Sharks pay Draft price for trades

OTTAWA -- The San Jose Sharks got All-Star defenseman Brian Campbell at the trade deadline in February. Part of the cost was sending forward Steve Bernier to the Buffalo Sabres; the rest of the bill came at the Entry Draft as the Sabres owned the Sharks' first-round pick.

The Sharks also dealt away their second-round choice, No. 54, to Washington; but made a deal with Tampa Bay to get the first pick in the third round, No. 62. They had previously dealt their own third-rounder, No. 87, to St. Louis and would have been without a pick until No. 117.

The Sharks looked aggressively to move into the first round this weekend, but the price was prohibitive. Instead, they piled up later-round choices, winding up with seven picks in the final five rounds -- not surprising for a team that has found gems like Joe Pavelski in the later rounds.

"We had discussions but decided the cost for what we were potentially looking at was too exorbitant," GM Doug Wilson said.

Here's a look at the Sharks' 2008 NHL Entry Draft class:

No. 62, Justin Daniels, C, Kent School (USHS) -- After sitting out the first two rounds, the Sharks used the first pick in the third round to select Daniels, a Suffern, N.Y., native who was a big scorer at Kent School, a Connecticut prep school. He had 17 goals and 54 points in 25 games.

He's a long way from suiting up for the Sharks, though. Daniels was tabbed fourth by the Sioux City Musketeers in the USHL draft and has committed to play at Northeastern in the fall of 2009.

No. 92, Samuel Groulx, D, Quebec (QMJHL) -- The Sharks again made a deal to move up, this time to nab Groulx, who was named to the QMJHL All-Rookie Team in 2007-08 and ranked No. 76 among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting. He had five goals, 25 points and 100 penalty minutes in 70 games with Quebec. At 165 pounds, he has to fill out to contend for an NHL job in the future.

No. 106, Harri Sateri, G, Tappara (Finland) -- The Sharks made yet another trade to get the chance to draft Sateri, who at 6-1 and 190 pounds certainly has the size to play in the NHL. Central Scouting’s No. 2-ranked European goaltender comes off an impressive season in Finland that saw him work his way into a co-starting role with the national team at the World Junior Championships.

No. 146, Julien Demers, D, Ottawa (OHL) -- San Jose never seems to have enough defensemen, so the Sharks made another deal for the pick that turned into Demers, a hard-hitting 218-pounder who's solid on his skates but needs to work on his mobility and playmaking skills. He's the third 67s player selected by the Sharks in as many years.

No. 177, Tommy Wingels, C, Miami University (CCHA) -- Of San Jose's seven choices, this was the only one in which the Sharks used the pick that actually belonged to them. They selected Wingels, a freshman center who had 14 goals and 29 points in 42 games for Miami.

No. 186, Jason Demers, D, Victoriaville (QMJHL) -- Demers (no relation to Julien) has shown good playmaking skills in his four junior seasons. This season, he had nine goals and 55 assists for the Tigres, one of the QMJHL's weaker teams.

No. 194, Drew Daniels, RW, Kent School (USHS) -- With Justin Daniels in the fold, the Sharks used their last pick to nab twin brother Drew, who played with him at Kent and is also bound for Sioux City this fall and Northeastern in 2009. Drew had 12 goals and 47 points in 25 games for Kent.