Morehouse explains the Sharks’ most contentious draft pick

LAS VEGAS – Chris Morehouse clarified why the San Jose Sharks took Sam Dickinson with the 11th overall pick in the first round of the NHL Draft rather than fellow left-shot defenseman Zeev Buium.

“We took the guy that was next on our board,” Morehouse, the Sharks’ director of amateur scouting, said Saturday afternoon.

“He’s 6-foot-3, he skates, he can shoot a puck, he competes, he can make a first pass, he can defend. He can take games over with his size and mobility. He’s got outstanding character,” Morehouse continued. “So we’re really excited about him.

“All year you watched him kind of take the steps that we needed to see for him to be where he’s at. I think he really peaked at the end.”

Dickinson had 70 points in 68 regular season games for the London Knights. In 18 playoff games, Dickinson added 13 points as London won the OHL championship and advanced to the Memorial Cup.

The Sharks traded with the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday to move from No. 14 to No. 11, and general manager Mike Grier said Friday that he moved up specifically to get a player like Dickinson.

“We thought we needed to move up to be in the range of select one of those top (defensemen),” Grier said. “So we feel really fortunate to get Sam, a unique player with the size, skating ability, offense and the ability to defend.”

Buium, who had a standout season for the NCAA Division I champion University of Denver, was selected 12th overall by the Minnesota Wild.

Listed at 6-foot and 186 pounds, Buium, a San Diego native, was the fourth-ranked North American skater by NHL Central Scouting. Dickinson, for what it’s worth, was No. 7.

TSN draft analyst Craig Button, who is never shy about offering an unvarnished opinion, told The Athletic that Buium has special qualities.

“I think he’s the best defenseman in the draft,” Button said. “He’s like Scott Niedermayer. The ability to control the game. He can play left defense. He can play right defense. He can skate. Any situation you put him in, he accepts, and he just plays.

“Scott Niedermayer was one great defensive player, but that style of play, the way he controls on the blue line, I would only say this about certain players regarding Niedermayer, and Zeev qualifies.”

Six defensemen was taken in the top 12, with Artyom Levshunov going second overall to Chicago, Carter Yakemchuk going seventh to Ottawa, Zayne Parekh drafted ninth by Calgary, and Anton Silayev drafted 10th by New Jersey.

Still, the Sharks had their draft ranking finalized earlier in the week and “stayed consistent with the list,” said Sharks’ director of player personnel Scott Fitzgerald. “You work on it all year.”