San Jose Sharks News

Home

Quizzes

Newsletter

Sharks’ Ivar Stenberg Is a Genuine Calder Trophy Contender

Ivar Stenberg helped make the San Jose Sharks a big winner at the NHL Draft. (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Sharks’ Ivar Stenberg Is a Genuine Calder Trophy Contender

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Deepanjan Mitra | Last updated Sep 24, 2026 10:45 AM ET

Add us as a preferred source on Google

The 2027 Calder Trophy race already has quite a few candidates, and the preseason hasn’t even ended yet. Usually this race is full of players drafted at the very top. But the 2026-27 rookie class is something different altogether. We knew even back during the draft that it is unusually deep. The Flyers have Porter Martone, while the Maple Leafs have Gavin McKenna sitting at the top of fan rankings as the favorites and have already entered the league with a taste of NHL action in their mouths.

But there is one more name that has kept both the fans and the analysts buzzing. That name is Ivar Stenberg. And San Jose Sharks fans have plenty of reasons to be excited about it. The forward is a legitimate threat to win rookie of the year after the franchise picked him #2 overall earlier this year.

The betting markets already reflect it. Stenberg has climbed to third on nearly every Calder board, with odds hovering between +575 and +700, ahead of the likes of Cole Hutson and Anton Frondell. One analyst at Sportsbook Review went a step further and picked Stenberg outright to win the award. That is remarkable positioning for a player who has yet to skate a single NHL regular-season game, and it speaks to how highly the hockey world regards both his talent and his situation.

That situation is the foundation of the case. The Sharks are building one of the most enviable young cores in the league, and if Stenberg earns a scoring role, the players around him could accelerate his production dramatically. The prospect of him skating alongside Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith, and Michael Misa is enough to boost any rookie’s counting stats. At the Rookie Faceoff, he offered an early glimpse, scoring twice in 25 seconds on a line between Misa and Igor Chernyshov.

The Résumé Behind the Hype

Stenberg’s Calder candidacy is not built on projection alone. His draft season was among the best by a teenager in Swedish Hockey League history. He posted 33 points on 11 goals and 22 assists in 43 games with Frolunda, the fifth-highest total ever by a player 18 or younger in Sweden’s top professional league. Producing at that rate against grown men is the strongest possible signal that his game will translate.

He backed it up on the international stage. Stenberg recorded 10 points in seven games during Sweden’s gold-medal run at the 2026 World Juniors, dominating a tournament full of future NHL players. Scouts consistently praise his elite hockey IQ, high-end playmaking, a deceptive wrist shot, and a motor that never quits. NHL Central Scouting ranked him the top international skater in the entire draft class. This prospect is a player whose floor, in the words of Daily Faceoff’s Steven Ellis, is very, very high.

The Edge Over the Favorites

Here is where Stenberg’s case becomes genuinely compelling relative to the two players ahead of him. Compared to Martone, Stenberg has far more talented linemates to work with. The Flyers cannot provide the same level of offensive support as the Sharks, and a rookie’s Calder chances often depend on the quality of the players feeding him the puck. In San Jose, Stenberg could step directly into a scoring role with elite finishers around him.

Compared to McKenna, Stenberg holds a different advantage. He has already spent a full season competing against professional men in a demanding European league, which should ease his adjustment to the NHL’s size and speed. McKenna, despite his brilliance, is moving up from junior hockey. That pro seasoning could matter enormously over the grind of an 84-game schedule, particularly in the early months when many rookies struggle to adapt.

There is also a structural reason to like his odds. San Jose is trying to make the playoffs, but the organization is also clearly prioritizing the long-term development of its young core. That likely means a longer rope and more consistent ice time for Stenberg, even through the inevitable rookie slumps. A high pick on a rebuilding team that has every incentive to let him play through mistakes is exactly the profile that produces Calder winners.

None of this makes Stenberg the favorite, and it would be dishonest to suggest the path is clear. Martone and McKenna are ahead of him for good reason, and the left side of San Jose’s lineup is crowded enough that his exact role is not guaranteed. Rookies also rarely follow a linear path, and a slow start or a checking-line assignment could quickly dim his chances.

But he has everything he needs. Elite talent, a proven track record against pros, the best supporting cast of any rookie in the race, and an organization motivated to play him. If Stenberg lands on a line with Celebrini and holds it, the player currently third on the odds board could very well finish first. The Calder is a long shot, but with Stenberg, it is far from a wild one.

This article first appeared on The Hockey Writers and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: