{"id":493436,"date":"2026-07-03T05:03:38","date_gmt":"2026-07-03T09:03:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?p=493436"},"modified":"2026-07-03T05:03:38","modified_gmt":"2026-07-03T09:03:38","slug":"ivar-stenberg-signs-elc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2026\/07\/03\/ivar-stenberg-signs-elc\/","title":{"rendered":"Ivar Stenberg Signs Entry-Level Contract With San Jose Sharks"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Talk about not wasting any time at all. Just six days after the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2026\/06\/14\/5-2026-nhl-draft-prospects\/\" target=\"_self\">2026 NHL Entry Draft<\/a>, the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2026\/07\/01\/jacob-trouba-signs-san-jose\/\" target=\"_self\">San Jose Sharks<\/a> have signed their second-overall draft pick. Ivar Stenberg signs his entry-level contract with the Sharks, a standard three-year deal that rookies usually sign. At the moment, specific financial details have not been disclosed, but it should be in the ballpark of $950,000 per season. Let us discuss what this means for the Sharks.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"max-width: 1200px\"><smartframe-embed class=\"smartframe_wp_element\" customer-id=\"b0c95bc04383cef69c6b47df872135cf\" image-id=\"WmOBZeXqiWAL\" style=\"width: 100%; display: inline-flex; max-width: 4808px; aspect-ratio: 4808\/3205;\" ><\/smartframe-embed><\/p>\n<p>Credit Image: \u00a9 Michael Turner\/ZUMA Press Wire<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Done deal. \ud83d\udd0f<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) <a  href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/SanJoseSharks\/status\/2072777281332994053?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">July 2, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h2>Ivar Stenberg Signs Entry-Level Contract, Could Join NHL Squad Immediately<\/h2>\n<p>The <a  href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/G6whlVngcx0?si=B3nqUzcW0oqGQC_l\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">much-talked-about Swede<\/a> dropped into the laps of the Sharks after they won the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2026\/05\/05\/leafs-sharks-canucks-pick-top-3-nhl-draft-lottery-find-order\/\" target=\"_self\">2026 NHL Draft Lottery<\/a> and the right to draft second overall. While people in the know speculated that the Sharks might draft a defenceman, the team ended up drafting Stenberg. He is known as a shifty and deceptive player with great skating ability who can set the pace of the game. He will have no shortage of scoring opportunities with his high-end puck-handling skills. Among scouts, he is believed to be the most NHL-ready out of the draft class, based on his physical maturity and experience in a tough SHL with pro-level players.<\/p>\n<p><span>The 18-year-old forward played for Frolunda of the Swedish Hockey League last season and scored 11 goals and 22 assists for 33 points in 43 games, which marks the highest point total by an SHL player age 18 or younger since the Sedin twins in the 1998-99 season. <a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/s\/sedinda01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-07-03_hr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Daniel Sedin<\/a> recorded 42 points, while <a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/s\/sedinhe01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-07-03_hr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Henrik Sedin<\/a> recorded 34.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Perfect. Gorgeous. Amazing. No notes. \ud83e\udd29 <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/9QlzLWg0Em\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/9QlzLWg0Em<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) <a  href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/SanJoseSharks\/status\/2072750722303885497?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">July 2, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h3>GM Mike Grier&#8217;s Dedication and Stenberg&#8217;s Thoughts on the Signing<\/h3>\n<p><span><em>&#8220;Hopefully, we can maybe get something done here before he heads home,&#8221;<\/em> Mike Grier said after San Jose&#8217;s prospect scrimmage. Stenberg will be headed back to Sweden, where he will train with his brother, <a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/s\/stenbot01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-07-03_hr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Otto Stenberg<\/a>, a prospect for the St. Louis Blues. Following his training, the focus will shift to the 2026 Rookie Faceoff, which will be hosted by the Sharks, as well as training camp.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>As for Stenberg, it will definitely be hard to contain his excitement, as he could get the opportunity to play with the likes of <a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/c\/celebma01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-07-03_hr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Macklin Celebrini<\/a> next season. What his role with the team will be, of course, remains to be seen, but he could definitely be a front-runner for the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2026\/05\/13\/expected-matthew-schaefer-calder-trophy-announcement-today\/\" target=\"_self\">Calder Memorial Trophy<\/a> next season, should he be NHL-ready.<\/p>\n<p><span>&#8220;<em>I&#8217;m super excited. It is a dream, so I am super happy<\/em>,&#8221; Stenberg said. &#8220;<em>It&#8217;s been amazing. Meeting new guys and being here for the first time, it&#8217;s been amazing<\/em>,&#8221; said Stenberg, following his contract signing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>It may be premature to decide, but Stenberg has also stated his positional preference. In an interview after his signing, Stenberg said he could play on either the left wing or right wing, but prefers the left side. The left-wing position will feature a mix of young prospects and veterans. Stenberg will learn the game alongside fellow left-wing prospect Igor Chernyshov, but there is a chance he could play some time on the first line with Macklin Celebrini and <a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/s\/smithwi01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-07-03_hr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Will Smith<\/a> as well.<\/p>\n<h3>San Jose Set For the Future After 2026 NHL Entry Draft<\/h3>\n<p>The Sharks made a huge splash at the draft last week, as not only did they draft Stenberg, they also drafted defencemen Keaton Verhoeff and Ryan Lin at ninth and 21st overall, respectively. Their prospect pool is as rich as it could be. San Jose will look to be in contention for a Stanley Cup Playoff spot next season as their stars continue to develop. Their free agent signings so far reflect their playoff ambitions, as they look to combine young talent with veteran leadership next season.<\/p>\n<p>Credit Main Image: \u00a9 Michael Turner\/ZUMA Press Wire<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Talk about not wasting any time at all. Just six days after the 2026 NHL Entry Draft, the San Jose Sharks have signed their second-overall draft pick. Ivar Stenberg signs his entry-level contract with the Sharks, a standard three-year deal that rookies usually sign. At the moment, specific financial details have not been disclosed, but [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5733,"featured_media":493444,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":true,"sfio_embed_code":"<smartframe-embed customer-id=\"b0c95bc04383cef69c6b47df872135cf\" image-id=\"WmOB2tciHryA\" style=\"width: 100%;max-width: 4875px;aspect-ratio: 4875\/3250\"><\/smartframe-embed><!-- https:\/\/smartframe.io\/embedding-support -->","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[25,4547,34,4548],"tags":[8256,6905],"class_list":["post-493436","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sharks","category-hockey","category-news","category-nhl","tag-ivar-stenberg","tag-san-jose-sharks-news"],"modified_by":"Levi Pike, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/493436","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5733"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=493436"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/493436\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":493445,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/493436\/revisions\/493445"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/493444"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=493436"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=493436"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=493436"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}