[3] While his father played professionally, Sanderson and his brothers moved to Phoenix, Arizona, Buffalo, New York, and Columbus, Ohio.

[4] Sanderson originally aspired to be a goaltender and even had his own set of equipment at one point, but was eventually deterred by his father and committed to being a skater.

[10] Sanderson joined the North Dakota Fighting Hawks men's ice hockey team for the 2020–21 season while majoring in kinesiology.

[1] Sanderson recorded his first collegiate goal on December 4, 2020,[11] before missing seven games to compete at the 2021 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships with Team USA.

[14] During the quarterfinals of the NCAA championship, Sanderson led the team in both shots on goal and blocks while seeing nearly 53 minutes of ice time during a historic five-overtime game.

[17] Having completed his sophomore season, Sanderson, while recovering from a hand injury, decided to conclude his collegiate career by signing a three-year, entry-level contract with the Ottawa Senators on March 27, 2022.

As a member of Team USA at the 2021 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, he assisted the game-winning goal in the semifinals against Finland.

[23][4] With his last year of U20 eligibility, Jake Sanderson returned to represent the United States at the 2022 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.