The Golden Knights Just Drafted a College Hockey Roster of Their Own

Vegas made seven picks in the 2026 NHL Draft, and most of them are headed to NCAA rinks first. Here is the local angle on a draft class that leans hard on the college game.

A draft class built around campus rinks, not junior rinks

Vegas came out of the 2026 NHL Draft with seven names on its prospect list, and the college hockey fingerprints are all over the class. Round one brought Finnish defenseman Juho Piiparinen out of Tappara's junior ranks, but from round three on, the Knights kept circling back to players either already wearing an NCAA sweater or committed to one.

That is not an accident so much as a strategy that has taken hold across the league in recent years. Teams are increasingly comfortable letting a prospect spend three or four years getting stronger and smarter against college competition rather than rushing him toward a pro contract, and this class reads like a case study in that patience.

The names to know, and where they are skating next

Third-round defenseman Sean Burick stands out first for his size (a 6-foot-8 frame that scouts love for its reach and gap control) and second for his path: after another season with the WHL's Penticton Vees, he is set to join Denver for 2027-28. That is a notable landing spot for anyone tracking the desert's hockey footprint, since Denver already has plenty of Vegas ties this offseason.

Also picked in round three, forward Benjamin Wilmott is committed to Ohio State after going undrafted in two previous NHL drafts, a résumé that suggests a player who kept improving on his own timeline. Fifth-round defenseman Will McLaughlin, a mobile two-way blueliner out of the WHL's Portland Winterhawks, is the one prospect in the group who suits up for his college team, Colorado College, as early as this coming season.

Round four brought forward Jonah Sivertson, a pure shooter out of the Prince Albert Raiders who posted 24 goals and 53 points in 66 WHL games this past season, committed to St. Cloud State for 2027-28. Round six goaltender Matthew Minchak, who put up a 2.91 goals-against average with the OHL's Kingston club, is headed to Colgate, while seventh-round forward Noel Pakarinen, a Palo Alto native with Finnish roots who played his junior season with Kiekko-Espoo, is committed to Michigan Tech.

Why a Vegas hockey fan should care right now

None of these seven will suit up for the Golden Knights next season, and most will not for a few years yet. But that is exactly the point for anyone who follows both the NHL club and the desert's growing college hockey scene: the pipeline between the two just got another season's worth of new faces to track.

Burick, speaking during development camp at City National Arena this week, put the long view plainly, saying he still has work to do and needs to stay patient with himself without getting complacent. That is the same mindset college programs try to sell to draft picks who could have jumped straight to pro hockey and chose campus rinks instead.

How this connects back to the desert

Vegas hockey fans do not need an NHL connection to enjoy watching NCAA talent up close, but it does not hurt either. A draft class this deep into the college ranks means more reasons to keep an eye on box scores at Denver, Colorado College, Colgate, Ohio State, St. Cloud State and Michigan Tech over the next few winters.

It also lines up nicely with a city that has spent real effort turning itself into a legitimate stop on the college hockey calendar rather than just a Golden Knights town that happens to have ice. Every new name with a Vegas draft tag skating for an NCAA program is one more thread tying the desert to the sport at every level.

Meet the College-Bound Picks

Here is the quick rundown on where each of Vegas's NCAA-committed 2026 draft picks is set to play, and what makes them worth tracking.

1. Sean Burick (D, Round 3): A towering 6-foot-8 defenseman from Penticton of the WHL, committed to Denver for 2027-28.
2. Benjamin Wilmott (F, Round 3): An Ohio State commit who went undrafted twice before this class, a sign of a late-blooming forward.
3. Will McLaughlin (D, Round 5): Heads to Colorado College this coming season, the quickest NCAA arrival of the group.
4. Jonah Sivertson (F, Round 4): A sharp-shooting Prince Albert Raider bound for St. Cloud State in 2027-28.
5. Matthew Minchak (G, Round 6): An OHL goaltender out of Kingston committed to Colgate.
6. Noel Pakarinen (F, Round 7): A Palo Alto native with Finnish roots, committed to Michigan Tech after a season overseas.
7. Juho Piiparinen (D, Round 1): The lone first-rounder in the class, a 17-year-old Finnish blueliner still developing overseas rather than in the NCAA pipeline.

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