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Keaton Verhoeff, University of North Dakota (Photo credit: UND Athletics)

Panthers Should Target Keaton Verhoeff in the 2026 NHL Draft

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers | By Joey Ganzi | Last updated Mar 14, 2026 3:20 PM ET

The Florida Panthers are trying desperately to stay alive in the playoff race within the Eastern Conference. With a record of 33-29-3 and 69 points, they sit nine points behind the Boston Bruins for the final wildcard spot within the conference. Although the gap seems large, the team is still mathematically alive, meaning the dream of winning three straight Stanley Cups is not completely diminished.

The trade the team made to acquire defenseman Seth Jones in exchange for goaltender Spencer Knight and a first-round pick last season comes with a catch. That first is top-10 protected, giving them a ton of options to gear up for a big run next season. The team should look to solidify their prospect pool and draft North Dakota defenseman Keaton Verhoeff if he falls to them at any point.

Verhoeff’s Background

The young defenseman was born and raised in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, Canada. In 2021, he got to play with his hometown Fort Saskatchewan Rangers in his development. In his one and only season with them, he played in 34 games, scoring 13 goals and assisting on 24 others. In that postseason, he scored three goals and tallied two assists in seven appearances.

He only went up from there. Two years later, he saw some junior action with the Victoria Royals in the Western Hockey League (WHL). In the 2024-25 season, he scored 21 goals, piled up 24 assists, and had a plus-23 rating through 63 games. In the playoffs that season, he found the back of the net once and was credited with nine assists through 11 games with a plus-4 rating.

This season, he took his talents to the collegiate level in the United States with North Dakota. With the second-best-ranked team in the nation currently, he has six goals, 14 assists, and a plus-10 rating through 32 games. He’s shown scouts across the continent why he’s a top prospect.

The Back End Is Facing Some Uncertainty

This season alone, the Panthers have had a revolving door at their bottom-pair defense, with ice time shared between Dmitry Kulikov, Jeff Petry, Uvis Balinskis, Donovan Sebrango, and now Mike Benning.

Assuming general manager Bill Zito decides to put the pick in, Verhoeff not only makes the team younger, but he also has a chance to solidify that bottom pairing with a chance to be elevated to a higher role later in his career.

Verhoeff Is Arguably the Best Defenseman in the 2026 Class

According to multiple sources, most analysts have Verhoeff as not only a top-three prospect, but as the best defenseman in the class.

With the roster that Zito has put together over the last few seasons, adding Verhoeff would be the textbook definition of unfair for other teams to have to deal with that.

Gavin McKenna May Not Be a Mainstay in the Lineup Right Away

There is a chance the Cats could win the draft lottery and take home the top prize in Penn State forward Gavin McKenna. While he’s arguably the best prospect since Chicago Blackhawks forward Connor Bedard, the forward core for Florida is just too stacked.

Assuming they won it, the idea of putting a generational talent like that on the bottom-six seems silly. The team may not get the best out of him if he’s not on a line with a guy like Aleksander Barkov or Matthew Tkachuk.

Are They Going in This Direction?

While it seems like a better option to go towards tanking for a better pick, the team has actually been putting together wins. According to Tankathon, the Panthers have a 5.2% chance of finishing with the second-overall pick.

So the idea itself is not completely far-fetched. With the chance to keep the window open and most of their core being locked up long-term, the front office should absolutely consider taking Verhoeff if opportunity knocks on their door.