Ryan Lin arrived at No. 10 on the Sharks’ Top 25 Under 25 list with the kind of profile that keeps evaluators talking. The 2026 first-round pick went 21st overall to San Jose, but there were people who thought he should have come off the board earlier. At 5-foot-11 and 180 pounds, he fits the mold of the undersized defenseman who can get overlooked until the puck starts moving.
That wasn’t a problem in the WHL last season. Lin wore the captain’s “C” for the Vancouver Giants and followed up his strong 16-year-old season with a bigger one at 17.
In 53 games during 2025-26, he put up 57 points, scoring 14 goals and adding 43 assists. That led the Giants outright, and it ranked him 11th among WHL defensemen.
What stands out first is how much he thinks the game. Lin handles the puck well, gets it out of the defensive zone cleanly and gives his team a defenseman who can actually push play the other way.
But there’s more edge to his game than pure skill. He’ll step into contact behind the net or in his own zone, and he’s willing to absorb a hit to make a play.
That blend of puck sense and bite is a big reason San Jose moved up to get him.
Still, there are real areas he has to clean up. Some evaluators believe he holds the puck too long and tries to do too much with it, which leads to mistakes.
Because he isn’t an explosive skater, he can’t always erase those errors on the back end. When he builds speed, he moves well enough and can separate from pressure, but the first few steps aren’t a strength.
That can leave him vulnerable in his own end, especially because those short strides are tied to his size.
Derek Neumeier of McKeen’s Hockey laid that out in his pre-draft analysis in April: “There are times where Lin can struggle deep in his own end against opposing forechecks and cycles, because he can’t quite escape quickly or smoothly enough with the puck. And then, once he is hemmed in, he often has difficulty using his feet to make defensive stops and win back possession.”
The weight room should help. Lin’s frame can’t change, but adding strength is a natural next step for an 18-year-old, and that part of his development should come with time.
His next stop is the NCAA, where he’ll play for the University of Denver in 2026-27. That move lines up with what a lot of CHL players are doing now, and it also puts him in a program with a strong track record for developing defensemen. Head coach David Carle has already worked with Sharks prospect Eric Pohlkamp, and he’s also coached Vancouver Canucks prospect Zeev Buium.
Lin will join a group that includes fellow 2026 first-round pick Daxon Rudolph, 2025 second-round pick Blake Fiddler and Sharks prospect Max Heise. The expectation is that he won’t turn pro anytime soon, but that isn’t viewed as a setback. Like Pohlkamp, he looks like a player who needs time in college before he’s ready for the next level.
There’s also plenty to like in the flashier parts of his game. Lin can distribute the puck and create chances for his forwards, and when he has space and speed, he can be dangerous. The NHL highlighted that in a recent reel, and the NHL Draft Pros also put together a scouting report that showed both the strengths and the rough edges in his game.
The rest of the Sharks’ Top 25 Under 25 list has already started to take shape, with Luca Cagnoni at No. 11, followed by Joshua Ravensbergen, Eric Pohlkamp, Quentin Musty, Filip Bystedt, Zack Ostapchuk, Leo Sahlin Wallenius, Cam Lund, Ethan Cardwell, Nolan Allan, Haoxi Wang, Cole McKinney, Carson Wetsch, Mattias Havelid and Christian Kirsch. Honorable mentions included Joey Muldowney, Teddy Mutryn, Andre Gasseau, Brady Knowling and Alexander Karmanov.
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Sharks Interest In Connor Hellebuyck Raises A Bigger Goalie Question
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Yaroslav Askarov is still part of the equation, which makes this more than a simple upgrade chase for San Jose. Winnipeg is not expected to part with Hellebuyck lightly, and any real conversation would likely require a major return, so the Sharks are left weighing whether a swing at an elite veteran fits their timeline or just complicates the future they are trying to build. [Read more 🡒]