Sanderson selected 5th overall in NHL draft

Whitefish native Jake Sanderson was drafted fifth overall Tuesday in the NHL Entry Draft by the Ottawa Senators.

Sanderson moved to Calgary at age 13 but began his hockey career in Whitefish.

“Whitefish is a small town and there’s not a lot of hockey there, so as a team we kind of had to travel a lot just to play games,” Sanderson said. “It was kind of a haul at times, but everybody there wanted to play hockey, so it was something that we had to do.”

He is a freshman at the University of North Dakota and is set to play for the Fighting Hawks in the 2020-21 season.

A 6’1”, 185lb. left-handed defenseman, Sanderson played for the U17 and U18 U.S. National Development team.

His father, Geoff, was drafted into the NHL by the Hartford Whalers in 1991 and his professional career spanned 17 seasons.

The Sandersons reside in Calgary and have a summer home in Whitefish.

Jake Sanderson could be the first Montana-born player ever to play in the NHL.