The San Jose Sharks took 18-year old defensemen Mirco Mueller with the 18th pick of the 2013 NHL Draft. Originally San Jose had the 20th pick before trading that selection away along with the 58th pick to the Detroit Red Wings.
In regards to Mueller Hockey Prospects states “he slows down the game on breakouts, making good decisions with the puck. He also makes a lot of defensive stops due to his good positioning and reads. He displays above-average mobility, both closing gaps well and rushing the puck up ice with solid speed. Mueller has fine size, with a sense of quality physicality about his game. He has only average overall puck skills, and he projects as a second unit power play defenseman. He will deliver very good value to his team from his work in his own zone.”
Originally from Switzerland Mueller played for the Everett Silvertips in the WHL. He picked up 6 goals, 25 assists and 57 penalty minutes in 63 games. He is said to resemble a former teammate of his, Ryan Murray who got drafted by the Columbus Blue Jackets who got taken with the no.2 pick in the 2012 NHL Draft.
Mueller also represented Switzerland under 18 and under 20 World Championships Tournaments. San Jose will likely give him a couple of seasons to develop his overall game before he sees any action at the NHL level. The Sharks still have relatively young defensemen in Jason Demers, Justin Braun, Matt Irwin and Marc-Edouard Vlasic.
Making San Jose a great fit for Mueller.