Top 2026 NHL Draft prospect Carson Carels has committed to play NCAA hockey at North Dakota, according to an official announcement from the program. The decision indicates that he will leave the WHL after just two seasons there, meaning the league is set to lose one of its very best defensemen.
Carels, 17, is widely considered to be among the top prospects in the upcoming 2026 NHL Draft, and is in the conversation as the draft’s top blueliner. While most rankings have OHL defenseman Chase Reid slightly ahead, some analysts are in favor of Carels, such as Craig Button of TSN.
In terms of Carels’ style, Corey Pronman of The Athletic called him a “powerful, fluid skater” who both “plays with a lot of physicality” and “should generate offense” at the NHL level. He was projected as a “great top-four defenseman who will play significant NHL minutes.”
As previously mentioned, Carels was one of the WHL’s top all-around defensemen last season. Serving as an alternate captain for the Prince George Cougars, Carels scored 20 goals and 73 points in 58 regular-season games, and added 10 points in 10 playoff games. He ended the season tied for fourth place among all WHL blueliners in scoring.
Carels is set to join a North Dakota defense that already boasts NHL-drafted prospects in E.J. Emery (2024 first-round pick, New York Rangers) and Sam Laurila (2025 fifth-round pick, New York Islanders). Interestingly, Carels could end up being a future teammate of Emery, a blueliner he could end up partnered with as soon as next season. Carels is well within range to be picked by the Rangers No. 5 overall at the draft next month, and that’s where Pronman projected him to land in his most recent mock draft.
With today’s commitment, North Dakota could end up having two of the upcoming draft’s top-10 picks on its defense next year. 2025-26 was Keaton Verhoeff‘s freshman season at North Dakota, and he is widely considered to be among the draft’s top defensive prospects. He could go as high as, or even higher than Carels next month. As our Gabriel Foley noted, Carels’ decision gives North Dakota the chance to potentially ice a pairing of two top-ten draft picks from the same draft class as soon as next season.