The University of North Dakota’s hockey program is basking in a draft‑year unlike any other, having seen eight of its recent recruits hear their names called at the NHL Draft, a milestone that eclipses the last three‑decade high set in 1984.
A Historic Draft Year for the Fighting Hawks
The surge began with the first‑round selections of Keaton Verhoeff, Carson Carels and Liam Ruck, each of whom were among the top ten prospects in the country. Verhoeff, the ninth overall pick by the San Jose Sharks, had already spent a season on campus, posting six goals and twenty points as a 17‑year‑old rookie.
Carels, the sixth overall selection by the Calgary Flames, spoke enthusiastically about the university’s culture, noting the program’s ties to the Flames organization, which drafted Cole Reschny last summer. Reschny’s recent accolade as the National Collegiate Hockey Conference’s Rookie of the Year underscores the pipeline of talent flowing from Grand Forks to the NHL.
The second‑through‑fifth rounds added five more picks: Markus Ruck to the Pittsburgh Penguins, Ethan MacKenzie to the Toronto Maple Leafs, Brayden Klimpke to the Montreal Canadiens, Connor Davis to the Vancouver Canucks and Cooper Williams to the Toronto Maple Leafs again. Each prospect brings a distinct skill set, from MacKenzie’s rapid rise after a standout season with the Edmonton Oil Kings to Davis’s breakout year with the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders in the USHL.
Coach Dane Jackson and General Manager Bryn Chyzyk have been credited with assembling a recruiting class that committed twelve NHL‑eligible players within fifteen months, a strategy that emphasizes both skill development and work ethic. Their efforts have positioned UND to field fourteen draft‑eligible players on its 2026‑27 roster.
Beyond the draft, the program’s connections extend to Medicine Hat of the WHL, where the Ruck twins will continue their development, and to the broader hockey community in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, where scouting networks have helped identify talent such as Ethan MacKenzie, who hails from Edmonton, Alberta.
With a pipeline that stretches from Grand Forks to Buffalo, New York, and across the Canadian prairies, the university’s ascendancy reflects a deliberate focus on building a competitive, sustainable program. As the NHL prepares for the next season, the impact of these draft selections will be measured not only in individual performance but in the long‑term growth of the Fighting Hawks brand.