Sens prospect Sanderson to play for U.S. at Olympics

Ottawa Senators prospect Jake Sanderson will represent the United States at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, he confirmed to The Athletic's Ian Mendes.

Sanderson was captaining Team USA in its quest to win back-to-back gold medals at the 2022 world juniors before the event was canceled due to COVID-19. It was at that tournament where he and teammates Matty Beniers and Brock Faber were extended the invitation by American Olympic hockey architect John Vanbiesbrouck.

"We were pretty speechless when he said that. We were just so excited," Sanderson said. "We thought it was a possibility, just with no NHL players going. We didn't want to get our hopes up too much, but it was in the back of our minds. And when we were asked, we were just so excited. We were freaking out and hugging each other."

The Senators chose Sanderson fifth overall at the 2020 NHL Draft. The 6-foot-2 defenseman has recorded 22 points in 17 games this season at the University of North Dakota. He's eligible for the Olympics, which won't feature NHL players, because he's yet to sign his entry-level contract.

"That was kind of the first thing that went through my mind. Not everyone gets to do this, and I'm not sure if I'm going to be given this opportunity again," Sanderson said. "So, I'm going to take it while I can and run with it. Not everyone gets to be an Olympian in their lifetime, so that was something I really couldn't turn down."