Former Victoria Royals defenceman Verhoeff selected 9th overall in 2026 NHL draft

A towering defenceman has shattered the Victoria Royals franchise record at the NHL entry draft.
The San Jose Sharks selected Keaton Verhoeff ninth overall in the first round of the 2026 draft on Friday (June 26), making the right-shot blue-liner the highest drafted player to ever come through the Victoria organization.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Victoria Royals (@victoriaroyals)The selection eclipses the previous benchmark set just last year when the Calgary Flames took Cole Re