Sometimes with hockey prospects, you have to be patient, and that’s just what might need to happen with San Jose Sharks prospect Mattias Havelid. Since he was drafted in 2022, the 22-year-old defenseman hasn’t made many waves the way other prospects in our pool have. In fact, he’s dropped down our Top 25 Under 25 list every season since his draft year, going from 13th to 22nd to 23rd and now he’s at 24th. Havelid’s slow decline has some to do with the Sharks adding top-end talent that’s pushed him down, but it also has to do with some injuries that have kept him from completing full seasons.

The defenseman missed several games in his first season in the AHL because of injury and didn’t play for almost an entire month at the end of the season. He finished the 2025-26 season with just 44 games. That said, his 15 points (5 G, 10 A) were fourth among defensemen on the Barracuda and he had 0.34 points per game. Only Lucas Carlsson and Luca Cagnoni had more goals and more points per game on average.

Position: Defense
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 170 pounds
Age: 22
Date of Birth: Jan. 1, 2004
Draft Year: 2022 (45th overall pick by the San Jose Sharks)
Shoots: Right
2026-27 Team: San Jose Barracuda

What we like

Although Havelid missed almost half of the AHL season, the defenseman used the time he did have with the team wisely. It was his first season playing in North America, where the style of hockey is different than what he was used to in Sweden. While Havelid has represented Sweden in international tournaments and he has played on different ice rinks, this is the first season he’s consistently played on the smaller rink.

Havelid has always had a strong hockey IQ, and this season, that helped him get up to speed in the AHL quickly. He learned how to handle the puck in tighter spaces and got a general idea of what to do with it on AHL ice. If Havelid is going to be a success at the higher levels, it will be his hockey IQ that helps get him there.

As for Havelid’s other attributes, The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler did a breakdown of the Sharks’ prospect pool in April, before the draft and Havelid barely made the cut. While Wheeler considered Havelid a borderline AHL/NHL defenseman, he was very complimentary of the player, calling him “proficient at everything.”

“He’s the kind of player who knows who he is and plays within himself, and it usually looks like the game is being played in front of him. He plays tight gaps, he’s confident in control, he has great poise on both sides of the puck and everything is executed cleanly and decisively,” wrote Wheeler. “He’s a well-rounded, effective and ultimately impactful defenseman. I don’t think he’s a defenseman that coaches see as small, either. I think he can be a little too busy at times defensively, but he’s a decent young D.”

Areas of improvement

Size will always be an issue for Havelid, who has the unfortunate fate of playing on defense, where size matters more. With the smaller space on North American ice, Havelid had to adjust to a more physical game this season, and it showed. This season, he will have to show that he can think quickly and move that puck as those much larger forwards close in on him.

In a recent conversation with San Jose Hockey Now (SJHN), the defenseman admitted that he adjusted his game because of his size. He knows he can’t “run guys over” and he needs to play differently.

And since he won’t be a big, bruising defenseman, Havelid will likely want to contribute offensively. Some of that will come from the point, where the defenseman will look to get the puck through traffic and on the net.

In that aforementioned interview, Havelid told SJHN’s Sheng Peng that this summer he’ll be working on getting stronger and improving his shot.

What’s next for Havelid?

Havelid will return to the Barracuda this season. All signs point to him being ready to start the season on time and in full health. And he better be ready for it because he will be asked to fill a larger role with the Barracuda this season. The team’s top two scoring defensemen will not be on the roster. Carlsson did not re-sign with the team in the offseason and Cagnoni will most likely play with the Sharks in the fall.

That opens up an opportunity for Havelid to take on a larger role within the Barracuda this season. But that spot won’t be handed to him. Two players higher on our prospects list, Leo Sahlin-Wallenius and Eric Pohlkamp, are also expected to play with the Barracuda this season, and they could take power play time and offensive opportunities away from the 22-year-old Havelid.

This is Havelid’s season to show that not only is he a prospect worth investing in, but that he can fight for his spot in the NHL. To do that, he will need to stay healthy and take a serious step forward in his development. If he does not, he risks being passed by far too many of the defensemen in the Sharks organization and he’ll lose out on his shot at the NHL within the Sharks’ organization.

Highlights

Havelid is a smart player and it shows in this goal.

Mattias Havelid on a great feed from Chernyshov!!
3-1 #FeastMode pic.twitter.com/vkpp9peB8T

— JD Young (@MyFryHole) February 1, 2026

Notice how he drifts down towards the net, and the defense believes they have him covered. However, they lose track of him as he drifts back up to an open spot in the slot, and he easily gets the puck in open space for a one-timer.

And on this Valentine’s Day goal, we just like that Havelid didn’t think about the perfect shot; he tossed it into traffic just to see what would happen. Sometimes that’s the best play you can make.

Mattias Havelid gets the Cuda on the board!#FeastMode
3-1 pic.twitter.com/B72pOM2XYX

— JD Young (@MyFryHole) February 15, 2026