San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) General Manager Mike Grier announced today that the club has signed forward Ivar Stenberg to a standard, entry-level contract.
Stenberg, 18, led SHL U19 skaters in scoring this season with 33 points (11 goals, 22 assists) and in assists and in points per game (0.77). He helped Frolunda HC capture the 2026 Champions Hockey League Championship, tallying four points (all assists) in six games with his club. He recorded a career-high four-point game at the SHL level on Nov. 22 at Leksands IF, tallying one goal and three assists. He also logged a career-long 10-game point streak (four goals, 10 assists) at the SHL level from Oct. 30 through Dec. 6, the longest such streak by an 18-year-old or younger in SHL history.
At the conclusion of finishing his second season in the SHL with Frolunda, he was awarded SHL most assists by a Junior (22) and SHL most points by a Junior (33). Stenberg also received the prestigious honor of being named Swedish Junior Hockey Player of the Year (Arets Junior), awarded annually to the top young ice hockey talent in Sweden by the Swedish Ice Hockey Association and Elite Prospects.
Internationally, he helped Team Sweden win the Gold Medal at the 2026 U20 World Juniors Championship, recording four goals and six assists in seven games. Among tournament skaters, he finished tied for fifth in points, tied for seventh in goals, and tied for ninth in assists. Stenberg found the score sheet in six of his seven tournament games, including a three-point effort (one goal, two assists) in the Gold Medal game against Czechia on Jan. 5 and was named U20 World Junior Championship Top 3 Player on Team. He represented Sweden at the World Championships and finished the tournament ranked second in goals (4), third in points (8), and tied for fourth in assists (4) among his team.
During his 2024-25 season, he posted career highs across all scoring categories (26 goals, 27 assists) at the J20 Nationell level and finished ranked sixth in the league in goals. Among Frolunda HC J20 skaters, he led his team in goals, was second in points (53), and fifth in assists. He also skated in three games and tallied eight points (one goal, seven assists) in the J18 Region and one game in the J20 Nationell, where he tallied six points (one goal, five assists), both with Frolunda HC J18. He captured the Silver Medal with Sweden at the 2025 U18 World Junior Championship where he posted 13 points (eight goals, five assists) and was named U18 World Junior Championship All-Star Team. He also captured the Hlinka Gretzky Cup Bronze Medal and earned Hlinka Gretzky Cup Most Goals (4).
The 5-foot-11, 190-pound native of Stenungsund, Sweden, was selected by San Jose in the 2026 NHL Draft (first round, second overall).
