Top 2026 NHL Draft prospect confirms he wants to be selected by the Vancouver Canucks
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A top defensive prospect eligible for the 2026 NHL Entry Draft says he would love the opportunity to be selected by and eventually play for the Vancouver Canucks.
As the National Hockey League went on pause earlier this month for the 2026 Winter Olympics, the Vancouver Canucks held the highest odds to land the first overall pick, sitting at a little over 27 percent.
“The last-place team will have just a 27.1 per cent chance to land the first overall pick and a 19.8 per cent chance at picking second.” Rob Williams of Daily Hive said.
He added, “Because the first two picks are the only two selections awarded via the lottery, the maximum number of spots the 32nd team can fall is two. That makes the odds of picking third overall 53.1 per cent.”
Top 2026 NHL Draft prospect says he wants to be selected by the Vancouver Canucks
During an appearance on Donnie & Dhali on Thursday, University of North Dakota defenseman Keaton Verhoeff, one of the top blueliners available for the 2026 NHL Entry Draft, says he would be thrilled to be selected by the Vancouver Canucks in June.
The Vancouver Canucks have liked the Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta native for a little while now, with Patrik Allvin and members of the team’s front office reportedly meeting with Keaton Verhoeff last month to get to know him a little bit better, both as a player and as a person.
“Yeah, it was awesome. Meeting with them was really cool. Like I said, it’s a unique experience to go through this draft process and talking with Canadian teams and such a great organization like Vancouver was quite an honor. If it ends up happening and that’s the spot I go, I’d be really honored to play there and kind of have that opportunity to be part of that next generation of Canucks that can really put together a solid team and be a competitive team year in, year out to really push for a championship and that goal that everybody obviously wants and what the Canucks organization wants and what I think every organization in the NHL too. Just to be able to have that chance to win the Stanley Cup.” Verhoeff said.
As the 2025-26 season has gone on, Verhoeff has taken some big strides at both ends of the ice and at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship with Canada, saw his role increase with each game, which was quite impressive for someone who is only 17.
In 26 games this season with the University of North Dakota, Verhoeff has tallied 18 points (six goals, 12 assists), 25 penalty minutes and is a plus-seven.
One thing that could hold the Canucks back from selecting Keaton Verhoeff in June’s draft is where he’s expected to go and where Patrik Allvin is expected to pick, with Vancouver likely going to end up in the 1-3 range, while the young blueliner is currently ranked second by NHL Central Scouting and might be taken anywhere from 4-7.
Previously on Vancouver Hockey Daily
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Top 2026 NHL Draft prospect confirms he wants to be selected by the Vancouver Canucks
Should the Vancouver Canucks find a way to get a second top-ten pick in order to select Keaton Verhoeff?