2026 NHL Draft Diary: Keaton Verhoeff

Keaton Verhoeff of the University of North Dakota in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference will file a draft diary for NHL.com this season leading up to the 2026 NHL Draft. The 17-year-old freshman defenseman (6-foot-3, 208 pounds), who was born in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, Canada, is No. 2 on NHL Central Scouting's midterm ranking of North American skaters eligible for the 2026 NHL Draft. The third youngest player in men's college hockey has 18 points (six goals, 12 assists), 33 blocked shots and 49 shots on goal in 26 games. He had 45 points (21 goals, 24 assists) in 63 games with Victoria of the Western Hockey League in 2024-25, scoring the third-most goals by a defenseman 16-or-younger in WHL history.

Hello hockey fans,

I'm looking forward to filing a monthly diary for NHL.com over the second half of this season in my freshman year at North Dakota.

Growing up in Fort Saskatchewan, my family was very much into hockey. I have many cousins who played hockey, uncles and family members who are just around the game. Growing up in a smaller town, you kind of have two options -- there's hockey in the winter and baseball in the off-season. I just kind of took the hockey route. Some of my fondest memories are just being on the outdoor rink with some of my buddies. I remember getting home from school, grabbing my skates and heading to the outdoor rink, where I'd stay until 8:30, 9:00 p.m. I'd call my mom to bring me some hot chocolate or a pizza while I was out there. Whether it was playing games or just shooting pucks, no matter what the temperature was, we were always out there.

I actually started out as a goalie. My dad's side of the family are all goalies. My dad was a goalie. My uncle was a goalie. My grandpa was a goalie. My other uncles were also goalies. So going into my first year of organized hockey, I played goalie and played the position until I was 11 years old. In my final year as goalie, I tried out for the Brick Invitational but ended up getting cut. That next summer I played inline hockey, which was on rollerblades. I was lucky enough to play in California for a little tournament there and I loved it, played with lots of my buddies and it was a really good time. It was then I started playing defense.

After I finished my season in Victoria (WHL) and with the NCAA rule change happening, I knew college hockey was something I was going to look into. I came on a visit to North Dakota and the University of Michigan, and both places had unbelievable programs. But when I came to North Dakota, it just felt right. It felt like home.

What I like most about college hockey is the competition. Every single game is a competitive game. There is never going to be a 13-0 win or 8-1 win. Every game is going to be a battle for 60 minutes. Those teams that don't have as much skill as others still play hard and more physical to make that game that much tougher.

In addition to my first year at North Dakota, I had an opportunity to represent Canada at the 2026 World Junior Championship in January. When you go there, you have one thing in mind and it's just to win gold. When you don't reach that goal, it's tough, but to be around those players was really cool. They're a bunch of really good guys and I was able to learn from them. Growing up as a Canadian kid, you watch that tournament and are kind of in awe the whole time. I remember waking up on Boxing Day and flipping it on first thing in the morning, so to have a chance to step onto the ice for my country was something I was super privileged and honored to do.

The men’s ice hockey at the Winter Olympics has been fantastic. I think it will be Team Canada against Team USA in the gold medal game with Canada taking home the big prize. I watched Canada's overtime win against Czechia in the quarterfinal round ... it's almost as if you can give the puck to anyone out there and they'll make a great play, they're going to create. It's great watching the best of the best. These players are so competitive, so driven. It's just different for those guys. The mindset they have to win and compete in hockey is pretty cool to watch.

Well, that's it for this month. Thanks for reading and enjoy the rest of the Olympics.