It was a dream come true for Jonah Sivertson.
The 17-year-old Prince Albert Raider forward was surrounded by family at his home in Regina when he heard that he had been selected by the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2026 NHL Draft.
Vegas traded pick 117 and 223 to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for pick 113, which they used on Sivertson in the fourth round.
Sivertson was one of 90 players invited to the NHL Scouting Combine in Buffalo which was held from June 1-6 ahead of the draft.
In an interview with the Daily Herald, Sivertson says Vegas was one of the teams that he had been in contact with ahead of the draft.
“I talked to them a little bit at the combine, and I think a couple times before that in the season as well. It was a fun experience going down to Buffalo, being able to talk to those teams and kind of being recognized as one of the top players for this year’s draft. I thought that was special. Just being able to talk to the teams, meet some new players, see some new faces, it was awesome.”
Sivertson enjoyed a breakout season for the Raiders in 2025-26. In 66 games, he potted 24 goals and 29 assists while adding three goals and seven helpers in 20 playoff games for Prince Albert.
That came after an up-and-down 16-year-old campaign for Sivertson. Originally a fourth round selection by the Raiders in the 2023 WHL Prospects Draft, he made his WHL debut during the 2024-25 season.
Sivertson forced the hand of the Raider brass with an outstanding preseason in 2024, notching five goals and an assist in five games to earn himself a spot on the roster on opening night. However, that success did not translate to the regular season.
After fourteen games and just two assists tallied, Sivertson was re-assigned to the Regina Pat Canadians of the Saskatchewan Male AAA Hockey League (SMAAAHL). The Raiders brought up Dayce Derkatch to replace Sivertson for the remainder of the season. Derkatch was dealt at the start of the 2025-26 campaign to the Regina Pats in exchange for a third round selection.
Sivertson quickly became one of the best offensive players in the league recording 32 goals and 45 assists in just 30 games for the Pat Canadians. He also helped lead Regina to a Telus Cup championship.
Looking back, Sivertson says the re-assignment to the Pat Canadians was the right call.
“I think going back to the Pat C’s, it was huge for me, for my development. I think just going back to a great group of guys, playing more, just bringing more to the team. Just my leadership qualities. The way I play on the ice and offensive zone, I think that was really special. We had a really good group there too, it was just a great organization who has a lot of success almost every year, so it was fun to be a part of a great group like that.”
While with the Raiders in the second half of the season, Sivertson was commonly penciled in the lineup alongside Braeden Cootes. Cootes, a first round selection of the Vancouver Canucks in 2025, was acquired by the Raiders in a blockbuster deal with the Seattle Thunderbirds ahead of the trade deadline.
Sivertson says he was able to learn a lot by playing on a line with Cootes.
“Just talking to him, kind of asking him questions. How he sees the ice, we’re just talking about where I should go when he has the puck in certain situations. I see openings or he sees openings. Playing alongside him, it really (helped) me understand the league a little bit better and how to continue to be at my best and improve.”
Sivertson has committed to play college hockey for the St. Cloud State Huskies. It had been previously reported by St. Cloud Live’s Mick Hatten that Sivertson had not yet made a decision between joining SCSU or returning to Prince Albert for another season.
When asked, Sivertson confirmed that he will be returning to Hockeytown North for the 2026-27 season.
“I’m going to go back to Prince Albert this year and I’m not too sure about when I’m going to be going to college.” Sivertson explained. “That date was kind of just set out there, but yes, I’ll be back in Prince Albert this coming season.”
Sivertson will return to a Raider team that came within three wins of capturing their third Ed Chynoweth Cup in franchise history. The Raiders lost in the WHL final to the Everett Silvertips in five games.
With the finals loss fresh in the rear view mirror, Sivertson says he’s excited to get back to Hockeytown North and have another successful season for the Raiders.
“I think we got a little chip on our shoulder for sure. We had a great season last year and I think we now know what it takes to win. It’s not gonna be easy and it’s going to take everyone. We’re just excited to get back and put in the work with the guys and I think we’ll have a good season.”
editorial@paherald.sk.ca
