# Sam Dickinson (ice hockey)
**Sam Dickinson** (born 2006) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenseman for the [San Jose Sharks](https://www.edgepedia.org/san-jose-sharks) of the [National Hockey League](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-hockey-league) (NHL). A left-shot, 6-foot-3, 203-pound defender from Toronto, Ontario, he played junior hockey with the London Knights of the [Ontario Hockey League](https://www.edgepedia.org/ontario-hockey-league) (OHL), won the 2024 OHL championship, and was selected 11th overall by San Jose in the 2024 NHL Draft.[1](https://www.nhl.com/sharks/news/sharks-sign-defenseman-sam-dickinson-to-entry-level-contract) • [2](https://www.nhl.com/news/sam-dickinson-eager-to-be-next-elite-san-jose-sharks-defenseman)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 2006, Toronto, Ontario; shoots left; 6-foot-3, 203 pounds[1](https://www.nhl.com/sharks/news/sharks-sign-defenseman-sam-dickinson-to-entry-level-contract) |
| Junior team | London Knights (OHL), selected fourth overall in the 2022 OHL Priority Selection[3](https://media.nhl.com/site/asset/public/ext/2023-24/2024NHLDraft_ProspectProfiles.pdf) |
| 2023-24 season | 18 goals, 52 assists, 70 points in 68 games, plus-56; fourth among OHL defensemen in scoring; OHL Second All-Star Team[1](https://www.nhl.com/sharks/news/sharks-sign-defenseman-sam-dickinson-to-entry-level-contract) |
| Championships | 2024 OHL champion (Ross Robertson Cup); Memorial Cup runner-up with London[1](https://www.nhl.com/sharks/news/sharks-sign-defenseman-sam-dickinson-to-entry-level-contract) |
| NHL Draft | First round, 11th overall, San Jose Sharks, 2024; entry-level contract signed July 10, 2024[1](https://www.nhl.com/sharks/news/sharks-sign-defenseman-sam-dickinson-to-entry-level-contract) • [2](https://www.nhl.com/news/sam-dickinson-eager-to-be-next-elite-san-jose-sharks-defenseman) |
| International | Gold medal with Canada at the 2023 Hlinka-Gretzky Cup, three assists in five games[1](https://www.nhl.com/sharks/news/sharks-sign-defenseman-sam-dickinson-to-entry-level-contract) |
| Scouting rank | No. 7 among North American skaters in NHL Central Scouting's final 2024 rankings[4](https://media.d3.nhle.com/image/private/fl_attachment/prd/jkxzb5w9hrsz3s2op2hw.pdf) |
## Junior career with London
Dickinson entered the OHL as a high pick: the Niagara IceDogs selected him first among defensemen and fourth overall in the 2022 OHL Priority Selection before his rights brought him to London.[3](https://media.nhl.com/site/asset/public/ext/2023-24/2024NHLDraft_ProspectProfiles.pdf) • [5](https://thehockeynews.com/news/news/london-knights-star-defenseman-dickinson-is-highly-ranked-prospect-in-2024-nhl-draft) As a 16-year-old rookie in 2022-23 he recorded 9 goals and 14 assists for 23 points in 62 games, finished fifth in scoring among rookie defensemen, was named to the OHL First All-Rookie Team, and added 4-4-8 in 21 playoff games as London reached the OHL Championship series.[1](https://www.nhl.com/sharks/news/sharks-sign-defenseman-sam-dickinson-to-entry-level-contract) • [3](https://media.nhl.com/site/asset/public/ext/2023-24/2024NHLDraft_ProspectProfiles.pdf)
**Draft-year production.** In 2023-24 Dickinson produced 18 goals and 52 assists for 70 points in 68 games with a plus-56 rating, finishing second among OHL blue-liners in plus-minus, fourth in scoring among defensemen, tied for fourth in assists, and seventh in goals. He led London defensemen in points and earned a place on the OHL Second All-Star Team.[1](https://www.nhl.com/sharks/news/sharks-sign-defenseman-sam-dickinson-to-entry-level-contract) His 70 points were the third most by any draft-eligible defenseman in London Knights history, behind Evan Bouchard (87 in 2017-18) and Rob Ramage (73 in 1976-77).[3](https://media.nhl.com/site/asset/public/ext/2023-24/2024NHLDraft_ProspectProfiles.pdf)
The season ended in championship hockey on two levels. In 18 playoff games Dickinson recorded 4 goals and 9 assists for 13 points, including 6 points in a four-game sweep of the championship round, as London won the OHL title.[1](https://www.nhl.com/sharks/news/sharks-sign-defenseman-sam-dickinson-to-entry-level-contract) At the 2024 [Memorial Cup](https://www.edgepedia.org/memorial-cup) he added 4 points in 4 games with a plus-6 rating and finished the championship game with a goal and an assist, though London finished as runner-up.[1](https://www.nhl.com/sharks/news/sharks-sign-defenseman-sam-dickinson-to-entry-level-contract) His two OHL seasons produced career totals of 93 points (27 goals, 66 assists) and a plus-61 rating in 130 games.[1](https://www.nhl.com/sharks/news/sharks-sign-defenseman-sam-dickinson-to-entry-level-contract)
## International play
Dickinson won a gold medal with Canada at the 2023 Hlinka-Gretzky Cup, recording three assists in five games.[1](https://www.nhl.com/sharks/news/sharks-sign-defenseman-sam-dickinson-to-entry-level-contract) Earlier, he captained Team Canada Black at the 2022 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, where he recorded 1-1-2.[3](https://media.nhl.com/site/asset/public/ext/2023-24/2024NHLDraft_ProspectProfiles.pdf)
## NHL Draft and professional career
NHL Central Scouting ranked Dickinson seventh among North American skaters in its final 2024 rankings, a position he had held at midterm as well.[4](https://media.d3.nhle.com/image/private/fl_attachment/prd/jkxzb5w9hrsz3s2op2hw.pdf) The San Jose Sharks selected him 11th overall in the first round of the 2024 NHL Draft, one round after using the first pick on center [Macklin Celebrini](https://www.edgepedia.org/macklin-celebrini).[2](https://www.nhl.com/news/sam-dickinson-eager-to-be-next-elite-san-jose-sharks-defenseman) General manager Mike Grier described him as "a big, mobile defenseman who brings a strong two-way game and excellent hockey IQ," and the club signed him to a three-year entry-level contract on July 10, 2024.[1](https://www.nhl.com/sharks/news/sharks-sign-defenseman-sam-dickinson-to-entry-level-contract) • [2](https://www.nhl.com/news/sam-dickinson-eager-to-be-next-elite-san-jose-sharks-defenseman)
San Jose's interest followed the departures of Norris Trophy-winning defensemen [Brent Burns](https://www.edgepedia.org/brent-burns) (traded to Carolina in 2022) and [Erik Karlsson](https://www.edgepedia.org/erik-karlsson) (to [Pittsburgh](https://www.edgepedia.org/pittsburgh) before the 2023-24 season), a period in which the Sharks finished last in the NHL at 19-54-9 and lacked an offensive defenseman who could, in Grier's words, "help us get out of our end a little cleaner."[2](https://www.nhl.com/news/sam-dickinson-eager-to-be-next-elite-san-jose-sharks-defenseman)
**Scouting profile.** Scouts consistently identified skating as the foundation of his game. Brock Otten of McKeen's Hockey called him a breakout machine who rarely gets hemmed in at the OHL level, with a booming shot that makes him a power-play triggerman; Jordan Harris of Dobber Prospects credited his length, skating, and gap control with eliminating rush chances, while noting that hockey sense was the biggest weakness in his game.[6](https://www.nhl.com/devils/news/topic/draft/sam-dickinson-draft-6-5-24) Nick Smith of NHL Central Scouting called him possibly "the safest pick" of the 2024 draft.[7](https://frontend.d3.nhle.com/news/sam-dickinson-nhl-draft-class-podcast) In his draft season he logged heavy minutes for a London team that included several NHL-drafted players, played the point on a first power-play unit for the league's best power play at 32.6 percent, and was seen as a top-four defenseman projection with continued two-way upside.[8](https://frontend.d3.nhle.com/news/2024-nhl-draft-first-round-live-tracker)
Dickinson reached the NHL as a teenager. In the 2025-26 season, at age 19, he played 72 games for San Jose, recording 1 goal, 13 assists, and 14 points with a minus-5 rating while averaging 16 minutes 45 seconds of ice time per game.[9](https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/d/dickisa01.html)
## Family
His second cousin, Cory Sarich, was a defenseman and a second-round pick (27th overall) of the [Buffalo Sabres](https://www.edgepedia.org/buffalo-sabres) in the 1996 NHL Draft who played more than 900 career NHL games and won the [Stanley Cup](https://www.edgepedia.org/stanley-cup) with the [Tampa Bay Lightning](https://www.edgepedia.org/tampa-bay-lightning) in 2004.[3](https://media.nhl.com/site/asset/public/ext/2023-24/2024NHLDraft_ProspectProfiles.pdf)
## References
1. [Sharks sign defenseman Sam Dickinson to entry-level contract, San Jose Sharks (July 10, 2024)](https://www.nhl.com/sharks/news/sharks-sign-defenseman-sam-dickinson-to-entry-level-contract)
2. [Dickinson eager to follow in footsteps of Burns, Karlsson for Sharks, NHL.com (July 25, 2024)](https://www.nhl.com/news/sam-dickinson-eager-to-be-next-elite-san-jose-sharks-defenseman)
3. [2024 NHL Draft Prospect Profiles: Sam Dickinson, NHL Media](https://media.nhl.com/site/asset/public/ext/2023-24/2024NHLDraft_ProspectProfiles.pdf)
4. [2024 NHL Central Scouting Final Rankings, Top 50 North American Skaters](https://media.d3.nhle.com/image/private/fl_attachment/prd/jkxzb5w9hrsz3s2op2hw.pdf)
5. [2024 NHL Draft: Sam Dickinson Stands Out In a Defense-Deep Class, The Hockey News](https://thehockeynews.com/news/news/london-knights-star-defenseman-dickinson-is-highly-ranked-prospect-in-2024-nhl-draft)
6. [Sam Dickinson | DRAFT, New Jersey Devils (June 5, 2024)](https://www.nhl.com/devils/news/topic/draft/sam-dickinson-draft-6-5-24)
7. [Dickinson could be 'safest pick,' scout says on 'NHL Draft Class' podcast, NHL.com](https://frontend.d3.nhle.com/news/sam-dickinson-nhl-draft-class-podcast)
8. [2024 NHL Draft 1st-round results, analysis, NHL.com](https://frontend.d3.nhle.com/news/2024-nhl-draft-first-round-live-tracker)
9. [Sam Dickinson Stats, Hockey-Reference.com](https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/d/dickisa01.html)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Hockey and remaining team sports › Ice hockey players and personnel › Defensemen*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license