Top 2026 Draft Prospect Reveals He’s an Edmonton Oilers Fan

The Edmonton Oilers don’t have a first-round pick in either of the next two drafts (2026, 2027), but that doesn’t mean they won’t bring some intrigue for the team and its fanbase.

---

Not only are both projected to be very strong classes, but on Thursday, we also learned that one of the consensus top-five prospects in the upcoming draft, Keaton Verhoeff, grew up a big Oilers fan.

He revealed so on The Sheet with Jeff Marek, also mentioning his cousin, Colton Dach, who is now in Edmonton, being his favorite player on the team.

Verhoeff said:

“Yeah, I think for me it’s got to be the Oilers. I grew up a Montreal fan when I was a goalie because I really liked Carey Price. Then, eventually, I fell into the Oilers fan base growing up in the Edmonton area, so I’ve grown to like watching them. As of right now, I’m kind of just cheering for the team—there’s a lot of guys on there. I guess I do now, probably Colton… Colton Dach, my cousin, just got traded there, so I’ll go with him now,”

The 17-year-old Verhoeff has tallied 20 points (six goals, 14 assists) in 35 games played throughout his first season at the University of North Dakota.

GM Stan Bowman would have an extremely tough time finding a way to land a top-five pick in the 2026 draft. That said, Verhoeff’s love for the team and city, as well as his connection to the newly acquired Dach, is certainly something to keep in mind for down the road.

Players obviously don’t get to pick and choose where they want to play very often. However, in today’s NHL, we’ve shifted toward more player empowerment than ever. So while Verhoeff’s comments might have meant nothing in the past, in 2026, they are at least worth filing away for future reference.

Next: William Nylander Wants to Stay—Could That Impact Auston Matthews’ Decision?