BUFFALO, N.Y. – Five current or incoming National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) players were selected in the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft Friday night at KeyBank Center, home of the Buffalo Sabres. The five first round selections in the NHL Draft are the most in NCHC history, topping the four incoming freshmen taken in 2016.
Two rising sophomores were drafted in North Dakota defenseman
Keaton Verhoeff at No. 9 and Miami forward
Ilia Morozov at No. 20. Three incoming freshmen also heard their name called Friday night, led by Denver defenseman
Daxon Rudolph at No. 4, who becomes the highest drafted player in NCHC history. He tops former North Dakota and current Ottawa Senators defenseman Jake Sanderson, who went fifth in 2020. In addition, incoming UND blueliner
Carson Carels went two picks later at No. 6, while Rudolph’s classmate at Denver,
Ryan Lin, rounded out the selections at No. 21.
The Sabres (Rudolph, Morozov) and San Jose Sharks (Verhoeff, Lin) each drafted a pair of NCHC players, while the Calgary Flames selected Carels.
NCHC Players in First Round of 2026 NHL Draft
| Name |
NCHC School |
26-27 Class |
Pos. |
Pick # |
NHL Team |
| Daxon Rudolph |
Denver |
Freshman |
D |
4 |
Buffalo |
| Carson Carels |
North Dakota |
Freshman |
D |
6 |
Calgary |
| Keaton Verhoeff |
North Dakota |
Sophomore |
D |
9 |
San Jose |
| Ilia Morozov |
Miami |
Sophomore |
F |
20 |
Buffalo |
| Ryan Lin |
Denver |
Freshman |
D |
21 |
San Jose |
Rudolph (Lacombe, Alberta) was selected fourth overall by the Buffalo Sabres and will become the highest NHL draft pick to ever play in the NCHC. Rudolph played the last two seasons for the Prince Albert Raiders in the Western Hockey League (WHL). This past year he served as an assistant captain for the Raiders, tallying 78 points (28g/50a) from the blue line in 68 regular-season games, which ranked third among WHL defensemen in scoring. He also helped Canada win a gold medal at the 2025 IIHF U-18 Men’s World Championship.
Carels (Cypress River, Manitoba) was taken sixth overall by the Calgary Flames. The incoming UND defenseman played the last two seasons for the Prince George Cougars in the WHL, serving as an assistant captain this past season. During the 2025-26 campaign, Carels compiled 73 points (20g/53a) in 58 regular-season games. In January, he also helped Canada win a bronze medal at the 2026 World Junior Championship, after claiming gold a year earlier at the 2025 U-18 Men’s World Championship.
Verhoeff (Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta) became the second NoDak blueliner selected, going ninth overall to the San Jose Sharks. Verhoeff earned NCHC All-Rookie Team honors this past season after totaling 20 points (6g/14a) in 36 games, which led all NCHC freshman defensemen in scoring. He also played on both Canada’s U-18 and World Junior Championship teams this past season, tallying four assists in five games in both IIHF tournaments, earning bronze at 2026 World Juniors. Verhoeff was named NCHC Defenseman of the Week in January and helped the Fighting Hawks win the 2025-26 Penrose Cup.
Morozov (Moscow, Russia) was chosen with pick No. 20 by the Sabres, making him the highest NHL draft pick in Miami history. As the youngest player in college hockey, Morozov tallied 20 points (8g/12a) in 36 games this past 2025-26 season, ranking fifth on the RedHawks. He earned NCHC Forward of the Week honors in October. Morozov joins DU’s Rudolph in the Buffalo organization.
One pick later,
Lin (Richmond, B.C.) was drafted by San Jose at No. 21, joining UND’s Verhoeff in the Sharks organization. The incoming Denver defenseman has spent the last two seasons with the Vancouver Giants of the WHL, serving as an assistant captain this past season. In 53 games in 2025-26, Lin piled up 57 points (14g/43a). He’s also played on Canada’s U-18 National Team at the last two U-18 Men’s World Championships, winning gold in 2025.
The NCHC has now seen 21 current or incoming players selected in the first round of the NHL Draft in conference history (since 2013). Prior to Friday, only one NCHC player had been chosen inside the top 10 (Sanderson), while three were taken in the top nine picks tonight.
In addition to the five current/incoming NCHC players selected Friday night, North Dakota commit and forward
Liam Ruck was selected No. 22 overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The
2026 NHL Draft wraps up Saturday with rounds 2-7 taking place. Day two of the NHL Draft begins at 11 a.m. ET/10 a.m. CT and will be televised on NHL Network (U.S.) and Sportsnet (Canada), as well as streamed on ESPN+.
ALL-TIME NCHC PLAYERS SELECTED IN FIRST ROUND OF NHL DRAFT
| Year |
Pick |
Player |
NHL Team |
NCHC Team |
| 2014 |
20 |
Nick Schmaltz |
Chicago |
North Dakota |
| 2015 |
23 |
Brock Boeser |
Vancouver |
North Dakota |
| 2015 |
25 |
Jack Roslovic |
Winnipeg |
Miami |
| 2016 |
10 |
Tyson Jost |
Colorado |
North Dakota |
| 2016 |
20 |
Dennis Cholowski |
Detroit |
St. Cloud State |
| 2016 |
23 |
Henrik Borgstrom |
Florida |
Denver |
| 2016 |
25 |
Riley Tufte |
Dallas |
Minnesota Duluth |
| 2017 |
25 |
Ryan Poehling |
Montreal |
St. Cloud State |
| 2018 |
26 |
Jacob Bernard-Docker |
Ottawa |
North Dakota |
| 2020 |
5 |
Jake Sanderson |
Ottawa |
North Dakota |
| 2022 |
31 |
Isaac Howard |
Tampa Bay |
Minnesota Duluth |
| 2024 |
12 |
Zeev Buium |
Minnesota |
Denver |
| 2024 |
18 |
Sacha Boisvert |
Chicago |
North Dakota |
| 2024 |
30 |
EJ Emery |
N.Y. Rangers |
North Dakota |
| 2025 |
18 |
Cole Reschny |
Calgary |
North Dakota |
| 2025 |
32 |
Cullen Potter |
Calgary |
Arizona State |
| 2026 |
4 |
Daxon Rudolph |
Buffalo |
Denver |
| 2026 |
6 |
Carson Carels |
Calgary |
North Dakota |
| 2026 |
9 |
Keaton Verhoeff |
San Jose |
North Dakota |
| 2026 |
20 |
Ilia Morozov |
Buffalo |
Miami |
| 2026 |
21 |
Ryan Lin |
San Jose |
Denver |
--#theNational--