Keaton Verhoeff has been drafted ninth overall by the San Jose Sharks of the NHL. The six-foot-four, 216-pound defenseman spent last year at the University of North Dakota. With the Fighting Hawks, Verhoeff spent time on the power play and penalty kill and averaged 18 minutes a night. 

Verhoeff is a Fort Saskatchewan, AB, native who grew up playing with teams in Kelowna before he was drafted fourth overall by the Victoria Royals in the 2023 WHL Prospects Draft. He spent parts of two campaigns with the Royals and notched 45 points in 63 games in his one full season with the team. 

Verhoeff was among the first star players to commit to the NCAA following the CHL-NCAA Agreement, and joined North Dakota this season. While there, he scored 20 points in 36 games. However, his scoring dropped off heavily in the second half of the season, contributing to his stock falling from his previous position of second overall. Verhoeff’s showing at the Frozen Four was also poor as he made a number of mistakes in the game against Wisconsin which they ultimately lost. He struggled at times with the physicality of the NCAA despite his size, has a tendency to overdrive plays and is not a great skater.  

Despite his flaws, Verhoeff still has plenty of upside. Play-driving defensemen of his size don’t come around frequently, which is why he was rated so highly coming into the year. His play-driving ability is strong and if he improves his physicality on the puck, he’ll be a much stronger player. Verhoeff is expected to return for another year at North Dakota, where he’ll be able to work on that strength in the tough NCHC.