Long before June’s draft established their professional trajectories, San Jose Sharks winger Ivar Stenberg sensed that a future in Toronto was not in the cards. Considered by many scouts to be one of the top two available talents due to his dynamic playmaking, hockey sense, and immediate NHL readiness, Stenberg walked away from his pre-draft meetings with the Maple Leafs with a distinct impression.
“I was pretty sure I would not go first overall,” Stenberg said. “I didn’t have good meetings with Toronto and didn’t feel like it was the team for main.”
As anticipation gave way to reality, the Maple Leafs exercised the No. 1 overall pick they secured in the draft lottery to select Penn State forward Gavin McKenna. The Yukon-born teenager was widely regarded as the premier offensive talent in the draft class. With Stenberg still on the board, the Sharks eagerly utilized their No. 2 lottery selection to secure the Swedish forward.
“I had met with the Leafs during the year, but I don’t know,” Stenberg said. “They wanted another guy, and I accept that. But I’m super happy I’m with the Sharks.”
On Monday, Stenberg and McKenna are scheduled to face each other as NHL players for the first time when the Sharks visit Scotiabank Arena to continue a six-game road trip. The two young stars previously crossed paths during a World Junior Championship pre-tournament game last December.
Both teenagers have wasted little time making an impact at the professional level. Stenberg, now 19, has integrated smoothly into the Sharks’ lineup and sits tied for second in NHL rookie scoring with six points through his first seven games. McKenna is right behind with five points in nine games, though his early tenure in Toronto has included some turbulence under head coach Jim Hiller.
McKenna recently navigated a difficult stretch that included being benched for the final 32:54 of a 5-4 overtime loss to the Buffalo Sabres, finishing with just 6:36 of ice time. Two days later against the New York Islanders, where the Leafs suffered a 4-1 defeat, McKenna logged a career-high 17:56 of ice time, recording four shots on net and a minus-2 rating. The Leafs have dropped four of their last five games and are currently managing injuries to forward John Tavares and defenseman Chris Tanev.
Meanwhile, the Sharks enter the matchup holding a 4-3-1 record, though early-season success has been complicated by a recurring inability to protect leads. San Jose has blown a two-third-period lead in four of their eight games, most recently in a 4-3 shootout loss to the Detroit Red Wings.
In that game against Detroit, the Sharks built a 3-1 advantage by the 2:48 mark of the third period after Stenberg converted on the power play for his second goal of the season, assisted by Alexander Wennberg and Macklin Celebrini. Stenberg, who was promoted to the team’s top power-play unit, also collected an assist on Dmitry Orlov’s first-period power-play marker, marking the second multi-point performance of his NHL career.
Detroit erased the deficit when forward Emmitt Finnie scored an even-strength goal at the 5:00 mark, followed by Alex DeBrincat’s tying goal with an extra attacker and just 1:33 remaining in regulation. Orlov accepted responsibility for the defensive breakdown that allowed Finnie to slip behind him on a rush.
“We probably lost that game because of me,” Orlov said. “The puck was rolling, and I wasn’t sure if I should touch it or not. I needed to be closer to him and not even give him a chance at the puck.
The Sharks failed to capitalize on an overtime power play, and Stenberg, Celebrini, and Will Smith were turned away by Red Wings goaltender John Gibson in the shootout, while Lucas Raymond scored the game-winner against Sharks netminder Alex Nedeljkovic.
Despite the late-game struggles, Stenberg continues to embrace the surreal nature of competing against childhood idols. During a recent matchup against the Edmonton Oilers, Stenberg found himself regularly matched up against Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl during 5-on-5 play.
“It still feels unrealistic,” Stenberg said. “When you’re out and trying to win hockey games, you don’t think about it too much. But when you see McDavid come with his speed, it’s pretty cool to see.”
Settled into his new surroundings, Stenberg believes he landed precisely where he was meant to be.
“I like all the guys, young team,” Stenberg said. “Even if it’s hard speaking English, I still believe that in some months we’re going to have a lot of fun. A good team on the way up, getting better every year, and we have some really good players here.”
