Jets draft Fargo Force goalie Samuel Hrenak in historic third round pick

The Winnipeg Jets used the 71st pick on Samuel Hrenak, making the 6-foot-3 Fargo Force goaltender the highest-drafted goalie in franchise history. The third-round selection at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York, also put a USHL season on the biggest stage of Hrenak’s career.

That is the bet Winnipeg made: size, polish and a Fargo track record that has become familiar to NHL teams. Hrenak arrived as a Slovakian goalie with upside and left the 2025-26 season with numbers that travel well, going 7-1-1 with a 2.20 goals-against average, a .918 save percentage and one shutout in nine USHL games for the Force.

NHL Central Scouting had already put him on the map, ranking him No. 9 among North American goalies in its final list. That matters because it shows how much his work in Fargo sharpened his profile. He also spent part of his draft season in Slovak junior hockey, but it was the USHL sample that gave the Jets a cleaner read on his game.

For Winnipeg, the pick fits an organization that is trying to build a deeper crease pipeline. Hrenak enters a group that already includes Domenic DiVincentiis, Thomas Milic and Isaac Poulter, and he was one of seven players the Jets selected in their 2026 draft class. He was also their first pick of Day 2, after Winnipeg opened the draft with center Viggo Björck at eighth overall.

The selection was part of a draft that ran June 26-27 and was open to players born between January 1, 2006, and September 15, 2008. USA Hockey said 53 Americans were chosen overall, a reminder that the NHL’s development paths still run heavily through North American junior hockey. Hrenak’s rise out of Fargo adds another line to that case, especially for European goalies who can turn one strong USHL season into top-75 draft capital.

In a Jets video interview after the pick, Hrenak said he was excited to be drafted by Winnipeg and noted that Fargo is nearby, a practical detail that should ease his transition. The Force gave him the stage; the Jets decided he was ready for the next one.