Sherven was born in Gravelbourg, Saskatchewan and raised in Mankota, Saskatchewan. He was selected by the Edmonton Oilers in the tenth round of the 1981 NHL Entry Draft. He played three seasons of collegiate hockey for the University of North Dakota from 1981–84, including the championship team of the 1982 NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey Tournament. He also played for the Canada national junior hockey team that won the bronze medal at the 1983 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships and the senior national team that won the bronze medal at the 1983 World Ice Hockey Championships only four months later. Only on two other occasions have Canadian players played for both the junior team and the senior team in the same year.