Sharks owner Hasso Plattner slams Doug Wilson’s son over draft record: “Totally over his pay grade”

San Jose Sharks owner Hasso Plattner spoke about the end of Doug Wilson's era on Thursday. Wilson joined San Jose as general manager in 2003, and under his leadership, team qualified for the playoffs 14 times. The Sharks made several deep playoff runs and reached the Stanley Cup Final in 2016. However, Wilson stepped down in 2022 due to medical issues.

In an interview with Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now on Thursday, Plattner discussed both Doug Wilson and his son, Doug Wilson Jr.

"You know that he was not well? Okay, that says it all," Plattner said. "He was a good guy, very good hockey sense, but when you have a sickness, like he had, permanent headaches. He was living in Phoenix, and the team was here."

Plattner was more critical of Wilson Jr. and said he was not drafting well and was over his pay grade.

"Much more, I’m negative about his son," Plattner said. "He was not drafting well. He was totally over his pay grade, and that was another mistake I probably made, I didn’t see that. We were always relatively good at drafting. All of a sudden, we lost it."

Wilson Jr. worked for the Sharks for ten years and became director of scouting in 2018. He was let go in July 2022, three months after his father. Mike Grier, the new general manager, later changed the team’s scouting department. Grier said he wanted to bring in people who matched his vision for the team.

"I think everyone sees players differently, and maybe the way he saw them, or whoever, and the way I see them are different," Grier said in 2022, via ESPN. "And how I want to play and how I want to build my team are probably slightly different."

Later, the Sharks focused on rebuilding through better draft picks. In 2023, they drafted forward Will Smith, and in 2024, they drafted Macklin Celebrini. Both players are expected to be star players for the franchise.

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San Jose Sharks' six-season playoff drought

San Jose Sharks missed playoffs for the sixth straight season in 2025. They finished last in the Pacific Division with a 20-50-12 record. Scoring was a big problem again, and injuries made it worse.

There are some reasons for hope, because young players like Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith and William Eklund are developing well. New draft pick in 2025, Michael Misa, also adds talent to the group. So, now they want to improve their record and move closer to playoff form.