Sheng Peng
BUFFALO — Keaton Verhoeff, before this season, was considered the top defenseman of the 2026 Draft.
And the University of North Dakota right-hander still might be, despite an up-and-down campaign, if the San Jose Sharks make him the No. 2 pick.
The Sharks have interviewed Verhoeff and are taking him out to dinner on Wednesday night.
The 6-foot-4 defender spoke with San Jose Hockey Now about the possibility of the San Jose Sharks drafting him, playing goalie until he was 11, his late-season drop in productivity, and what would be on his dream goalie mask.
Sheng Peng: If you weren’t a hockey player, what would you do?
Keaton Verhoeff: I think golf would definitely be up there. Not really sure, though: a lot of my life revolves around hockey. But, hanging with buddies, and probably try [to] be a professional, be in the PGA or something like that. Try and become a low handicap guy.
SP: Are you pretty good?
KV: I’m okay. I’m pretty solid, I think. Around a seven handicap right now, so not terrible, but still working to get better. Still have some frustrating games.
SP: If you weren’t doing something athletic, what would you do?
KV: [I thought about] a bunch of different stuff growing up. I always looked at police officers and stuff like that. A lawyer… But not much. To be honest, a lot of my life revolves around, like I said, the hockey. But also just being athletic and doing different stuff like that. So, I’m not quite sure what I’d do if I wasn’t a hockey player or anything in sports.
SP: I actually heard that you were quite athletic, just in general. Growing up, what was your second-best sport?
KV: Growing up, I was all over the map. Played baseball a lot. Played “inline,” which is roller hockey, and so that is similar to hockey. But, baseball I was pretty good at. I played lacrosse, but definitely I’d say baseball is probably my second-best sport.
SP: You look like a traditional power hitter, first baseman:
KV: Yeah, first base. (laughs) So yeah, it was good.
SP: Who was your favorite baseball player going up? Do you like watching baseball?
KV: [I watch] it a bit, [watch] the [Blue] Jays a lot. Josh Donaldson and those guys, Jose Bautista [back then]. A lot of Aaron Judge as well… I wasn’t too much of an in-depth fan of baseball, but I always enjoyed watching games. Just casually throwing on a game and having it play in the background, or whatever. But it’s such a fun sport to play and be a part of, just hanging out with your friends. And low impact too, in the summer when you’re in some of your off time. It’s fun.
SP: What do your parents do?
KV: My dad is in real estate, and my mom is a business consultant. She helps businesses plan out models, their structure, and how they’re gonna succeed, I guess. It’s been nice having them supporting me throughout my entire life.
SP: Being an athlete is probably more fun than those?
KV: My mom has quite a bit of fun with her job, my dad does too. But for me, I think being an athlete would be a little better than being one of those two jobs.
SP: You were a goalie until you were 11, who was your favorite goalie growing up?
KV: Carey Price. My childhood room still has photos of Carey Price, his jersey up there. I grew up watching a lot of Montreal, and being a little bit of a Montreal fan, watching Carey Price. And then, as I grew up… being from the Edmonton area, fell into a little bit of the Oilers trap. Started watching them a lot, so kind of became a fan of them. But, Carey Price was my role model growing up. I really looked up to him.
He lives in Kelowna now, and I saw him there when I was playing Kelowna when I was [around] U-15. I saw him there, took a photo with him. It was a pretty cool experience for me, just seeing someone that I looked up to so much growing up. And to finally get to meet him, and see the type of person he is, was unbelievable. Just such a genuine human, it was pretty cool.
SP: If you had a goalie mask, what would you want on it?
KV: I think try and show a little bit of personality. Obviously, put a lot of the team logos on there, and have all the team colors on there. I think for photos, maybe have a photo of something for my family on there. Something for my friends on there. Something probably from my hometown, where my roots are.
I haven’t thought too much about that, but growing up I was lucky, though, I got one mask. Not painted, but [it had] those decals on there, where you design it yourself and put those almost like a wrap on it.
SP: What was on it?
KV: I had my minor hockey team logo with it, and then I had a Canadian Leaf on it. There’s a photo of Carey Price, a photo Sidney Crosby on it. It’s pretty sweet. I enjoyed that mask, it’s pretty awesome.
SP: What would you put on the theoretical mask that’s significant of your family or hometown?
KV: From my hometown, probably just the local rink I grew up playing in, in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta. The local rink, it’s called JRC, and there’s a little water tower right beside it that kind of is the symbol of Fort Saskatchewan. Whenever you get close to Fort Saskatchewan, you see the water tower poking up in the sky, and you know you’re close to home. So, I probably put that water tower up and on my mask.
For the family, just different things, maybe… just an outline of them. We grew up going to the lake a lot, going skiing and surfing, and stuff like that. Just spending time with each other. So maybe something like that, putting a lake on there, or something of that sort.
SP: What’s the no. 1 thing you learned from the NCAA this year that maybe you wouldn’t have gotten in the CHL?
KV: For me, it was just developing my whole game. Becoming a more reliable, two-way defenseman. I think going into the year, I really wanted to focus on my defensive game, and I think I knew there was some holes in my game and wanted to improve on those areas. So, becoming a more mature, well-rounded defenseman that can defend guys, but also get up in the rush and create some offense. So, I think definitely the biggest step I took this year was just in my defensive game, my well-rounded maturity.
SP: What were those holes?
KV: [Defensively,] just kind of wanting to become better in that area. Playing goalie [until] I was 11, it’s only my sixth year of playing [defense,] so still honing in on those details, become a little tighter in those areas. Playing against those bigger and faster guys, you gotta have a little bit better stick, you gotta be competing a little more, you gotta have a little more battle. So, just working on those areas and getting pushed every single day was super helpful for me, both in practice and in games.
SP: Do you ever goof around, and put the goalie pads on?
KV: I did once. This year, we had a Sunday off after a big weekend, where we won too. So I put the pads on, and took some pucks from guys. I wasn’t bad. The hand-eye was still there. My flexibility and mobility weren’t quite the same, though.
I could maybe be an EBUG.
SP: You put up less points, three, during your final 14 games. How did you feel you ended the season?
KV: I think the games were getting tighter. The chances were there, [but] weren’t going in. Sometimes the games were just getting closer and becoming more playoff-style hockey. You look at all of our team, a lot of our guys [tailed] off a bit at the end, but it showed our depth scoring, and other guys stepped up and took over a bit.
Obviously you always like to see production, but for me, I was happy with my game. I was happy with how I was developing. I think, like I said, in the back half of the year there I really took a step: Being that more mature defenseman that can really help a team. Not be a guy that just puts points on the board, but be a guy that can really help a team win in playoffs, and win in those big moments, and win those hard and tough games.
So that was something I really strived to do throughout the year, and I think I got better as the year went on. You see different things as more productive in the first half and less in the second half, but play-wise, I was still happy with my play. I was still making the right reads, I thought, and still battling and competing every night, just things weren’t going in as much.
SP: Who do you model your game after?
KV: After Four Nations last year, been watching a lot of Thomas Harley. Seeing him, how developed, being a young Canadian defenseman. He’s someone I’ve really watched over the last little bit, seeing the way he’s able to be trusted by his coaches and being put out in those situations to defend and also create offense for his team. So, I’d say Thomas Harley.
SP: How would you feel if you were drafted by the San Jose Sharks?
KV: It’d be unbelievable. Whenever you go to an organization like that, a spot like that, with the young core they have, and the energy they have around that rink, the buzz there, it would be incredible to have the chance to go and suit up for the Sharks.
Something that every kid dreams of suiting up for any team in the NHL, but, really, to be drafted by such a great organization. And to be able to play in front of that crowd, in that building, with the team they have, would be quite an honor.