SAN JOSE — The San Jose Sharks signed another member of their 2022 draft class, inking defenseman Mattias Hävelid, to a three-year entry-level contract.
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This past season Hävelid, 21, had one assist in 19 games with Linköping HC in the Swedish Hockey League and 14 points in 18 regular-season games with Djurgårdens IF, which captured the championship of HockeyAllsvenskan, Sweden’s second-best league, and earned promotion back to the top-tier SHL.
Hävelid, 21, at 5-foot-10 and 176 pounds, was selected 45th overall by the Sharks three years ago after the team traded its 2022 first-round pick, at No. 11 overall, to the then-Arizona Coyotes, now Utah Mammoth, for picks that year at Nos. 27, 34, and 45.
The Sharks used those picks on center Filip Bystedt at No. 27 and forward Cam Lund at No. 34 before taking Havelid.
“He’s poised with the puck, he’s skilled, and his great skating, which helps him get out of situations to move the puck up the ice,” Bystedt said when asked what makes Havelid, his best friend, a special defenseman. “Has great skill in the offensive zone, too.”
With the No. 11 pick. Arizona took center Conor Geekie, who is now with the Tampa Bay Lightning and had 14 points in 52 games this past season.
Bystedt just finished his first full season in San Jose, scoring 31 points in 50 regular-season games with the Barracuda and three goals in six playoff games. Lund spent three seasons at Northeastern before turning pro in March and signing his own three-year entry-level contract. Lund had two goals and an assist in 11 games with the Sharks.
The Sharks now have four players from their 2022 draft class under contract, as they signed defenseman and fifth-round pick Jake Furlong to a three-year deal in Oct. 2023. Furlong just finished his first full season of pro hockey, as he had eight points in 66 games with the Barracuda.