Joining his childhood buddy Macklin Celebrini in San Jose for the first time, Carson Wetsch is getting ready to carve out his own professional career. The 20-year-old signed his first entry-level contract with the San Jose Sharks in the spring and is expected to start with the San Jose Barracuda this fall.
Wetsch joins the Barracuda after a good season with the Kelowna Rockets in the WHL. He scored 72 points (22 G, 50 A) in 65 games and finished a plus-14. He also had 80 penalty minutes. He helped captain the Rockets to the WHL playoffs, where they were eliminated in the second round by the Everett Silvertips.
With some players leaving to play in the NCAA last season, some experts argued that the WHL was not as “competitive” as it was in seasons past. However, we’re not here to have that debate. We see it as Wetsch improved year over year, and that’s enough to move him up our Top 25 Under 25 list. Last year, he just cracked our list, sneaking in at 25th overall. This season, he’s jumped a few spots to 23rd, and it’s a well-deserved jump. Make no mistake, Wetsch isn’t here because he grew up with Celebrini; he’s here on his own merits as a dynamic young power forward who uses his size to force players off the puck.
Position: Right Wing
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 190 lbs.
Age: 20
Date of Birth: May 4, 2006
Draft Year: 2024 (82nd overall by the San Jose Sharks)
Shoots: Right
2026-27 Team: San Jose Barracuda (AHL)
What we like
Like Andre Gasseau, who we talked about in the honorable mentions, Wetsch isn’t going to be a top-six forward, and that’s okay. Wetsch and Gasseau play a similar style. They both use their bodies to create turnovers. Wetsch is a defensively responsible forward who plays a strong 200-foot game. So far, he’s shown more offensive upside than Gasseau, but he’s played a bit lighter competition playing in the WHL compared to the NCAA. This year, we’ll see how well his offensive game translates into the AHL where the players are larger.
We don’t expect Wetsch to be a game-breaker, but he can put the puck into the net enough to make a difference. Better yet, he won’t be caught out of place very often, so the odds are pretty good he’ll be a net goals positive player.
“Wetsch is a well-rounded winger who plays the game the right way, knows his role and is consistent shift to shift,” The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler wrote in his prospect evaluation in April. “He stays around pucks, he’s physical and hard and he involves himself in plays consistently in all three zones. He’s a strong skater who plays with pace and balance over his skates.”
For The Athletic’s Corey Pronman, it’s that compete that makes Wetsch a potential bottom-six forward in the NHL.
“Wetsch’s game is defined by his speed and energy. He isn’t the most skilled or instinctive forward you’ll see, but he’s always around the puck,” wrote Pronman. “He’s a quick skater. He’s hard on every puck, wins a ton of battles and is highly physical.”
Areas of improvement
There aren’t a ton of holes in Wetsch’s game. For him, it’s about seeing how well what he does translates to the next level of play. He was a point-per-game player in the WHL. While we don’t expect that scoring rate to continue at the AHL level, we would like to see how well he can create offense for himself and his teammates. If he can be a .75 point-per-game player or a .5 point-per-game player while maintaining his defensive responsibilities, that might be a win.
And those defensive responsibilities will be the most important part for Wetsch. We’ll be watching to see how well he defends against players who are bigger, older and savvier than the ones that he’s used to playing against. He will be playing against professionals at the AHL level, ones who have played in the NHL and ones who are looking to play in the NHL. This will be a test to see how Wetsch’s speed and compete. It will also be a test of his toughness. Things are a bit rougher in the AHL.
Moving to the AHL might require some getting used to for the 20-year-old and we’ll see how long it takes for him to adjust.
What’s next for Wetsch?
Wetsch will play for the Barracuda this season, where he’ll look to take the next step in his development. The good news for the forward is there are a lot of young, talented forwards there who can help show him the ropes, like Quentin Musty, Cam Lund and Filip Bystedt, all of whom have been where he’s been and can help him get acclimated.
There’s also a good mix of veteran forwards that will hopefully guide him on the ice and teach him the ropes. Don’t expect to see Wetsch play for the Sharks this season. There are too many players ahead of him on the call up list. However, getting a call up this season isn’t what we’re looking for in terms of success.
If Wetsch plays a full season, scores 40 points, is impactful on the penalty kill, is a positive plus/minus player and can bring that physicality that he showed in the WHL to the AHL successfully, then he’s had a very good first season as a professional.
Highlights
Wetsch has no problem driving the net, as you can see on this goal in December.
THE CAPTAIN! CARSON WETSCH. HIS SECOND OF THE NIGHT. TIE GAME!!! 😤😤@Kelowna_Rockets | @SanJoseSharks | #SJSharks pic.twitter.com/EkBXqBluKs
— Western Hockey League (@TheWHL) December 6, 2025
He cuts straight up the middle of the ice and even though he has a man on him, he still manages to get the shot off and score.
There’s also this goal from Wetsch on April 1.
CARSON WETSCH!! Gets on the scoresheet and it’s now 6-2 for the Rockets.@Kelowna_Rockets | @SanJoseSharks | #TheFutureIsTeal | #WHLPlayoffs | #FeedingTheFuture pic.twitter.com/j4KfZkOji7
— Western Hockey League (@TheWHL) April 2, 2026
It’s nothing special, but he uses the bodies in front of him as screens and shoots the puck at the net, hoping to make something happen. Sometimes that’s all you want from a forward.
2026 Top 25 Under 25 countdown … so far
24. Mattias Havelid
25. Christian Kirsch
Honorable Mentions: Joey Muldowney, Teddy Mutryn, Andre Gasseau, Brady Knowling and Alexander Karmanov
Editor’s Note: More than 100 people voted in our fan poll this year, though admittedly, not everyone filled out the entire form, i.e., all 25 spots and the honorable mentions. In some cases, some people filled out their top ten and left the rest blank. While it makes the math a bit harder, we found the fairest (and easiest) thing to do was average the scores based on the total responses received. While blank scores counted as zero, it didn’t seem to skew the results too badly. Ultimately, this isn’t an exact science, but I think you’ll find it’s a pretty good list.