Jul. 3—GRAND FORKS — Carter Sanderson talked to a Pittsburgh Penguins scout in March.
Then, he didn’t hear anything for two months.
“About a month ago, I got another call,” the UND forward commit said. “It kept going on. I got two or three more calls. My advisor talked to them quite a bit.”
Sanderson watched the 2025 NHL Draft from his home in Pierre, S.D., and paid extra attention when Pittsburgh was on the clock.
“If it was going to be anybody, I talked to them the most,” Sanderson said, “and they had 13 picks in the draft.”
Sanderson was right.
Pittsburgh selected the 6-foot-1, 196-pound forward in the sixth round with the 169th overall pick last Saturday.
“It didn’t really feel real, to be honest,” Sanderson said. “It’s a childhood dream. It was pretty surreal.”
Sanderson became the first South Dakotan ever selected in the NHL Draft.
“People say hockey’s not really noticed in South Dakota,” Sanderson said. “Being the first one from South Dakota, and showing the younger generation from South Dakota that they can do it, is definitely a cool feeling.”
Sanderson was a rookie in the United States Hockey League last season and put up modest numbers.
He scored five goals and tallied 11 points in 48 regular-season games for the Muskegon Lumberjacks. Sanderson had one assist in 13 playoff games, helping Muskegon win its first Clark Cup.
“Coming into Muskegon in early September, even during training camp, it was not 100% certain that I was going to make the final roster,” Sanderson said. “I had to work every day to show the coaches why I needed to be there.”
Sanderson was barely eligible for this year’s NHL Draft. His birthday made the cutoff by three days, making him one of the youngest draft-eligible players.
His name was not on many NHL Draft lists or predictions. He was not on NHL Central Scouting’s final draft rankings.
But Muskegon coach Colten St. Clair said there’s plenty to like about his game.
“He finds a way to make an impact every game he plays,” St. Clair said. “To me, that’s hockey sense. . . being able to involve yourself in a game and know the situation. He makes an impact whether he gets a goal or an assist in that game or not.
“I do think it was important for him to go through ups and downs last year. I think the maturity he played with at the end of the year was because he went through some adversity and had a positive attitude throughout the whole thing.”
Sanderson will play this season in Muskegon before coming to UND. His role is expected to increase with the Lumberjacks.
“He generates chances,” St. Clair said. “Now, it’s having that finish and poise around the net.”
St. Clair is entering his first year as Muskegon’s head coach.
The national championship-winning alternate captain at UND has won two Clark Cups as an associate head coach. He was a midseason addition to Muskegon’s staff last season. He also won a Clark Cup with Sioux City in 2022.
“I feel everywhere the guy goes, he wins,” Sanderson said. “Having a coach like that is really cool. Even since he came in late February, I had a great relationship with him.”
St. Clair said the same about Sanderson.
“You win with guys like Carter Sanderson, you really do,” St. Clair said. “The willingness to put the team and everyone else in front of himself is unique and special. That’s why he was a part of a championship team.”
First round
17. Cole Reschny, F, Calgary Flames
Third round
79. Cooper Simpson, F, Boston Bruins
Fifth round
138. Sam Laurila, D, New York Islanders
Sixth round
167. Ashton Schultz, F, Buffalo Sabres
169. Carter Sanderson, F, Pittsburgh Penguins
Seventh round
193. Caleb Heil, G, Tampa Bay Lightning