Grand Forks, North Dakota, felt familiar to Keaton Verhoeff. The people, the hometown feel, and the hockey heartbeat reminded him of where he grew up, and the University of North Dakota quickly became more than just a stop along his path — it felt like home.
“Grand Forks reminded me a lot of Alberta, and kind of gave me that hometown feel,” Verhoeff said. “And it just felt right when I was here talking with the coaches and the staff around, and even a couple of guys that are still here. It seemed like a great fit for me.”
At 17, Verhoeff has surged into the conversation as a projected top-three pick, earning praise for his size, offensive instincts, and natural leadership. FloHockey scout Chris Peters is among those high on his game, having him ranked number two in his way-too-early 2026 NHL Draft rankings.
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“Boy, the first thing that stands out obviously is his size — the fact that he is a physically developed 17-year-old at this point, really young for his draft class,” Peters said. “It’s really the mobility, the maturity, the hockey sense that he has with that package is what I think really pushes him to an upper tier.”
As college hockey continues to evolve, more top talents are choosing the NCAA route rather than juniors. Verhoeff is part of that wave, joining fellow Canadian star Gavin McKenna, the projected No. 1 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, Porter Martone, and many more.
For Verhoeff, the move wasn’t just about following others — it was about finding the right place to grow his game, and North Dakota offered that unique path.
The Move to North Dakota
Last November, a rule was passed allowing Canadian Hockey League (CHL) players to compete in the NCAA, creating a new pathway for top prospects and shifting the dynamic between the two leagues. It allowed a team like North Dakota to take advantage, bringing in a diverse mix of new faces, including Verhoeff.
“It was kind of the opportunity to play against older, faster and physical guys [to] kind of prepare you for the next level,” Verhoeff said. “You’re playing older guys, like 25 or 26-year-olds that kind of help you in a couple years to go and play against those 30-year-olds, and if you want to play pro eventually.
“But coming to North Dakota, it’s a tough school for hockey and in the league, and I think the opportunities that were provided, the people that are around us, the team we have this year, is the right move for me and the right next step in my career.”
North Dakota is widely regarded as a blue-blood program in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) and NCAA, producing stars like Zach Parise, Jonathan Toews, T.J. Oshie, and many others. Maintaining that level of success requires top-tier facilities and resources.
“Their off-ice is a one-of-a-kind building,” Verhoeff said eagerly. “It’s super, super cool to be able to go into that facility every day and get work done. The coaching staff has been amazing, super welcoming. It’s been a super smooth transition coming from Victoria to North Dakota. It’s everything I could ask for.”
Being at North Dakota also gives Verhoeff a unique opportunity to further himself off the ice while on the ice with the Friday and Saturday playing schedule, something the Western Hockey League (WHL) couldn’t have given him.
“We got a little bit more time to train and to be in the gym and to be on the ice,” Verhoeff said. “It gives you that opportunity to get better on the ice and stronger off the ice, which is a big thing for me right now, just developing my off-ice game, especially making sure I’m getting stronger in the weight room and being able to improve those aspects of my game.”
Not only does the scheduling give the 6-foot-4 defenseman an advantage, but it also gives teams and scouts an advantage, seeing him play against vastly improved competition in the NCAA. However, Peters urges patience.
“If he starts the season a little bit slow but shows that improvement to being a credible and impactful top-four defenseman by the end of the season, I think most scouts are going to say, ‘All right, he is who we thought he was,’ Peters said. “If he struggles and continues to struggle over the course of the season — which isn’t out of the question because this is a big level jump — then there obviously will be more questions about different things.
“But my assumption, based on what I’ve seen from the player, is that the early season will be difficult — probably the early conference games will be difficult — but by mid-season he’ll be a very impactful freshman defenseman.”
The jump to the NCAA has significant implications for not only scouts but for Verhoeff himself, who is looking to cement himself as a top-three pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. Or even a step further, challenging McKenna for the first overall selection.
2026 NHL Draft
The 2026 NHL Draft is still nearly a year away, but Verhoeff has been hearing about it and fielding questions about his status for almost two years, ever since scouts first began taking notice of his game.
“You’re always going to hear it,” Verhoeff said. “You’re always going to see stuff online. Just taking it day by day, focusing on all the little things that you can control. Hopefully, if I come into every game with the mindset of going in and trying to do what I can to help the team win, at the end of the year, scouts will see that.”
The 2026 NHL Draft is headlined by McKenna, who many have already compared to San Jose Shark Macklin Celebrini and Chicago Blackhawk Connor Bedard. He made a similar move as Verhoeff, making the jump to the NCAA with the Penn State Nittany Lions.
“I’m a competitive guy, and I know there’s lots of competition in the draft, and I think for me it’s just looking at that guy ahead of me and looking at the guys in front of me to chase them down,” Verhoeff said. “Hopefully I can go high in the draft and have a good season and beat those guys out this year.”
Already, the Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, Canada, native has seen a ton of success in the WHL, where he played last season with the Victoria Royals.
That success has also sparked comparisons to other top prospects, much like McKenna. One name frequently mentioned alongside Verhoeff is Matthew Schaefer, the New York Islanders’ 2025 first-overall pick.
“Verhoeff has number-one defenseman potential,” Peters said. “On our podcast, I mentioned that if you were to give me a one-on-one, Verhoeff versus Schaefer, I would probably pick Verhoeff in this instance, just to compare him to the last number-one pick.”
Like most players, hearing his name called on draft night would be a dream for Verhoeff, especially to hear it called early into the night. The 17-year-old defenseman has seen cousins and teammates get their name called, but is patiently waiting for his next summer.
“I’m excited to have it be my turn this year,” Verhoeff said. “It’s something you look forward to your whole life, and to be able to have it this year is a blessing and a privilege I don’t take lightly. I’m super grateful for it, but I think for me it’s just going to be that first step — the first step of a long career, hopefully.”
Verhoeff & Fighting Hawks Have Sky-High Expectations
Expectations couldn’t be higher for Verhoeff and the rest of the staff in Grand Forks, North Dakota. The coaching staff has two new hires, including head coach Dane Jackson and assistant coach Matt Smaby.
“They made a very important staff addition this summer by adding Matt Smaby, who played in the NHL and has worked with some defensemen,” Peters said. “He was the junior coach for Sam Rinzel, who just had a tremendous season in Minnesota last year, then jumped right into the NHL and had success with the Blackhawks right off the bat.”
Smaby, a former defenseman, played seven seasons between the NHL and American Hockey League (AHL) and captained the Fighting Hawks during the 2005–06 season. He spent three years of his collegiate career at North Dakota before moving on to play in the NHL with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
“I would imagine that Smaby was watching guys like Jake Sanderson and saying, ‘Look at what he did while he was there,” Peters said. “How do I do that?’ I would imagine that was probably one of the real selling points — if they could get him to the next level to such a degree, why can’t they do that for me?”
With Smaby’s experience in the NHL and within the University of North Dakota, Jackson also provides expertise and a coach to lean on for Verhoeff.
“It’s been cool to be able to work with him, taking his knowledge,” Verhoeff said. “He’s got so many little details and aspects of the game that I haven’t learned yet. It’s cool to be able to go talk with him and be on the ice, then to kind of learn some of these next steps to help take my game to the next level.”
Verhoeff has the toolkit to become a mainstay at North Dakota for seasons to come. He also has the potential to become the highest-drafted Fighting Hawk in school history and is ready for a championship-caliber season in the NCAA.
“They plan to develop our team to be able to have that championship season that we’re all hoping for,” Verhoeff said. “I think the guys we have in our room and the coaching staff we have leading us, it’s going to be a good year.”
