SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Two high school kids from Massachusetts became big fans of the San Jose Sharks at Saturday's NHL draft.

The Sharks added another chapter to their idiosyncratic draft history when they used the 27th overall pick on right wing Mike Morris, a prep star who wasn't rated as a first-round selection by most scouts.

In the second round, the Sharks picked defenseman Dan Spang with the 52nd overall pick after swapping selections with Tampa Bay to move up eight spots. Again, the Sharks picked Spang higher than most scouts anticipated he would be drafted.

Both players will attend Boston-area universities in the fall, which fits San Jose's preferences very well. Sharks general manager Dean Lombardi, a Massachusetts native, loves players with the maturity and physical ability to play collegiately, while San Jose scouting director Tim Burke lives in the Boston area.

"It wasn't a home run, but we got players we wanted to get,'' Burke said. "You get a little bit upset about missing a couple of guys, but for the picks we had, I think we did OK. I don't feel great, I don't feel bad.''

Morris is a talented two-way forward -- and a lifelong Boston Bruins fan -- who will play at Northeastern next season. He can play center as well as the right wing, where the Sharks already are loaded with NHL regulars and prospects.

He had 29 goals and 58 points while being named his league's MVP in his senior season at St. Sebastian's, the elite Boston-area prep school that produced New York Islanders goalie Rick DiPietro, the first goaltender to be selected No. 1 overall two years ago.

"I was a little bit surprised to go so early, but I'm excited,'' Morris said in a telephone interview from Toronto. "I knew the Sharks were interested, but I didn't know if I'd end up with San Jose. I'm definitely happy that I did.

"It's really nice to be a part of this organization with such a young team, and a team headed in the right direction.''

Morris, who patterns his game after Colorado's Chris Drury, has risen in most scouts' eyes in the past year. He was the Central Scouting Bureau's 101st-ranked prospect several months ago, but he was 57th in the final evaluation.

"He's made a significant jump, and his team won a championship, so all of the things that you look for are there,'' Burke said.

Spang, from Winchester High School in the Boston area, missed all but six games of his senior season with a concussion from a car accident.

Burke said the injury isn't a concern for the muscle-bound left-handed shooter, who will play at college hockey powerhouse Boston University next fall with fellow defenseman Ryan Whitney, the fifth overall pick by Pittsburgh.

"I think if everything was equal and he plays the whole season, we probably don't get the guy,'' Burke said. "This was the No. 1-recruited kid in the East last year.''

The Sharks made a deal with Chicago to move up again in the third round. They selected Czech right wing Jonas Fiedler, who played last season with the OHL's Plymouth Whalers.

"He didn't play as much last season as he would have liked, but we see a lot of upside in the kid,'' Burke said. "It was a guy we probably might have taken a little bit later (in other years), but this time, we figured he wasn't going to get into the fourth round.''