Sharks pick Swedish center Filip Bystedt at No. 27 in draft originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
After trading down from the No. 11 pick, the Sharks used the No. 27 overall selection in the 2022 NHL Draft on 18-year-old Swedish center Filip Bystedt on Thursday night at Bell Centre in Montreal.
The Sharks entered the first round of the draft with the No. 11 pick but when they were on the clock with that selection, they traded it to the Arizona Coyotes for the No. 27 pick and two 2022 second-round selections (No. 34 and No. 45).
Bystedt is the first pick for new general manager Mike Grier, who was introduced by the team on Tuesday.
“Our scouts did a great job,” Grier told ESPN’s Emily Kaplan shortly after the pick was made. “It’s been a long ride, been a long year and without having a GM in place, I’ve got to give them a ton of credit. They stuck to the task, grinded it out and Doug did a good job with the European scouts. They really like the kid, his character, his guy, so we’re excited to have him.”
Here is NHL.com’s scouting report on Bystedt:
“Bystedt had 49 points (16 goals, 33 assists) in Sweden’s junior league, and the 18-year-old also had two points (one goal, one assist) in 15 games with Linkoping in the Swedish Hockey League. He capped his season with three points (two goals, one assist) in six games to help Sweden win the 2022 IIHF Under-18 World Championship. He has NHL-ready size (6-4, 204) with a good shot, and is expected to have a bigger role in the SHL next season.”
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With Bystedt now in the fold, the Sharks have 10 picks remaining in the 2022 draft, which will resume Friday morning in Montreal.
