The first thing that stands out about Carter Sanderson is his manners.<\/p>\n
He stands up, introduces himself and extends his right hand for a handshake.<\/p>\n
And the handshake is like a hydraulic press.<\/p>\n
The Pittsburgh Penguins forward prospect possesses all the gentility and grip strength of a farmer who Norman Rockwell or Paul Harvey might have lionized.<\/p>\n
And that\u2019s because he has spent some time on his family\u2019s farm in South Dakota.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust helping my uncle out and the hired hand there, just kind of grow their crops,\u201d Sanderson said of his family\u2019s spread in Flandreau near the Minnesota border. \u201cWork a lot in grain bins.\u201d<\/p>\n
A native of Pierre, the state capital, Sanderson made some history when he became the first native of South Dakota to be drafted by an NHL club when the Penguins called his name in the sixth round (No. 169 overall) in the 2025 draft.<\/p>\n
\u201cI take pride in that,\u201d Sanderson said June 30 during the Penguins\u2019 prospect development camp in Cranberry. \u201cBeing able to go around rinks in South Dakota and kids look up to me at 18 years old is a cool thing. I take pride in that, but I don\u2019t identify my game by that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Winnipeg Jets forward Walker Duehr, who was undrafted, is the only South Dakotan to ever play in the NHL. Given their limited fraternity, Sanderson, 18, and Duehr, 28, have worked out in recent summers.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe skate in Sioux Falls four times a week with each other,\u201d Sanderson said. \u201cI know Walker pretty well and we\u2019ve got a good relationship.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hockey in South Dakota is almost as rare as population centers.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think there might be one rink per town and only like 15 towns throughout South Dakota,\u201d Sanderson said. \u201cIt\u2019s a small thing. The state sport is rodeo. That\u2019s what a lot of people are focused on, that and baseball and football. Hockey is not a huge thing, but it\u2019s definitely a growing sport in South Dakota for the kids that are getting older.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sanderson spent the past two seasons in Michigan skating for the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the United States Hockey League.<\/p>\n
Last season, he set career highs with 54 games, 17 goals, 17 assists and 34 points while helping Muskegon reach the Clark Cup final, losing to the Sioux Falls Stampede.<\/p>\n
???? Carter Sanderson <\/p>\n
???? Carter Amico & Adam Belusko <\/p>\n
No refunds on that one! Sanderson fires one in to end the 2nd! pic.twitter.com\/GE6p5prHIB<\/a><\/p>\n