Four Fighting Hawks commits that have yet to hit the ice for the University of North Dakota were drafter last week at the 2024 NHL Draft. First was forward Sacha Boisvert was selected 18th overall by the Chicago Blackhawks and defenseman EJ Emery was selected 30th overall by the New York Rangers on Friday evening. The Fighting Hawks become the first NCHC program to have two first round draft picks in the same same draft.
Boisvert becomes the 22nd North Dakota player to be selected in the first round of the NHL Draft in program history and first since Jake Sanderson went fifth to Ottawa in 2020. Emery joins Sacha Boisvert as first round selections in this year’s draft, becoming the first pair of North Dakota players to be taken in the first round since Derek Forbort and Brock Nelson in 2010 and only the fourth time in program history that UND has had multiple first round selections in the same draft class.
Boisvert had a great year for the Muskegon Lumberjacks in the USHL, scoring 36 goals and tallying 68 points in 61 games. Emery spent last season with the U.S. National Under-18 Team, where the Compton, CA native developed into a dominant defender while adding 16 assists in 61 games.
After two of first round selections on Friday night, North Dakota had two more future players selected on the final day of the 2024 NHL Draft on Saturday. Will Zellers was taken in the third round (76th overall) by the Colorado Avalanche. Zellers will likely begin his Fighting Hawk career in the 2025-26 season. Zellers is coming off a huge season with Shattuck St. Mary’s, where he had 57 goals and 54 assists for 111 points in just 54 games.
In the seventh round, incoming forward Mac Swanson was selected 207th overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins to become UND’s fourth selection of the weekend. The former Fargo Force star garnered multiple USHL awards including the league’s 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.
