Kammala wannan magana: Canjin kocin Sharks ya kasance tare da wasu 'yan wasan da aka samu da kuma farawa. Daga cikin waɗannan, ƙari na mai tsaron gida na NHL All-Star sau biyar Mike Vernon ya tabbatar da mafi mahimmanci. A ranar 18 ga watan Agusta, 1997, Sharks sun sayi Vernon daga Detroit Red Wings don zaɓar zagaye na biyu; a lokacin cinikin, Vernon ya kasance watanni biyu ne kawai daga dawo da Red Wings zuwa nasara a 1997 Stanley Cup Finals. Bugu da kari, Sharks sun zabi dan wasan gaba mai suna Patrick Marleau tare da zabi na biyu a cikin jerin.
Zaɓin shiga NHL na 1997. Duk da rashin kyawun kakar wasa, Marleau zai sami nasara sosai tare da Sharks a cikin shekaru biyu masu zuwa. A ƙarshe, an sami zaɓin farko na 1996 Marco Sturm a cikin jerin a farkon kakar. Sturm da Marleau, musamman, sun kara tarin tarin matasa masu ci gaba wadanda suka hada da manyan Jeff Friesen da Owen Nolan.