Draft Profile: Keaton Verhoeff

Gavin McKenna sucked up most of the air of this year’s NCAA prospect discussion, and for good reason. The Nittany Lion is projected to go first overall and was one of the most exciting players in the league this year.
But it meant that North Dakota’s Keaton Verhoeff slid under many peoples’ radars, despite being one of the most hyped draft-eligible prospects entering the season. His commitment to the Fighting Hawks was massive for a program which had missed the Frozen Four for a decade and had a new coach at the helm.

Ultimately, Verhoeff would help North Dakota back to the Frozen Four before his season was disappointingly ended by Wisconsin. Still, the Fort Saskatchewan native proved why any NHL team should be eager to draft him with his play over the year, even earning himself the #1 ranking by THN’s Ryan Kennedy in the midseason draft roundup.

Verhoeff is a big right-handed defenseman at 6’4” and 214 pounds. Despite that, he’s more of an offensive defenseman than the traditional shutdown d-man his size might suggest. He posted 20 points in 36 games with the Fighting Hawks and has a track record of offensive production going back to his years with the Victoria Royals of the WHL. While there, he put up 45 points in 63 games, including 10 points in 11 playoff games.

That offensive prowess is why he ran one of North Dakota’s power-play units this season, where he recorded three of his six goals. He’s confident walking the blue line, and he has a huge shot from the point. Verhoeff is also pretty agile for a player of his size and is more than capable of leading the rush. He’s strong on his stick and retrieves pucks well.

He averaged the third-most ice time among blueliners for the Fighting Hawks, playing 18:35 minutes per night, and occasionally was used on the penalty kill. Internationally, he’s been the captain three for Hockey Canada at U17s, Hlinka and U18s this year, and was a standout player for them at U18s in May last year. All in all, he’s a strong defenseman with the potential to play top-pair minutes at the NHL level.

The questions for Verhoeff are mostly surrounding his decision-making and his speed. He’s prone to hanging onto the puck for too long in an attempt to make a play, and while he may be decently agile, he’s not particularly quick. Often, he looks to be a step behind when changing direction or pivoting.