Las Vegas saw two more players from North Dakota chosen on the final day of the 2024 NHL Draft following a pair of first-round selections on Friday night.
With these four selections, UND has surpassed 200 all-time draft picks in its program history, making it only the second college hockey program to achieve this milestone. Additionally, NoDak had three picks in the first 76 selections for the first time since 2005, with Sacha Boisvert, EJ Emery, and Will Zellers being chosen.
The day’s standout moment was the pick of Will Zellers by the Colorado Avalanche in the third round (76th overall). Zellers, expected to join North Dakota for the 2025-26 season, is coming off an impressive offensive performance with Shattuck St. Mary’s, where he scored 57 goals and provided 54 assists for 111 points in just 54 games. He also delivered five goals and seven points in five games at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup for Team USA.
In the seventh round, incoming forward Mac Swanson was selected 207th overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins, making him UND’s fourth selection of the weekend. Hailing from Anchorage, Alaska, Swanson received numerous accolades after his last season with Fargo in the USHL, including player of the year, forward of the year, playoff most valuable player, and a first team selection after finishing with 77 points in 55 games. On the international stage, Swanson represented the 2023 U.S. Junior Select Team at the 2023 World Junior A Challenge in Truro, Nova Scotia, where he led all skaters with nine assists and tied for a Team USA lead with 11 points in six games. He also participated in the 2024 Chipotle All-American Game in January.
UND Selections at the 2024 NHL Draft:
- Sacha Boisvert, Chicago, 1st Round (18th)
- EJ Emery, New York Rangers, 1st Round (30th)
- Will Zellers, Colorado, 3rd Round (76th)
- Mac Swanson, Pittsburgh, 7th Round (207th)
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