There will be a little more interest than just your favorite NHL team this coming weekend as former Oahe Capital, Carter Sanderson is eligible for the 2025 NHL Entry Draft this Friday and Saturday.
The NHL draft picks aren’t like any of the other major sports. Being selected in the draft does not send you to the team’s farm system immediately. For a lot of draft picks they continue to play for their USHL team or their college before signing the contract to be a part of the team’s organization. The team just owns your rights through your development which is why you see some guys finish in the Frozen Four and then sign their NHL contracts and join the team at the end of the regular season. In the NFL and NBA, once you’re drafted you are on the team and will report. Outside of the Cincinnati Bengals first round draft pick Shemar Stewart who could not sign the contract and re-enter the draft in 2026. In the MLB, high school kids can get drafted and choose to go to college instead and the team then forfeits the right to the player and will have to be drafted again after two years in college. It’s what happened with Peyton Zabel in 2018 when he was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers and chose to go to college. So for Sanderson, he can be drafted this year, but his time with the Muskegon Lumberjacks in the USHL will continue next year and will most likely still be going to North Dakota for college, before he would report to the NHL team’s organization. Sanderson, who is eligible to be drafted by just a couple of days because of his birthday, scored five goals and had six assists during his rookie season with the Lumberjacks. He and his team went on to win the Clark Cup Championship in May.
If Sanderson were to get drafted, it would likely be on day two and in the late rounds, sixth or seventh round. However, if he doesn’t get his named called, it may just be a good thing for him. His role looks to change next year for the Lumberjacks and he has a chance to have much more eye popping stats with his new role. His draft stock can really rise next season. Either way, it’s exciting times for Pierre who just witnessed a first round NFL draftee and will be paying close attention the NHL draft to maybe see another one of their own drafted.
The NHL Entry Draft runs Friday and Saturday, June 27-28 in Los Angeles. Only Round 1 will be on Friday with the second through seventh rounds will be on Saturday.
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