San Jose took Stenberg second overall, one slot behind Gavin McKenna, and dropped him into a young core already headlined by Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith, Michael Misa and Sam Dickinson. He earns that billing on hockey sense before any single tool. The scans are constant, the first touch moves the puck into space instead of into trouble, and he reads pressure a beat early, which is why a full SHL season at 18 (11 goals, 22 assists in 43 games) never looked like a teenager hanging on against men. His hands and edges sit near the top of the class, the shot is accurate and well disguised, and he defends without cheating, the rare draft winger a coach can use in any situation.

Stenberg was drafted second overall by the San Jose Sharks as they continue to plan to dominate the NHL in a few seasons. Celebrini and Stenberg will be magic.

Stenberg is undeniably the best prospect to come out of Sweden since Carlsson, or even Dahlin. His track record is impressive; a record-breaking scoring pace in the Swedish U20 league as a 16-year-old that was only cut short by an SHL call-up, an incredible 51 points in 29 games for Team Sweden, the most points ever by a 16-year-old in the SHL playoffs, and, entering his draft year, already half a season as a regular in an SHL lineup.

Fantasy value comes from volume playmaking on a rebuild with no reason to slow-walk him: power-play time, primary assists, and a shot total that should grow as he fills out. A September 2007 birthday makes him one of the oldest players in the class, which trims the projection slightly, but a top-line two-way scorer pushing 70-plus points.

The only caveat is that he is one of the oldest players in the 2026 draft class, but his skill and résumé are undeniably elite for any prospect. Stenberg’s success comes from several elite traits; most impressive is his awareness and adaptability. Always composed and in control, he can adjust to any scenario. Combine that with excellent skating, agility, stickhandling, body control, playmaking, and a reliable two-way game, and Stenberg often looks like a seasoned veteran competing against kids.

He will find it difficult to challenge McKenna for the number one spot, but expect him to be in contention for the second overall pick right up until draft night.

Preliminary Rankings- It’s uncommon for players to play more than a handful of games in the SHL in their DY-1 season. It’s even rarer for players to play meaningful minutes, and excel, in the SHL playoffs in their DY-1 season. The rarity of this accomplishment is why Ivar Stenberg comes in as our 3rd rated prospect.

Stenberg is a unique player due to possessing both a complete game with very few weaknesses, while having near elite level skill as well. He is equally a scorer and playmaker and can do both in a multitude of ways. He plays with intensity and displayed above average compete level in the SHL last season. Stenberg’s skill and hands are near the top of the draft class and can make opposing players look foolish with both subtle feints and spectacular dekes.

The only drawbacks to Stenberg’s NHL projection are that while he’s not a small player, he’s also not a big player. At his size, his skating is considered just above average, and for a player ranked in the top 3, you’d hope for a more appealing combination of size and skating. Still, none of these are weaknesses, just things that might prevent him from becoming a superstar player, even if star level is well within reach.

Overall, Stenberg should play a big role for Frolunda in the middle of the lineup at 5-on-5, while being a fixture on the PP. For my money, he’s in the Lucas Raymond tier of prospect if we’re comparing him to other high-end Swedish draft prospects in recent history.