BUFFALO, N.Y. – It was indeed a historic night at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, N.Y. on Friday night, as the University of North Dakota hockey program saw three players selected in the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft.
 
Carson Carels (6th, Calgary), Keaton Verhoeff (9th, San Jose) and Liam Ruck (22nd, Pittsburgh) all heard their names called to become only the second trio in program history to be selected in the first round of the same draft (2005).
 
Incoming freshman defenseman Carels started the night off by going sixth to the Calgary Flames to become the third-highest player selected in program history. It also marks the second straight year that Calgary has selected a NoDak product with its first round pick, having drafted Cole Reschny 18th overall in 2025.
 
Moments later, sophomore defenseman Verhoeff was selected ninth overall by the San Jose Sharks to make the pairing the first duo to be selected in the top-10 of the same draft in UND history. Verhoeff is also tied for the fifth-highest selection in program history and joins Carels and Jake Sanderson (2020) as UND's third top-10 pick this decade.  
 
Ruck became the third future-or-current Fighting Hawk selected in the opening round, as the forward went 22nd overall to the Pittsburgh Penguins. With Ruck's selection, UND eclipsed three first rounders in the same draft for only the second time in program history (2005).
 
Rounds 2-7 will begin tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. (CT) on NHL Network.
 
North Dakota First Round Draftees
John Marks – 1968, Chicago (9th)
James Patrick – 1981, New York Rangers (9th)
George Pelawa – 1986, Calgary (16th)
Jason Herter – 1989, Vancouver (8th)
Landon Wilson – 1993, Toronto (19th)
David Hale – 2000, New Jersey (22nd)
Zach Parise – 2003, New Jersey (17th) 
Drew Stafford – 2004, Buffalo (13th)
Travis Zajac – 2004, New Jersey (20th)
Brian Lee – 2005, Ottawa (9th)
T.J. Oshie – 2005, St. Louis (24th) 
Joe Finley – 2005, Washington (27th) 
Jonathan Toews – 2006, Chicago (3rd) 
Derek Forbort – 2010, Los Angeles (15th) 
Brock Nelson – 2010, New York Islanders (30th)
Jordan Schmaltz – 2012, St. Louis (25th)
Nick Schmaltz – 2014, Chicago (20th)  
Brock Boeser – 2015, Vancouver (23rd) 
Tyson Jost – 2016, Colorado (10th)
Jacob Bernard-Docker – 2018, Ottawa (26th)
Jake Sanderson – 2020, Ottawa (5th)
Sacha Boisvert – 2024, Chicago (18th)
EJ Emery – 2024, New York Rangers (30th)
Cole Reschny – 2025, Calgary (18th)
Carson Carels – 2026, Calgary (6th)
Keaton Verhoeff – 2026, San Jose (9th)
Liam Ruck – 2026, Pittsburgh (22nd)

Postgame Notes 

• UND has now had at least one player drafted every year since 1999 – the third-longest streak in the nation
• Carson Carels (6th) and Keaton Verhoeff (9th) are the first top-10 selections in the same draft in program history
• NoDak now has 27 all-time first round picks
• Carels, Verhoeff and Liam Ruck (22nd) are the second UND trio to be selected in the first round of the same draft – last happening in 2005
• This marks only the second time in program history (2026, 2004) that UND has had at least two players selected in the top-20 of the same draft
• NoDak has now had at least one player selected in the first three rounds of every draft since 2010
• This marks the first time since 2014, 2015 and 2016 that UND has had at a first round pick in three straight drafts
• UND now has 212 all-time selections in the NHL Draft

 
For more information on North Dakota hockey, follow on social media @UNDmhockey or visit FightingHawks.com.