San Jose Sharks Executive Vice President and General Manager Doug Wilson announced today that the Sharks have selected defenseman Ty Wishart from Prince George (WHL) with their first selection (1st round, 16th overall) of the 2006 National Hockey League Entry Draft, held at GM Place in Vancouver, B.C. The Sharks acquired the 16th overall selection from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for the 20th overall selection and a second round selection (53rd overall).

Wishart, a native of Belleville, Ontario, was ranked 21st among all North American skaters and sixth among North American defensemen by the NHL’s Central Scouting Service. In 70 games with Prince George, Wishart posted 37 points (five goals, 32 assists), fifth-highest on the team. His +12 was second-best on the squad. The Hockey News ranked Wishart 16th overall among all draft-eligible prospects, fourth among all draft-eligible defensemen.  

Click here to watch the Sharks first selection.

In the second round, the Sharks acquired the 36th overall selection from the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for a third round selection in 2006 (85th overall) a fourth round selection in 2006 (113th overall) and the Sharks second round selection in the 2007. With that selection, they picked Left Wing Jamie McGinn from Ottawa in the OHL. McGinn was fourth on Ottawa with 57 points (26 goals, 31 assists) and 113 penalty minutes in 65 games. McGinn was ranked 42nd overall by Central Scouting among North American skaters and was ranked 52nd overall among all draft-eligible players by The Hockey News.

In the fourth round, the Sharks acquired the 98th overall selection from the New York Islanders in exchange for a fourth round selection in 2006 (108th overall) and a sixth round selection in 2006 (173rd overall) and selected defenseman James DeLory from Oshawa in the Ontario Hockey League. DeLory posted 32 points (six goals, 26 assists) and 136 penalty minutes in 67 games, seventh-best on the team. He was ranked 73rd overall by NHL Central Scouting among North American skaters.

In the fifth round, the Sharks used the 143rd overall selection to draft Ashton Rome from the Kamloops Blazers (WHL). Rome, a draft re-entry who was originally selected by the Boston Bruins in the fourth round (108th overall) of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, posted 64 points (30 goals, 34 assists) and 130 penalty minutes in 65 games with Kamloops and Red Deer. His brother, Aaron Rome, is in the Anaheim Ducks organization.

The Sharks concluded the 2006 NHL Entry Draft with two selections in the seventh round by taking John McCarthy from Boston University with the 202nd overall selection and Jay Barriball from Sioux Falls of the USHL with the 203rd overall selection.