sport.wikisort.org - Athlete

Jake Sanderson (born July 8, 2002) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman for the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted fifth overall by the Senators in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft.

Jake Sanderson
Born	(2002-07-08) July 8, 2002 (age 20) Whitefish, Montana, U.S.
Height	6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight	185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb)
Position	Defense
Shoots	Left
NHL team	Ottawa Senators
National team	United States
NHL Draft	5th overall, 2020 Ottawa Senators
Playing career	2022–present

Early life

Sanderson was born on July 8, 2002, in Whitefish, Montana, U.S.[1] to former NHL forward Geoff Sanderson and his wife Ellen. His uncle Guy played for Clarkson College while his father's cousins Wade and Sheldon Brookbank both played in the NHL.[2] Similarly, his brother Ben committed to playing ice hockey at Colorado College and his younger brother Sawyer plays AA hockey.[3] While his father played professionally, Sanderson and his brothers moved to Phoenix, Arizona, Buffalo, New York, and Columbus, Ohio.

In Whitefish, Sanderson competed for the Glacier Avalanche of the Glacier Hockey Association alongside his brother Ben from the age of eight to 11.[4] At the age of 12, the family moved to Calgary, Alberta where he gained dual-citizenship with Canada and the United States.[4] Sanderson originally aspired to be a goaltender and even had his own set of equipment at one point. He was eventually deterred by his father and committed to being a skater. He played a mix of forward and defense growing up and only became a full time defenseman at 14 years of age.[5]

Playing career

Upon moving to Calgary, Sanderson played within the Springbank Rockies minor hockey association and earned stints with the Calgary Bantam AAA Flames and the Edge School Mountaineers Elite 15s.[6] He was eventually drafted in the fourth round of the Western Hockey League (WHL) draft by the Kootenay Ice but chose to maintain his NCAA eligibility.[7] Sanderson eventually moved to play at the Edge School before joining the U.S. National Development Team (USNDPT).[8]

As a member of the USNDPT, Sanderson was encouraged to graduate early from high school and play college hockey a year early.[9] He was scouted by two schools, the University of North Dakota (UND) and Harvard University, before agreeing to UND.[7] In his final year with the USNDPT, Sanderson recorded 29 points in 47 games. As a result, he ranked 4th amongst North American skaters by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau's final ranking. Prior to the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, Sanderson was named the winner of the Dave Tyler Junior Player of the Year Award for most outstanding United States-born player in junior hockey.[10]

Collegiate

Sanderson joined the North Dakota Fighting Hawks men's ice hockey team for the 2020–21 season while majoring in kinesiology.[2] As a freshman, he recorded two goals and 13 assists for 15 points through 22 games.[1] Sanderson recorded his first collegiate goal on December 4, 2020,[11] before missing seven games to compete at the 2021 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships with Team USA.[2] He finished his rookie season with numerous honors including being named to the All-NCHC Rookie Team,[12] NCHC Distinguished Scholar-Athlete,[13] and earning All-NCHC Academic Team honors.[14] During the quarterfinals of the NCAA championship, Sanderson led the team in both shots on goal and blocks while seeing nearly 53 minutes of ice time during a historic 5OT game.[15]

Sanderson returned to UND for his sophomore season as an assistant captain,[16] where he was named to the 2021 NCHC Preseason All-Conference Team.[17]

Professional

Having completed his sophomore season, Sanderson while recovering from a hand injury, opted to conclude his collegiate career in agreeing to sign a three-year, entry-level contract with the Ottawa Senators on March 27, 2022.[18] He would go on to make his NHL debut in October against the Buffalo Sabres.

International play

Medal record
Representing  United States
Ice hockey
World Junior Championships
	2021 Canada

While Sanderson is a dual citizen of the United States and Canada, he has chosen to represent the United States internationally. As a member of Team USA at the 2021 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, he assisted the game-winning goal in the semifinals against Finland.[19] During the finals, he led all team members in ice time with 21 minutes, 41 seconds as they captured the gold medal against Canada.[20]

With his last year of U20 eligibility, Jake Sanderson returned to represent the United States at the 2022 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. On December 21, 2021, it was announced he would be the Captain of the team.[21]

On January 10, 2022, Sanderson accepted an invite to play for the US Men's Olympic hockey team at just 19 years old. NHL players were ineligible to compete due to COVID-19 complications.[22] On February 4, 2022 Sanderson was put into isolation in California prior to the Olympic Games due to a positive Covid test.[23]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2018–19	U.S. National Development Team	USHL		22	2	5	7	0		2	0	1	1	0
2019–20	U.S. National Development Team	USHL		19	2	12	14	8		—	—	—	—	—
2020–21	U. of North Dakota	NCHC		22	2	13	15	4		—	—	—	—	—
2021–22	U. of North Dakota	NCHC		23	8	18	26	6		—	—	—	—	—
NCAA totals				45	10	31	41	10		—	—	—	—	—

International

Year	Team	Event	Result		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2018	United States	U17	8th		5	0	1	1	0
2021	United States	WJC			7	0	2	2	0
2022	United States	OG	5th		1	0	1	1	0
Junior totals					12	0	3	3	0
Senior totals					1	0	1	1	0

Awards and honors

Award	Year	Ref
College
All-NCHC Rookie Team	2020–21	[12]
NCHC All-Tournament Team	2021	[24]
All-NCHC Second Team	2021–22	[25]
AHCA West First Team All-American	2021–22	[26]

References

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from Eliteprospects.com, or Eurohockey.com, or The Internet Hockey Database

Awards and achievements
Preceded by Tim Stützle	Ottawa Senators first round draft pick 2020	Succeeded by Ridly Greig

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