Jun. 27—GRAND FORKS — Carson Carels was sitting at his Manitoba farm, watching the NHL Draft with family and friends on Friday night.

He watched Hockey Hall of Famer Lanny McDonald walk up on stage at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, N.Y., take the microphone and call his name.

Carels, who has signed to play at UND next season, went No. 6 overall to the Calgary Flames in the 2026 NHL Draft, kicking off a memorable night for the Fighting Hawks.

Three picks later, U.S. Olympic gold medalist Laila Edwards announced the San Jose Sharks selected UND freshman defenseman Keaton Verhoeff with the No. 9 overall pick.

And UND's big night closed when the Pittsburgh Penguins selected Liam Ruck, another UND signee, with the No. 22 overall pick. Ruck is a 2027 commit.

UND head coach Dane Jackson and general manager Bryn Chyzyk were in attendance, watching their players and recruits fly off the board in a nearly unprecedented way.

The only other time three UND-bound players have been taken in the first round was 2005, when Brian Lee went No. 9 to Ottawa, T.J. Oshie went No. 24 to St. Louis and Joe Finley went No. 27 to Washington.

"It was a fun night," Chyzyk said. "I think once you're in the building, you feel the adrenaline and the nerves of all the agents, families and kids. At the end of the day, to see everyone so excited to be picked is a cool experience. I'm happy those three got to see their names called."

The next step is getting all of them to campus to make it official.

Carels said the UND staff hopes to have him in Grand Forks on July 9 for summer training.

"It's really close to home," Carels said on why he committed to UND. "When I went down there, there were a lot of great people. It's a smaller hockey town like Prince George, where I was playing. It's going to be a great fit for me if that's the situation I need to do. It's going to be awesome."

Only two UND players have ever been selected higher than Carels — Jonathan Toews went No. 3 to the Chicago Blackhawks in 2006 and Jake Sanderson went No. 5 to the Ottawa Senators in 2020.

"When you watch his game, he's physical, he skates really well, and he's so well-rounded," Calgary general manager Craig Conroy said.

The Flames have now selected UND and Michigan State recruits in the first round in back-to-back years.

Last summer, they took UND's Cole Reschny with the No. 18 pick.

They took Cullen Potter with the No. 32 pick last year and Jack Hextall at No. 30 this season. Potter and Cullen will be teammates at Michigan State.

"It's easy for the development guys," Conroy said. "They're only going to have to go to a couple of teams. You know what? Great programs. Both are great programs and we believe they're going to thrive there and be that much more ready when they come to Calgary. It's exciting to have, and it's easier for me to watch, so that's nice."

Verhoeff joined his old junior hockey coach, James Patrick, as well as John Marks and Brian Lee as No. 9 overall picks from UND.

Verhoeff was one of three first-round picks by the Sharks, who also took winger Ivar Stenberg at No. 2 and Denver-bound defenseman Ryan Lin at No. 21.

Verhoeff wore a custom suit coat with photos on the inside, including a few UND team pictures with the North Dakota hockey logo and a geometric Sioux head.

"I have to give a lot of credit to my teammates and coaches there — especially my teammates," he told the Sharks website. "Coming in as a younger guy, having those older players around me, especially our defensive corps, was super special to teach the ins and outs of college hockey. UND has done so much for me both on the ice and as a person as well."

Verhoeff said he was excited to join an up-and-coming organization.

The Sharks have added five top-10 picks to their organization since 2023 — forward Macklin Celebrini, forward Will Smith, forward Michael Misa, Stenberg and Verhoeff.

"I think everyone can see it. . . the players they have there, the people they have there," Verhoeff said. "It's exciting. The future is bright there. You look at that young core they have, the high skill and the pace they play with, it's super cool to watch."

Verhoeff said he wanted to discuss his future with general manager Mike Grier before saying anything publicly, but acknowledged his journey is just beginning.

"When I eventually make that jump to pro, I want to be able to make an impact and be someone who can help the team," Verhoeff said. "There are going to be lots of learning curves. This is just the start. You hear people say the draft is just the start. It's kind of the bottom of the mountain. You've got to work your way and climb. I'm looking forward to getting back into the gym and on the ice and continuing to grind to eventually make that jump."

The Penguins selected Ruck at No. 22 after his 104-point season in the Western Hockey League with Medicine Hat. He is planning to return there next season and come to UND in 2027.

"Physical development will be the key," Pittsburgh general manager Kyle Dubas said. "That will allow them to build power and build their skating. If they can unlock that, we think that will be a major development for them. Their bodies and strength, as you'll see, they're skinny guys who are at the rink all the time and love hockey. We'll build the power with them."

Ruck attended the NHL Draft with his family, including his twin brother, Markus, who is expected to go on Day 2 of the NHL Draft (10 a.m. Saturday, NHL Network).

The Ruck twins informed NHL teams they want to play together. Pittsburgh's next pick is in the second round, No. 39 overall.

"We'll see how the board shakes out," Dubas said. "I think, for obvious reasons, they said at the Combine they've spent four nights apart their whole lives. They're at Medicine Hat together. They're committed to North Dakota thereafter. Great major junior program. Great college program. They're going to do it together. That would make sense if that's the way the board falls tomorrow."

Jun. 25—GRAND FORKS — UND fans probably still have the 2011 NHL Draft tucked away in their memory banks.

Their top recruit, center J.T. Miller, went No. 15 overall to the New York Rangers.

But soon after the draft, Miller signed with the Rangers and played in Canadian major juniors. He never played a game for UND.

UND will have two high picks Friday night, when the first round of the NHL Draft is scheduled for KeyBank Center in Buffalo, N.Y.

Defenseman Keaton Verhoeff, who is scheduled to be a sophomore, and defenseman Carson Carels, an incoming freshman, are both expected to be selected in the top 10.

Although Verhoeff has indicated he will return to school for his sophomore season — and even posted UND photos on Instagram with the caption, "Story's Not Done" — could there be any reason for UND fans to worry that Verhoeff or Carels could sign NHL deals after the draft?

UND coach Dane Jackson acknowledged there's always a possibility, but feels the Fighting Hawks are in a good spot.

"I believe those guys feel they have a good developmental pathway here," Jackson said. "They both understand, as defensemen, it's extremely hard to play in the NHL as an 18-year-old. It's always a small concern (they'll sign), but we believe we built relationships with those guys and they want to be here competing for a national championship."

The 2026 NHL Draft could go into UND's record books in a few ways.

UND has had two players selected in the top 20 just once in program history. In 2004, Drew Stafford went No. 13 overall to Buffalo and Travis Zajac was selected No. 20 overall by New Jersey.

Verhoeff and Carels will break that mark.

"It's exciting," Jackson said. "Obviously, the thing for me that's so impressive is the type of people they are. If you have guys who are high-profile guys, but they're all about themselves, it's not great. Both Carson and Keaton are extremely humble, team-first, grounded, sharp young men who people want to play with. That's the really exciting part of it."

UND has only had three first-rounders once. In 2005, Brian Lee went No. 9 to Ottawa, T.J. Oshie went No. 24 to St. Louis and Joe Finely went No. 27 to Washington.

UND can match that if one of the Ruck twins — Liam or Markus — end up going in the first round. If both Ruck twins go in the first, it would mark the first time in program history that UND has four first-rounders. The Rucks, both forwards, will come to UND in 2027.

UND incoming freshman forward Connor Davis has not generated much media coverage as a potential NHL Draft pick this weekend.

But several NHL teams are intrigued.

Is it enough to warrant a draft pick? Or will he get offers to attend NHL development camps as an undrafted free agent?

"I think he might (get picked)," Jackson said. "There are some teams that really like him."

Davis, a 6-foot winger, had 26 goals and 55 points for the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders in the United States Hockey League last season.

There are eight UND-connected players who are potential picks this weekend — Verhoeff, Carels, the Ruck twins, incoming freshman defenseman Ethan MacKenzie, 2027 defenseman commit Brayden Klimpke, 2027 forward commit Cooper Williams and Davis.

Klimpke and Williams, who are teammates with the Saskatoon Blades in the WHL, have not yet signed with UND, so the school is unable to mention them on its official communications. The coaching staff also is not allowed to comment on them.

The other six have all signed.

This will be one of UND's busiest NHL Drafts of all time.

UND had a program-record nine picks in 1984. UND had seven in 1982, 2005 and 2010.

The last time UND had six picks was 2013, when Adam Tambellini, Keaton Thompson, Tucker Poolman, Luke Johnson, Gage Ausmus and Wade Murphy were selected.

* Verhoeff and the Ruck twins are attending the draft in Buffalo. Jackson and general manager Bryn Chyzyk also will be there.

* The last time the NHL Draft was held in Buffalo was 2016. UND's Tyson Jost went No. 10 overall to the Colorado Avalanche. Rhett Gardner (fourth round, Dallas), Peter Thome (sixth round, Columbus) and Collin Adams (sixth round, New York Islanders) also were selected that year.

* Buffalo also hosted the draft in 1991 and 1998, which is the last time UND did not have a player selected.

Jun. 25—GRAND FORKS — It started with a questionnaire from the Seattle Kraken.

Phone calls, Zoom sessions and one-on-one meetings followed throughout the season for UND freshman defenseman Keaton Verhoeff.

By the time the NHL Combine rolled around, he heard from everyone in the NHL.

"Probably 32 teams," Verhoeff said. "Maybe I'm missing one or two, but it was definitely up there."

It was a season with little precedent for a UND hockey player.

It had been 15 years since UND had a freshman who accelerated his education to come to campus in his first year of NHL Draft eligibility. The last one was Dillon Simpson in 2010-11. Simpson was a fourth-round draft pick.

"I talked to some teams and scouts," said Simpson, now a UND assistant coach. "But Keaton is in a whole other stratosphere."

The last first-rounder to play his draft year at UND was Jonathan Toews. That was 20 years ago.

Verhoeff arrived on campus last summer as a projected first-round pick with a swarm of attention headed his way.

UND's staff reached out to other college hockey teams that recently had draft-eligible superstars on campus to see how they handled the onslaught of NHL attention.

Following the feedback they received, the Fighting Hawks established parameters for those who wanted to speak with Verhoeff.

They made Verhoeff available from the end of Saturday night's series finale until Thursday night. He was unavailable heading into a weekend series to allow him to focus on the games.

"When we were in our game mode, we had him off limits," UND head coach Dane Jackson said.

The NHL's Central Scouting Bureau sent those parameters to NHL teams before the season started — something they did for other top prospects like Penn State's Gavin McKenna as well.

UND general manager Bryn Chyzyk handled a majority of Verhoeff's requests and set up meetings or calls.

When Chyzyk floated dates and times, Verhoeff pulled up his calendar, where he kept his schedule, to fit in the request.

"Teams were flying in to meet with him," Simpson said. "He did Zooms, phone calls, all while trying to prepare to play well. It's not easy for a young kid. I did some testing and interviews (in 2010-11), but Keaton had another level of pressure. He did an exceptional job. I'm really proud of how he handled it. He kept his head on his shoulders. He was super mature."

On top of the team requests, Verhoeff was flooded with media interview requests.

UND sports information director Alec Johnson said he handled 86 interview requests for Verhoeff this season. Johnson denied 12 of them. If you add Verhoeff's in-person interviews at the World Junior Championship, NHL Combine and NHL Draft, he topped 100 media appearances this year.

"Keaton was an absolute pro handling each interview request that came in," Johnson said. "For someone at his age to be able to handle that many media requests and do them all with a smile on his face is remarkable. I am one of the lucky group of people to not only witness his special play on the ice, but the special man that he is off it."

Johnson fielded an additional 25-30 requests from TV networks for footage.

By comparison, Johnson said Jackson Blake had 45 interview requests during his Hobey Baker Award finalist campaign in 2023-24.

"For a 17-year-old, it was impressive how he scheduled everything and made it work within his class schedule," Chyzyk said.

UND associate head coach Matt Smaby thought of one comparable.

Smaby was the captain of Shattuck-St. Mary's Prep when Sidney Crosby played there.

"Every night, every game, there are 15, 16, 17 guys there (scouting)," Smaby said. "It reminded me of that scenario, where you have a highly touted guy who is young, who is under a tremendous amount of pressure, and has been for a while.

"I can't imagine what that would be like as a 17-year-old. I'm not sure I would be able to handle that. That was one of the most impressive things I noticed with Keaton this year, was his ability to shelf that stuff, be a kid, a teammate, and keep going."

Verhoeff said most of his meetings and calls with teams lasted about 30 minutes. A couple lasted more than an hour. One took three hours.

About 10 teams flew into Grand Forks to meet with Verhoeff in person. Some flew in and out on the same day.

Most offered to take him to dinner or coffee, but he preferred to meet in a conference room in Ralph Engelstad Arena.

"Chyz did a good job of limiting the interactions on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays," Verhoeff said. "I wanted to focus on the games and the task at hand. I tried to schedule the meetings on weekdays, so I had the weekends to hang out with the boys. It was tough at times, but it also was good, because I've been dreaming of this for 18 years."

Verhoeff was under scrutiny at the NHL Combine earlier this month in Buffalo.

He went through physical testing and met with 18 NHL teams. He went to dinner with the San Jose Sharks, who own the No. 2 and 9 overall picks, and the Seattle Kraken, who are picking No. 7.

"In meetings, it's a little more serious, a little more of sitting there and answering their questions," Verhoeff said. "At dinner, you get to know them a little more, tell some stories and be a little more relaxed. It was cool to see them in that setting."

The draft process is now coming to an end.

Verhoeff will be selected in the first round Friday night.

His rare combination of size and athleticism will make him one of the highest-drafted UND players of all time. The top three are Jonathan Toews (No. 3, Chicago Blackhawks, 2006), Jake Sanderson (No. 5, Ottawa Senators, 2020) and Jason Herter (No. 8, Vancouver Canucks, 1989).

"You look at the NHL game today and you have to be good with the puck as a defenseman," Smaby said. "He is. You cannot teach 6-foot-4, 215, at 17 years old. He is. He has good skating ability. He competes hard. One of the question marks I had, especially with a young guy, knowing and understanding the position myself, is what the defending would look like. All things considered, I thought his defending was quite good throughout the course of the year."

UND's coaching staff was impressed by how Verhoeff handled everything thrown at him.

"He did an outstanding job handling a pressure-packed situation with a lot of poise and presence," Jackson said. "He was never about himself. He was a great teammate. He was well-liked by his teammates. He did a really nice job of handling the stress and also the duties that go with it."

Smaby added: "I'm sure there was pressure and I'm sure it was stressful, but he sure didn't wear it."

Next season, there will be no draft to worry about.

The meetings and calls will be down to just one team — the one that calls his name Friday night in Buffalo.

"I think he'll take a big step, just not having the day-to-day pressure of where you're going to get picked," Jackson said. "It will allow him to play freely. He'll have a lot of confidence to play his game and let his natural gifts come through. He has good competitiveness. He has good defensive habits. He cares about his two-way game. I think he'll take a big jump on both sides of the puck."

After a week of shakeups to the Florida Panthers’ roster, one thing has been set in stone: their preseason schedule.

The Panthers announced their four-game 2026-27 preseason slate Thursday shortly after acquiring Garnet Hathaway in a trade with the Philadelphia Flyers.

They will start at home against the defending Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday, Sept. 20 at 7 p.m., and then go on the road to face them again on Tuesday, Sept. 22 at 7 p.m., at the Lenovo Center in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Florida will then take on its in-state rival, the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Panthers will be on the road Thursday, Sept. 24 at Benchmark International Arena at 7 p.m., before facing the Lightning again at home Saturday, Sept. 26 at 6 p.m.

Despite the Hurricanes being the ones to hoist the cup, the Panthers fared relatively well against them last season. Florida suffered a 9-1 bashing in their last meeting Jan. 16, but secured victories in the other two contests in December. Florida won 5-2 and 4-3 in those meetings. The pair also faced off in two preseason matchups last season, with Florida securing both wins.

However, against the Lightning, Florida did not hold up quite as well in its 2025-26 campaign, meeting four times in the regular season, with Tampa Bay taking three of the games. Their last meeting was Feb. 5, and the Lightning grabbed a 6-1 rout at home. They also met three times in preseason contests, and Tampa Bay won twice.

The preseason schedule is much lighter than in past seasons. Last year’s consisted of seven matchups with three opponents. The Panthers played an extra game against the Lightning and faced the Nashville Predators twice. In the 2024-25 season, they played another against the Los Angeles Kings.

This year’s preseason contests can be seen on the Scripps Sports South Florida broadcast network and are available to stream for free on PanthersPlus.TV ahead of the regular season. Preseason tickets will go on sale in July through SeatGeek.com.