Sharks Loan Leo Sahlin Wallenius To AHL
The Sharks announced that they have loaned Leo Sahlin Wallenius to their AHL affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda. The move allows the Sharks prospect to continue his 2025-26 season now that his campaign in Sweden has concluded.
The Barracuda have a best-of-three first-round playoff series against the Henderson Silver Knights coming up, but it’s unclear if Sahlin Wallenius will be included in head coach John McCarthy’s lineup for game one. At the very least, the 2024 second-rounder will now be an option at his disposal.
If Sahlin Wallenius does get into McCarthy’s playoff lineup, his first game would be his North American professional debut. The 20-year-old spent all of 2025-26 at the professional level in his native Sweden, skating in 32 games for the SHL’s Växjö Lakers.
He had a successful season, scoring 13 points in the regular season and six points in 10 playoff games. He was also one of Sweden’s very best defensemen at this season’s World Junior Championships, scoring six points in seven games while regularly logging heavy minutes for the Swedes.
After a 2024-25 season that saw Sahlin Wallenius split his time between four different levels of hockey (SHL, Liiga, Allsvenskan, J20 Nationell), the level of consistency afforded to Sahlin Wallenius this season allowed him to take a real step forward in his development.
With his ELC signed last year, focus should be quickly shifting to when he might turn his attention to North America and the Sharks organization. Sahlin Wallenius’s contract status in the SHL is actually relevant for his developmental future and whether he might be able to stay in the AHL next season, in the (likely) event he doesn’t break camp on the NHL roster.
The NHL-SHL transfer agreement stipulates that any player who is under the age of 24, not drafted in the first round, and also under contract in the SHL be assigned back to Sweden rather than be sent to the AHL.
The fact that Sahlin Wallenius’ deal in the SHL is set to expire, and there has been no word about an extension, paves the way for him to be able to develop in the AHL. There are many cases of Swedish prospects doing so, such as Montreal Canadiens rearguard Adam Engstrom, who has been able to play for the AHL’s Laval Rocket in his age-21 and age-22 campaigns.
Regardless of where exactly he plays, this is a player who appears to have a bright future who is now set to dip his toes into the North American game. He was recently ranked as the No. 9 prospect in the Sharks’ system by Scott Wheeler of The Athletic, who wrote that the defenseman “projects as a two-way skating third-pairing NHL D.”
As the Sharks continue to figure out who the building blocks on their blueline are, Sahlin Wallenius could be a name to watch on the Barracuda.
Sharks Loan Leo Sahlin Wallenius To AHL
The Sharks signed one of their promising prospects on Friday, announcing that they inked defenseman Leo Sahlin Wallenius to a three-year, entry-level contract. While the team didn’t reveal financial terms, the deal will carry a $940K cap hit and a $975K AAV including bonuses, per PuckPedia.
The 19-year-old was a second-round pick last June, going 53rd overall after an impressive season with Vakjo’s Under-20 team, one that saw him collect 11 goals and 31 assists in 43 games. He also briefly saw time with their Under-18 squad and represented Sweden at the World Under-18 Championship.
This season, Sahlin Wallenius bounced around a bit. He had 14 points in 8 games for Vaxjo at the Under-20 level but also saw time in Sweden’s two professional leagues as well, suiting up in 14 games for Nybro in the Allsvenskan where he had six points and 16 more appearances for Vaxjo in the SHL, where he picked up five points. In between, Sahlin Wallenius also played in seven games with TPS in Finland’s top division where he added three more points.
Sahlin Wallenius has one year left on his contract in Sweden. It wouldn’t be surprising for him to play the year there, likely at the SHL level, and then head to North America for the 2026-27 season. If that happens, his contract will slide next season and have three years remaining on it heading into that 2026-27 campaign.
Minor Transactions: 8/23/24
We’ve seen a trade of note in the NHL today but there has been some transaction activity elsewhere as well. Here’s a rundown of the ones with an NHL connection.
- Former Buffalo blueliner Victor Antipin is on the move in the KHL as Barys Astana announced that they’ve signed the 31-year-old to a one-year deal. Antipin played in 47 games with Buffalo back in 2017-18 (notching ten assists while logging 15:17 per night) but elected to return to Russia early in free agency the following year. Last season, Antipin played in 57 games with Traktor Chelyabinsk, recording 17 points.
- Jets prospect Markus Loponen has, as expected, signed a contract with WHL Victoria, per a team release. The 18-year-old forward was a fifth-round pick by Winnipeg two months ago, going 155th overall. Loponen had 25 goals and 29 assists in 45 games last season for Karpat’s under-20 team, resulting in him being picked in the first round of the CHL Import Draft this summer. Loponen requested and was granted his release by Karpat earlier this week, paving the way for him to join the Royals.
- Sharks prospect Leo Sahlin Wallenius has been loaned to Nybro in Sweden’s second-tier Allsvenskan, the team announced. The blueliner was the 53rd overall pick back in June following a strong showing in Vaxjo’s junior system. Sahlin Wallenius had 42 points in 43 regular season games at the Under-20 level while also picking up three assists for Sweden at the World Under-18s in the spring.