University of North Dakota Professional Athletes

Brock Boeser, UND's NHL Torchbearer

When Brock Boeser arrived in Vancouver, he was the fresh face learning from veterans. Now, the University of North Dakota product is the one doing the teaching.

Heading into the 2026-27 season, Boeser has grown into one of the Canucks' most prominent veteran leaders as Vancouver navigates a franchise rebuild. According to Yahoo Sports, the former Fighting Hawks winger is actively drawing on lessons absorbed from former teammates — lessons that now shape how he mentors the next generation of Canucks talent.

It's a role that rarely gets drafted on a stat sheet, but in a rebuild it may matter just as much as goals and assists. Vancouver is leaning on Boeser not just for production on the right wing, but for the culture and competitive standards he carries into the locker room every day. The transition from promising scorer to genuine leader is one of the more underappreciated arcs in a player's career, and Boeser appears to be navigating it with purpose.

For UND fans, the arc is worth appreciating. Boeser was one of the most decorated Fighting Hawks in recent memory before making the leap to the NHL, and watching him evolve into a franchise anchor — one who outlasted an era of teammates and now helps define the next one — is the kind of story Grand Forks has every reason to follow closely.

Around the League

Boeser isn't the only UND alum worth tracking as training camps take shape this week. Derek Forbort remains with Boeser in Vancouver, providing defensive depth as the Canucks reshape their blue line. The two UND alumni share a locker room at a pivotal moment for the franchise.

In Ottawa, the Senators boast a notable Fighting Hawks contingent with Jake Sanderson, Shane Pinto, and Tyler Kleven all on the roster. Sanderson has emerged as one of the NHL's young defensive cornerstones, and the presence of three UND products on one roster speaks to how deep the program's pipeline runs at the professional level.

The Colorado Avalanche also carry a slice of Grand Forks: Brock Nelson, Zach Parise, and Christian Wolanin all suit up for Colorado, making the Avs something of a UND alumni reunion in the mountains. Meanwhile, Jackson Blake and Rocco Grimaldi represent the school in Carolina, and Rhett Gardner holds down the center position in Philadelphia.

For a program from the northern Plains, the footprint across the NHL map is striking — more than 20 active alumni spread across 11 franchises. The week of September 13–19 served mostly as a preseason tuneup across the league, but the names on those rosters are ones UND fans have followed since long before they pulled on NHL sweaters.

Boeser's leadership arc remains the headline. But the depth behind him is exactly why North Dakota's alumni network continues to make noise at hockey's highest level.

Three University of North Dakota alumni are commanding attention as the 2026-27 NHL season ramps up — and the storylines couldn't be more different. One is headed to a hall of fame. One is navigating organizational upheaval. One is just trying to make a roster.

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T.J. Oshie: Hall Bound

The most significant off-ice news involving a UND alum this week belongs to T.J. Oshie, who has been named to the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame's 2026 induction class alongside Phil Kessel and the Kessel siblings. The honor caps a career defined by playoff clutch moments and a Washington Capitals tenure that included a Stanley Cup championship. For North Dakota faithful, Oshie's enshrinement is a reminder of the program's pipeline to not just the NHL — but to its pantheon.

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Brock Boeser: Staying the Course in Vancouver

Out west, Brock Boeser is entering training camp with something to prove — not on the ice necessarily, but emotionally. The Canucks have undergone significant organizational turnover heading into the new season, and Boeser has been candid about processing those changes. In a recent sit-down with Sportsnet, the Warroad, Minnesota native projected confidence despite the instability, framing the moment as a fresh chapter rather than a crisis.

It's a notable posture for a player who has spent his entire NHL career in Vancouver. Boeser remains one of the Canucks' most recognizable offensive contributors, and his buy-in during a rebuild — rather than a push to exit — signals either genuine loyalty or a calculated read that the organization's retooling creates opportunity. Possibly both.

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Tyson Jost: The PTO Grind

The most uncertain situation among UND's NHL alumni this week belongs to Tyson Jost, who has joined the Nashville Predators on a professional tryout offer. According to both Sports Illustrated and Heavy Sports, Nashville extended the camp invite with an eye toward seeing whether Jost can earn a roster spot. Nothing is guaranteed — that's the nature of a PTO — but the Predators' interest suggests the center still has believers in NHL front offices.

Jost, a former first-round pick (10th overall, 2016), has bounced between organizations in recent seasons. A Nashville camp invite won't generate the headlines his draft day did, but breaking camp with a contract would be a meaningful professional recalibration. Watch for where he slots in the lineup depth chart as camp progresses.

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Three alumni. Three very different inflection points. That's the UND pipeline in miniature — producing players at every stage of a career arc, from celebrated finales to grinding new beginnings. The 2026-27 season will be a telling one for all three.

The Case for Sanderson in Ottawa

Brady Tkachuk is gone, and the Ottawa Senators have a captaincy-shaped hole to fill — one that a former Fighting Hawk may be perfectly positioned to occupy.

Jake Sanderson, the 23-year-old blueliner and University of North Dakota product, has emerged as a leading candidate to wear the "C" in Ottawa, according to Sportsnet's breakdown of the Senators' options following Tkachuk's departure. Sanderson is already among the most important players on the roster — a shutdown defenseman with offensive upside who has become a cornerstone of Ottawa's rebuild since being selected fifth overall in the 2020 draft.

The captaincy conversation speaks to how far Sanderson has come, and how quickly. At UND, he was regarded as one of the premier defensive prospects in college hockey, and that trajectory has only accelerated at the NHL level. Handing a 23-year-old defenseman the "C" would be a bold move for the Senators, but it would also signal organizational commitment to building around him long-term.

Sanderson isn't the only UND alumnus in Ottawa's picture. Shane Pinto (C) and Tyler Kleven (D) are both part of the Senators' core, giving Grand Forks a genuine pipeline into Canada's capital. Whether or not Sanderson ends up with the captaincy, UND's footprint in Ottawa is impossible to ignore.

Boeser's Future in Vancouver Remains Murky

Meanwhile, on the West Coast, Brock Boeser's tenure with the Vancouver Canucks continues to be defined by uncertainty. The Hockey News reports that Boeser and linemate Jake DeBrusk could remain trade candidates as Vancouver shifts toward a youth-driven rebuild. Boeser, a natural scorer who put together productive seasons in Vancouver, may simply be a casualty of the Canucks' retooling priorities rather than a reflection of his on-ice value.

For UND fans, Boeser has long been a source of pride — a Burnsville, Minnesota kid who turned a standout freshman season with the Fighting Hawks into a first-round pick and a legitimate NHL goal-scorer. If the Canucks do move him this offseason, he'd almost certainly land somewhere that values veteran scoring punch.

Boeser isn't alone in Vancouver's UND contingent, either. Derek Forbort and Christian Wolanin are both on the Canucks' blue line, though neither carries the same trade-rumor heat as the winger entering a pivotal offseason.

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From Ottawa's leadership vacuum to Vancouver's offseason roster churn, UND alumni are at the center of two of the more compelling storylines heading into the 2026–27 NHL season. Sanderson's potential ascension to captain would mark a full-circle moment for a program that has long been a pipeline for NHL talent — and a defining moment for Ottawa's next chapter.