San Jose traded up to grab Lin 21st overall, a clear bet on right-shot offensive defense in a system that needs it. Lin is coming off a strong draft season with the Vancouver Giants, posting 14 goals and 43 assists in 53 games after managing just five goals the year prior. That jump in finish matters, because the rest of the toolkit was already there. He retrieves pucks cleanly under pressure, uses deception to slip the first forechecker, and quarterbacks the power play with poise. His skating drives controlled exits and lets him activate into the rush without losing his post.

The Sharks traded up in the draft and selected Lin at 21st overall as the team clearly wants to make sure they are deep on defense. Lin has the opportunity to be the top offensive weapon in San Jose.

Lin continues to prove why he’s one of the most dynamic puck-movers in major junior hockey. Despite being undersized for a traditional NHL defenseman, the right-shot rearguard controls the tempo of play with elite skating and composure. Lin’s offensive instincts are elite. He routinely jumps into the rush, drives controlled exits, and quarterbacks the power play with confidence.

Even with such a loaded D corps, Lin was clearly Canada’s standout blueliner at the Hlinka, leading the group with 2 goals and 6 points in 5 games. Despite being overshadowed by the likes of Keaton Verhoeff and Landon DuPont, Lin is also coming off a fantastic DY-1 and was named to the WHL’s All-Rookie team.

The questions are the ones that have followed him, average footspeed and a 5-11 frame, which nudge the projection toward a mobile second-pair power-play piece rather than a true number-one. For fantasy purposes, Lin is an assist-and-power-play profile whose value climbs if the shooting gain from this season sticks. He returns to Vancouver for 2026-27, where the power-play reins and the goal total are the numbers worth watching. In deep dynasty formats he is a defensible hold as a right-shot puck mover.

After posting 53 points in 60 games last season, Lin has started 2025-26 on a tear with 10 points in six games, pacing all Giants defensemen. His transition game is polished; he retrieves pucks cleanly, uses deception to evade pressure, and consistently turns defense into offense. Defensively, he’s grown more assertive, leveraging stick detail and footwork to close gaps and kill plays early. Lin projects as a modern two-way defenseman capable of driving results in all three zones, an offensive catalyst with improving defensive maturity.

Stylistically, Lin is everything you want out of a defender. He’s mature and poised on both sides of the puck while also showing the necessary skill to push the envelope when need be. He gaps up early in the rush, stays with his checks, and is physically engaged. The only question for Lin, as a smallish defenceman with average footspeed, is what heights he’ll be able to reach.