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Ivar Stenberg has never played an NHL game, but fantasy hockey managers shouldn’t mistake a blank NHL stat line for a lack of scoring upside. My 2026-27 Ivar Stenberg projection is 20 goals, 38 assists and 58 points, and there is a legitimate path to even more if the San Jose Sharks immediately give their prized rookie a major role on the power play.
That is what makes Stenberg so intriguing.
He enters the NHL without a point from last season because he played zero games for San Jose, but his actual 2025-26 body of work was outstanding. Stenberg produced 11 goals and 22 assists for 33 points in 43 SHL games with Frölunda, then added 10 points in seven games at the World Juniors and eight points in eight games against men at the World Championship. San Jose subsequently selected him second overall in the 2026 NHL Draft.
For fantasy managers looking beyond last year’s NHL totals, that production matters considerably more than the zero beside his Sharks statistics.
Ivar Stenberg 2026-27 Fantasy Hockey Projection
High-upside rookie. Stenberg could outperform this projection if he earns consistent top-six minutes and a prominent role on the Sharks power play alongside San Jose’s young offensive stars.
My projection is intentionally a little more conservative than NHL.com’s current 61-point projection for Stenberg. NHL.com also ranks him among its leading fantasy rookies and calls him a strong Calder Trophy contender.
The difference comes down primarily to deployment.
San Jose’s projected lineup entering the season has Stenberg beginning lower in the lineup rather than automatically skating beside Macklin Celebrini or Michael Misa. That can change quickly, but projecting an 18-year-old rookie for an uninterrupted top-six role before training camp would be overly aggressive.
Why the Sharks Power Play Could Unlock Stenberg
This is where my opinion on Stenberg becomes considerably more bullish.
If San Jose experiments with a power-play group featuring Celebrini, Misa, Will Smith, Stenberg and Luca Cagnoni, Ivar could find himself surrounded by exactly the type of players who amplify his best offensive traits.
Stenberg is not simply a shoot-first winger who needs someone else to manufacture his opportunities. His biggest strength is processing the ice and creating plays. Scouting evaluations consistently highlight his vision, passing ability and capacity to find seams through traffic. That profile should translate particularly well with Celebrini and Smith, players who can turn a half-second opening into a scoring chance.
There is also meaningful evidence that Stenberg can produce against older competition. His 33 SHL points were among the best seasons ever by a player 18 or younger in that league, and he followed that performance by producing internationally against both junior and senior competition.
That combination is why I believe 38 assists are attainable.
My Fantasy Hockey Read on Ivar Stenberg
The mistake I would avoid on fantasy draft day is treating Stenberg like a conventional rookie who needs two or three seasons before becoming relevant.
San Jose is different.
The Sharks have accumulated one of hockey’s most fascinating collections of young offensive talent. Celebrini is already becoming the centerpiece, Smith has established chemistry with him, Misa represents another premium offensive weapon and Stenberg now enters that environment as the No. 2 pick.
Stenberg doesn’t need to carry an NHL offense by himself.
He needs touches.
If he gets 16-to-18 minutes per night and meaningful power-play usage, I can see him approaching 60 points immediately. My median prediction remains 58, but I would put his realistic upside in the 65-to-70-point range if he forces his way onto a scoring line and stays there.
There is downside, of course. Rookie inconsistency, reduced five-on-five minutes and competition for premium power-play spots could pull him closer to 45-50 points.
That gives me three reasonable fantasy outcomes:
Floor: roughly 45 points
Expected: 58 points — 20 goals, 38 assists
Upside: 65-70 points
From a fantasy perspective, that is exactly the profile I like targeting after the established stars disappear from the draft board. Stenberg offers upside that could significantly outperform his acquisition cost without requiring fantasy managers to draft him like an established 70-point NHL player.
San Jose signed Stenberg to his three-year entry-level contract in July, and the organization has already indicated that he is expected to turn pro this season. At development camp, Barracuda coach John McCarthy specifically noted Stenberg’s ability to see and process the ice and said he separated himself during game situations.
For me, that’s another small piece of evidence supporting an aggressive rookie projection.
Final 2026-27 prediction: Ivar Stenberg — 20 goals, 38 assists, 58 points.
If Stenberg earns first-unit power-play minutes alongside San Jose’s young stars earlier than expected, don’t be surprised if we’re revisiting this prediction in January and wondering whether 60 points was actually too conservative.
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