San Jose Sharks acquire Henry Thrun from Anaheim Ducks

The San Jose Sharks have acquired defensive prospect Henry Thrun from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for a 2024 third-round pick.

Thrun, 21, was a former fourth-round pick of the Ducks back in 2019. He's since played three years at Harvard, picking up 79 points in 94 games in the process, and even ascended to the role of team captain in this, his junior year.

It seemed like Thrun was well on his way to becoming the next great find by the Ducks scouting staff, but then a report from the OC Register's Lisa Dillman almost two weeks revealed that he had other plans. Specifically, that he wouldn't be signing with the Ducks.

So, Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek did the best that he could and found a trade partner in the San Jose Sharks, who were willing to part with a mid-round pick for the chance to add Thrun to their ranks.

This move aligns with the value that we saw teams extract from players like Jack McBain (a second-round pick) and Nathan Smith (a third-round pick) fetch at last year's deadline.

Still, it's a hit to the Ducks system. Thrun's progression at Harvard is such that he looks like a legitimate candidate to play in a low-end top-four role as a two-way, puck-moving defenceman at the height of his career.

Instead, they'll have to watch Thrun try to seize on that potential with a divisional rival in San Jose. Which is to say, this is a tidy bit of work by Sharks general manager Mike Grier. You can't do much better than a third-round pick than this.