ST. CLOUD — St. Cloud State recruit Jonah Sivertson was not at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York, for the NHL Draft that was held June 26–27. He was at home in Regina, Saskatchewan, with his family and watching on TV. But it did not diminish the moment when his name was called in the fourth round and taken with the 113th overall pick by the Vegas Golden Knights.
“It was a dream to get drafted,” he said. “I was patiently waiting for my name to get called. Watching on TV and seeing my name get called was pretty special, seeing all the hard work paid off. About five minutes later, I got a call from Vegas. It was cool.”
After the draft, Sivertson attended development camp with the Golden Knights from June 28-July 2.
“It was pretty cool seeing how everything is run, the pace of play and the organization,” he said.
Jonah Sivertson carries the puck during a WHL game for the Prince Albert Raiders.
SUBMITTED BY JONAH SIVERTSON
Sivertson is listed at 6-foot-3 and 194 pounds and turns 18 on Aug. 27.
He’s coming off his first full season in the Western Hockey League with the Prince Albert Raiders, who he helped reach the WHL playoff championship series before losing to the Everett Silvertips, 4 games to 1. In 20 playoff games, Sivertson had three goals, seven assists, two penalty minutes, 54 shots on goal and was plus-1.
“The experience of the playoffs was amazing,” he said. “It was too bad we lost, but I was really proud of our group and how well we did. It was a pretty amazing season. Seeing the atmosphere in our rink was phenomenal. The fans got up every night. It was really fun to play in front of. To go to battle with the guys and go to war with them night in and night out was fun and amazing … It was special to be a part of such a great group. We were just really tight and wanted the best for each other. I think we pushed each other every day to be a good hockey team.”
Jonah Sivertson is in his second season with the Prince Albert Raiders of the WHL. He recently verbally committed to play for St. Cloud State.
SUBMITTED BY JONAH SIVERTSON
During the regular season, he had 24 goals, 29 assists, 41 penalty minutes, won 66% of his faceoffs and was plus-46. He tied for 11th in the WHL in plus/minus On the power play, he had five goals and three assists.
“My season, I just kept growing from start of the year to the end of the year,” Sivertson said. “I think I just kept gaining confidence and playing my game. I was playing a simple game that translated well and I gave it my all.”
He said his biggest improvement was his ability to work the puck along the walls of the rink.
“I think I kept getting better as the season went on,” Sivertson said. “I was protecting pucks down low and pulling pucks off the wall. I think I did a good job off of that.”
He said that he has not decided yet whether he will return to Prince Albert or if he will join St. Cloud State in the fall. But he has had some phone conversations with new Huskies head coach Nick Oliver.
“We’ve been talking a bit,” Sivertson said. “He sounds like a good coach. It’s been fun getting a chance to know him.”
SCSU NHL Draft picks since 2020
2026 — Jonah Sivertson, F, Vegas Golden Knights, 4th round, 113th overall.
2025 —
F, Colorado Avalanche, 7th round, 214th overall;
F, Montreal Canadiens, 3rd round, 69th overall.
2024 —
F, Anaheim Ducks, 6th, 182nd;
Colin Ralph,
D, St. Louis Blues, 2nd, 48th.
2023 —
D, Tampa Bay Lightning, 6th, 179th
2022 —
F, Seattle Kraken, 6th, 164th;
F, Nashville Predators, 3rd, 82nd
2021 —
D, Minnesota Wild, 2nd, 54th
2020 —
F, Toronto Maple Leafs, 6th, 168th
Mick Hatten is a reporter and editor for stcloudlive.com. He began working for Forum Communications in November 2018 for The Rink Live and has covered St. Cloud State University hockey since 2010. Besides covering Huskies hockey, he is also covering other sports at SCSU and high school sports. A graduate of St. Cloud State, he has more than 30 years of experience as a journalist and has been a youth hockey coach since 2014. mick@stcloudlive.com
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