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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
With some players leaving to play in the NCAA last season, some experts argued that the WHL was not as \u201ccompetitive\u201d as it was in seasons past. However, we\u2019re not here to have that debate. We see it as Wetsch improved year over year, and that\u2019s enough to move him up our Top 25 Under 25 list. Last year, he just cracked our list, sneaking in at 25th overall<\/a>. This season, he\u2019s jumped a few spots to 23rd, and it\u2019s a well-deserved jump. Make no mistake, Wetsch isn\u2019t here because he grew up with Celebrini; he\u2019s here on his own merits as a dynamic young power forward who uses his size to force players off the puck.<\/p>\n Position:\u00a0Right Wing What we like<\/p>\n Like Andre Gasseau, who we talked about in the honorable mentions, Wetsch isn\u2019t going to be a top-six forward, and that\u2019s 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\u2019s shown more offensive upside than Gasseau, but he\u2019s played a bit lighter competition playing in the WHL compared to the NCAA. This year, we\u2019ll see how well his offensive game translates into the AHL where the players are larger.<\/p>\n We don\u2019t 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\u2019t be caught out of place very often, so the odds are pretty good he\u2019ll be a net goals positive player.<\/p>\n \u201cWetsch is a well-rounded winger who plays the game the right way, knows his role and is consistent shift to shift,\u201d The Athletic\u2019s Scott Wheeler wrote<\/a> in his prospect evaluation in April. \u201cHe stays around pucks, he\u2019s physical and hard and he involves himself in plays consistently in all three zones. He\u2019s a strong skater who plays with pace and balance over his skates.\u201d<\/p>\n For The Athletic\u2019s Corey Pronman, it\u2019s that compete that makes Wetsch a potential bottom-six forward in the NHL.<\/p>\n \u201cWetsch\u2019s game is defined by his speed and energy. He isn\u2019t the most skilled or instinctive forward you\u2019ll see, but he\u2019s always around the puck,\u201d wrote Pronman<\/a>. \u201cHe\u2019s a quick skater. He\u2019s hard on every puck, wins a ton of battles and is highly physical.\u201d<\/p>\n Areas of improvement<\/p>\n There aren\u2019t a ton of holes in Wetsch\u2019s game. For him, it\u2019s 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\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n And those defensive responsibilities will be the most important part for Wetsch. We\u2019ll be watching to see how well he defends against players who are bigger, older and savvier than the ones that he\u2019s 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\u2019s speed and compete. It will also be a test of his toughness. Things are a bit rougher in the AHL.<\/p>\n Moving to the AHL might require some getting used to for the 20-year-old and we\u2019ll see how long it takes for him to adjust.<\/p>\n What\u2019s next for Wetsch?<\/p>\n Wetsch will play for the Barracuda this season, where he\u2019ll 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\u2019s been and can help him get acclimated. <\/p>\n There\u2019s also a good mix of veteran forwards that will hopefully guide him on the ice and teach him the ropes. Don\u2019t 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\u2019t what we\u2019re looking for in terms of success. <\/p>\n 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\u2019s had a very good first season as a professional.<\/p>\n Highlights<\/p>\n Wetsch has no problem driving the net, as you can see on this goal in December. <\/p>\n THE CAPTAIN! CARSON WETSCH. HIS SECOND OF THE NIGHT. TIE GAME!!! \ud83d\ude24\ud83d\ude24@Kelowna_Rockets<\/a> | @SanJoseSharks<\/a> | #SJSharks<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/EkBXqBluKs<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Western Hockey League (@TheWHL) December 6, 2025<\/a> <\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n There\u2019s also this goal from Wetsch on April 1. <\/p>\n CARSON WETSCH!! Gets on the scoresheet and it\u2019s now 6-2 for the Rockets.@Kelowna_Rockets<\/a> | @SanJoseSharks<\/a> | #TheFutureIsTeal<\/a> | #WHLPlayoffs<\/a> | #FeedingTheFuture<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/j4KfZkOji7<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Western Hockey League (@TheWHL) April 2, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n It\u2019s 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\u2019s all you want from a forward.<\/p>\n 2026 Top 25 Under 25 countdown \u2026 so far<\/p>\n 24. Mattias Havelid<\/a> Editor\u2019s 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\u2019t seem to skew the results too badly. Ultimately, this isn\u2019t an exact science, but I think you\u2019ll find it\u2019s a pretty good list.<\/p>\n \t
Height:\u00a06\u20192\u2033
Weight:\u00a0190 lbs.
Age:\u00a020
Date of Birth:\u00a0May 4, 2006
Draft Year: 2024 (82nd overall by the San Jose Sharks)
Shoots:\u00a0Right
2026-27 Team: San Jose Barracuda (AHL)<\/p>\n
25. Christian Kirsch<\/a>
Honorable Mentions:<\/a> Joey Muldowney, Teddy Mutryn, Andre Gasseau, Brady Knowling and Alexander Karmanov<\/p>\n