlkamp adds another genuine piece to what is quietly becoming one of the more exciting under-25 defensive cores in the league.