It was a bittersweet day when the San Jose Sharks announced that the team had traded 2021 first-round draft pick William Eklund along with a pair of prospects to the Ottawa Senators. Eklund was a fan favorite and one of the longest-tenured Sharks. Considering the turnover the team had dealt with in the 2020s, coupled with more losses than wins, Eklund felt like a harbinger of a brighter future. Seeing him depart San Jose took the wind out of Sharks fans, even for a moment.
However, the shrewd move by General Manager Mike Grier was used to acquire the one thing the Sharks’ prospect pool has needed more than anything, a potential first-pairing defenseman who has the size and the skill to dominate the NHL for years to come. While all draft picks are considered gambles, the possibility that Keaton Verhoeff becomes an NHL regular is greater than not.
Position: Defenseman
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 214 pounds
Age: 18
Date of Birth: June 19, 2008
Draft Year: 2026 (9th overall by San Jose Sharks)
Shoots: Right
2026-27 Team: University of North Dakota (NCAA)
Verhoeff took a different route than a lot of his draft counterparts. Instead of sticking to the CHL for another season before declaring for the NCAA, he decided to head right into college hockey. He played the entire season for the University of North Dakota as a 17-year-old.
Verhoeff had 20 points (6 G, 14 A) in 36 games. He also played for Canada at the World Junior Championships where he had four points in five games and helped the U20 team win a bronze medal. We expect him to play a bigger role for Canada this winter.
What we like
First and foremost, we like his decision to play in the NCAA. Verhoeff didn’t take the easy route and pad his stats; he decided to take on the challenge of the NCAA head-on.
While other defensemen in his draft class, like Daxon Rudolph, Carson Carels and Chase Reid — who were all drafted ahead of him — stuck to the CHL, Verhoeff challenged himself. He didn’t get the explosive numbers that Rudolph (78 points), Carels (73 points) or Reid (48 points) did, but he got the experience.
We are very interested to see how Verhoeff does this season compared to Rudolph (University of Denver), Reid (Michigan State) and Carels (North Dakota). While those kids are learning how to play in the NCAA, Verhoeff will already be adjusted to the more intense game against bigger, more experienced men.
Verhoeff already has the size that you look for in an NHL defenseman. He’s a 6-foot-4, 214 pound, 18-year-old. He’s large, and he can skate, a dangerous combination that’s served him well so far. While he’s not flashy or overly creative, he’s a smart hockey player who plays hard and has a hard shot from the point.
And now that he’s experienced with a year of college hockey under his belt, we would not be surprised if he has a breakout season.
Areas of improvement
Like most 18-year-old defensemen who are suddenly faced with really good players night in and night out, Verhoeff will need to work on his decision-making. The defenseman can’t just out skate or out hit his mistakes now, and he’ll have to be smarter with the puck.
We expect to see a huge jump in his game this season. We already mentioned that he’s had a season to learn in the NCAA. He’s also had the summer to speak with and work with the Sharks’ coaching staff. He’s had a lot of voices and a lot of training over the summer and he’s headed back to North Dakota with a lot to work on.
Look for him also to spend this season adding the “right kind of muscle.” Not necessarily getting bulkier, but adding muscle to make himself a more efficient hockey player.
What’s next for Verhoeff?
Verhoeff returns to the University of North Dakota, where we expect he’ll play heavy minutes on the top pairing. He might be paired with 2024 first-round pick E.J. Emery, like he was at times last season. Another option is that the coaching staff pairs him with fellow 2026 first-round pick Carson Carels. Either way, Verhoeff will have NHL-level talent to work with as he prepares for his next step.
And the Sharks are happy to let him percolate in the NCAA at least for this season. San Jose Sharks Director of Player Development Todd Marchant told Max Miller of Sharks Hockey Digest in July that the team is not going to rush Verhoeff.
“At the end of the day, there’s no rush. There’s no rush to get to the NHL,” Marchant said. “I say this a lot, we don’t want players just to play in the NHL, we want them to have success. If that means waiting one more year and playing another year in college, then we’ll wait a year. If it means playing right now, then that’s what will happen.”
Highlights
Finally, here’s a whole compilation of highlights from Prospect Shifts.
2026 Top 25 Under 25 countdown … so far
10. Ryan Lin
11. Luca Cagnoni
12. Joshua Ravensbergen
13. Eric Pohlkamp
14. Quentin Musty
15. Filip Bystedt
16. Zack Ostapchuk
17. Leo Sahlin Wallenius
18. Cam Lund
19. Ethan Cardwell
20. Nolan Allan
21. Haoxi Wang
22. Cole McKinney
23. Carson Wetsch
24. Mattias Havelid
25. Christian Kirsch
Honorable Mentions: Joey Muldowney, Teddy Mutryn, Andre Gasseau, Brady Knowling and Alexander Karmanov
Editor’s Note: More than 100 people voted in our fan poll this year, though admittedly, not everyone filled out the entire form, i.e., all 25 spots and the honorable mentions. In some cases, some people filled out their top ten and left the rest blank. While it makes the math a bit harder, we found the fairest (and easiest) thing to do was average the scores based on the total responses received. While blank scores counted as zero, it didn’t seem to skew the results too badly. Ultimately, this isn’t an exact science, but I think you’ll find it’s a pretty good list.
