Keaton Verhoeff only has been a member of the Sharks organization for a matter of weeks, but he already has a story about Macklin Celebrini to tell.
The Sharks’ No. 9 overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft sat down with NBC Sports California’s Ted Ramey to discuss joining one of the most exciting young teams in hockey — and made clear that Celebrini’s influence on him extends well beyond what happens on the ice.
“As for Celebrini, I think he’s an inspiration to a lot of Canadian kids, a lot of young kids and even guys my age — myself included,” Verhoeff told Ramey. “The type of player he is and what he’s done so far in his young career, and how he just came into the league and made an impact on a franchise and a league as a whole right away — it’s something that a lot of kids look up to. It’s been pretty cool to watch.”
The admiration is not just from a distance. In a draft-day diary entry for NHL.com, Verhoeff revealed that Celebrini personally called him shortly after San Jose made the pick.
“Macklin Celebrini called me, and I got a chance to talk to him,” Verhoeff wrote. “He just kind of welcomed me to the organization. I got a little starstruck — anytime you talk to a guy like that, it’s pretty cool.”
Verhoeff, born in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, arrives in San Jose as one of the more physically imposing defensive prospects in his draft class — a 6-foot-4 right-shot blueliner who posted six goals and 20 points in 36 games at the University of North Dakota this past season, becoming the third-youngest player ever to compete at the Division I level. He is also a cousin of NHL forwards Kirby and Colton Dach.
Scouts still view him as more of a long-term project than an immediate NHL contributor. That timeline suits Verhoeff just fine.
“Coming to an organization like this with the players they have, the trajectory and the staff they have as well, and where they want to be — it’s pretty cool,” Verhoeff told Ramey. “It’s a group of young guys and it looks like from what you see from the outside, they have a lot of fun together and have a close group. It’s definitely exciting to be part of this organization and have the chance to keep working and getting better to eventually make that jump to pro.”
The Sharks’ young core keeps getting deeper. For Verhoeff, getting a welcome call from the face of that core before he had even set foot in San Jose was proof he landed in the right place.