University of North Dakota Professional Athletes

The Sanderson Shadow

Jake Sanderson can't catch a break — literally. The University of North Dakota product and Ottawa Senators defenseman was reinjured less than five minutes into the team's regular season opener in Toronto, exiting and not returning, in an eerie repeat of what happened in his only preseason appearance. The Senators subsequently confirmed he would miss at least two games, leaving the status of one of the league's most dynamic young blueliners shrouded in uncertainty just as the season gets underway.

Sanderson's absence is more than a roster headache — it's a storyline. Ottawa entered 2026-27 determined to shake off a slow start from the prior season, and losing their top defensive asset before the opening buzzer had even faded is a brutal blow to those ambitions. The uncertainty around his return timeline only deepens the concern.

Still, the Senators haven't folded. Teammate and fellow UND alum Tyler Kleven has stepped into an expanded role, while Shane Pinto chipped in an assist in Ottawa's 3-2 win over Nashville on Saturday. Captain Thomas Chabot, speaking after that victory over Toronto earlier in the week, credited a "next man up" mentality — and backed it up by scoring his first goal as captain in the process. The Senators are surviving, but the question of when Sanderson returns looms over every game.

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The Rest of the Fighting Hawks

Sanderson isn't the only UND alum dealing with injury news. Jacob Bernard-Docker, now with Detroit, was listed among four Red Wings sidelined in what's become a genuine injury crisis for the club through the first two games of the season. Detroit has been forced into significant lineup reshuffling, and Bernard-Docker's absence adds another UND name to the league's early walking wounded list.

On the brighter end of the ledger, Jackson Blake is making his presence felt in Carolina. The Hurricanes winger posted a goal, an assist, and a plus-2 rating in Saturday's dominant 5-2 win over Chicago — the kind of performance that signals Blake is ready to carve out real NHL minutes. Brock Nelson also found the net for Colorado in a 6-3 loss to Toronto, a silver lining in an otherwise rough outing for the Avalanche. Nick Schmaltz scored for Utah in a 4-1 win over Buffalo, continuing to look comfortable in his first season with the Mammoth. And Brock Boeser added an assist for Vancouver, though it wasn't enough as the Canucks fell 4-1 to New Jersey.

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The Bigger Picture

UND's NHL footprint remains impressively wide — 20 active alumni across the league — but the week's defining story is injury, not production. Sanderson's health will dictate how much of his considerable ceiling the Senators can tap into this season. For a program that has long been a factory for NHL-ready defensemen, watching two of its most prominent products — Sanderson and Bernard-Docker — sidelined in the same week is a jarring early-season development. The Fighting Hawks faithful will be watching the injury wire as closely as the box scores.

Three UND Alumni Navigate High-Stakes Roster Moves

The University of North Dakota produced NHL talent at a familiar clip this offseason, but three Fighting Hawks alumni enter the 2026-27 season at genuine crossroads — one chasing a lifeline, one cashing in on a camp performance, and one returning to anchor a contender's blue line.

Derek Forbort: From Vancouver to a Rival PTO

The Canucks cut ties with Derek Forbort this offseason, leaving the 34-year-old defenseman without a contract heading into the new season. That changed this week when the Calgary Flames signed Forbort to a professional tryout in the AHL — a notable twist given that the Flames are a division rival of his former club. The PTO is not a guarantee, but it represents Forbort's clearest path back to an NHL roster. A veteran physical presence on the back end, Forbort now has to earn a deal the hard way, competing for a spot in a Flames organization that will need to be convinced he has something left at 34.

Tyson Jost: Camp Hustle Turns Into a Contract

Tyson Jost arrived in Nashville on a PTO and left with a paycheck. The Predators rewarded Jost's training camp performance by signing him to a one-year, two-way contract for 2026-27. It's the kind of deal that reflects both the opportunity Jost seized and the uncertainty that still surrounds his NHL standing — a two-way structure means his compensation scales down if he spends time in the minors. Still, converting a tryout into a contract is a win by any measure, and Jost now has a full season to make the case for something more stable in Nashville.

Jake Sanderson: The Senators' Cornerstone Is Back

While Forbort and Jost are fighting for footing, Jake Sanderson is operating on an entirely different level. Ottawa's star defenseman is expected to play in the Senators' Saturday season opener after the team resolved its final roster question at the position — sending surprising rookie Hoyt Stanley down to the AHL in Belleville to clear the path. Sanderson's return was apparently significant enough that the Senators made a deliberate roster move around it. The 23-year-old has established himself as the unquestioned centerpiece of Ottawa's blue line, and his availability for Opening Night signals that the Senators are ready to roll with their best.

Bernard-Docker a Concern in Detroit

One more UND name worth tracking: Jacob Bernard-Docker has been placed on Injured Reserve by the Detroit Red Wings, per reports this week. His absence creates an opening for other young Detroit defensemen to claim an Opening Night roster spot — but it's a setback for the former Ottawa first-rounder who was looking to carve out a more prominent role in his first season with Detroit.

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From Sanderson's star turn in Ottawa to Forbort's long-shot ATO in Calgary, the UND pipeline into the NHL remains deep and diverse — even if the situations couldn't be more different. Fighting Hawks fans have plenty of storylines to follow before the puck drops on the new season.

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.