Keaton Verhoeff Could Be Risky Potential Pick for NY Rangers

Should the New York Rangers take Keaton Verhoeff with the fifth overall pick?

Apr 9, 2026; Las Vegas, Nevada, UNITED STATES; North Dakota Fighting Hawks defenseman Keaton Verhoeff (18) moves the puck in the first period against the Wisconsin Badgers in the semifinals of the NCAA men's ice hockey Frozen Four at T-Mobile Arena. / Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

The New York Rangers are getting prepared for the NHL Draft in a couple of weeks, and the team will be focused on trying to land an important piece of the future. 

Following a terrible season, the NHL Lottery also wasn’t kind to the Rangers. The team had the third-worst record in the NHL, and the worst in the Eastern Conference. However, they saw two teams hop them in the lottery and will be selecting fifth. 

New York is a team that has struggled a bit drafting well in the lottery over the last 10 years. Despite having some high selections as well, which included the second pick and the first pick, the Rangers don’t have any star talent from those selections. 

New York certainly would have loved to see themselves in the top three, which would have secured them one of the top forwards. Unfortunately, that likely won’t be the case for the team, and they are going to likely be taking a defenseman. 

There are going to be a number of potential players for them to choose from at the position. One option that could be on the board for them is the young defenseman Keaton Verhoeff. 

Verhoeff’s Stock Has Fallen 

North Dakota Fighting Hawks defenseman Keaton Verhoeff / Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

With the young defenseman making the decision to go to college, he got off to a nice start but really struggled down the stretch. As the youngest player in the NCAA, inconsistencies were to be expected. 

However, with a lot of other talented defenseman in the draft, that might have hurt his draft stock. While he was playing against harder competition, it might have exposed some flaws in his game that teams and scouts will be concerned with. 

Verhoeff possesses a heavy shot from the right side and has the frame of a big defenseman already at 6 '4”, 215 pounds, but he did have some breakdowns on the defensive end of the ice. 

While it is always a luxury to have a defenseman that can be a factor offensively, protecting the blue line is their first job. With some concerns about his skating as well, and that being something that the Rangers are trying to improve from their blue liners, it could be seen as a negative. 

Overall, Verhoeff is a very talented player with a high upside. At one point, not too long ago, he was seen as the top defensive player in the class. He will likely be on the board when the Rangers are on the clock, but he might not be their first choice.