2023-24 NHL Prospect Pool Breakdown: Ottawa Senators

Credit: Jason Mowry-USA TODAY Sports

Last year, the Ottawa Senators saw Shane Pinto and Jake Sanderson graduate to the NHL and become impactful players.

Other than that, not much has changed in the team’s pipeline. Donovan Sebrango was a key piece in the Alex DeBrincat trade, but he was the only one added of note. The club didn’t pick until the fourth round in 2023, with Hoyt Stanley being the top selection. Right now, he’s not close to being a top-10 prospect.

So, Ottawa’s pipeline definitely isn’t among the best right now. A few years ago, they were a team of envy, but great picks turn into quality NHLers, and the Sens have excelled at developing over the past five years. That’s the ultimate goal here, and, hopefully, for the fanbase, it starts to pay off sooner rather than later.

A handful of the players listed below – such as Ridly Greig, Egor Sokolov, Jacob Bernard-Docker and Mads Søgaard – have NHL experience. It’s good to see these kids get chances, whether it be due to injuries or just giving them a chance to showcase what they can do. That all helps in the long run.

Biggest Strength

The Sens spent a few years sending quality forwards up to the big leagues. Now, they have an abundance of defenders looking for the next shot. Bernard-Docker and Tyler Kleven should both see NHL time this year, while Lassi Thomson and Sebrango could both force their way into the conversation. Even a bit deeper, Tomas Hamara, Jorian Donovan and Stanley could all become something. There might not be another sure-fire top-four defender like Sanderson, but they’ve got options, and that’s key.

Biggest Weakness

If even a few of the top five prospects make it, the Senators won’t lack snarl. What they are lacking is a high-end goal scorer. Ridly Greig can surely generate chances, but is he going to get 25-30 goals, and 50 points a year? It doesn’t hurt to have so much talent in a bottom-six, but another NHL-quality scoring threat wouldn’t hurt, either.

TOP 10 PROSPECTS

*Zack Ostapchuk (Steven Ellis/Daily Faceoff)*

Grade: D

1. Ridly Greig, C/LW, 21 (Ottawa Senators)

Drafted: No. 28, first round in 2020

Perhaps one of the first players to ever get suspended for their first NHL game, Greig is known to play with an edge. He used that to his advantage to make himself noticed last year, putting up 29 points in 39 AHL games and another nine points in 20 NHL games. Those are solid numbers for a 21-year-old first-year pro forward, and let’s not forget that he was in the MVP conversation at the 2022 world juniors before suffering an injury. Greig’s name was linked to deals at the 2023 NHL trade deadline, but it’s excellent that they kept him around. He’s ready for NHL duty.

2. Zack Ostapchuk, LW, 20 (Belleville, AHL)

Drafted: No. 39, second round in 2021

Let’s be clear: Ostapchuk isn’t going to be a point producer with Ottawa. But with his 6-foot-3, high energy and strong two-way play, Ostapchuk should have no issue carving out a role for himself in the NHL. Ostapchuk’s value was especially prevalent during the world juniors, where his hard-nosed game was a distraction for opponents. He’ll move up to the AHL with Belleville, where he’ll adjust to players willing to stand up to him.

*Egor Sokolov (Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports)*

3. Egor Sokolov, LW/RW, 23 (Belleville, AHL)

Over the past two years, Sokolov’s 109 points in 134 games is the most of any U-24 scorers in the AHL. He wasn’t as efficient as guys like Lukas Reichel, Trey-Fix Wolansly, Marco Rossi or Jakob Pelletier, but Sokolov has done of the scoring for a non-playoff squad. At a certain point, though, you have to wonder if he has what it takes to be more than just an AHL producer. He has two points in 13 NHL games, and, at 23, he’s on the older side of the prospect spectrum. At 6-foot-3 and 222 pounds, he has the size to thrive, and he uses it to keep possession. But he’s not a great skater, and that got exposed in the NHL. Sokolov deserves a fair shot to make the Senators out of camp.

4. Tyler Boucher, RW, 20 (Belleville, AHL)

Drafted: No. 10, first round in 2021

Remember all the hoopla when the Senators took Boucher No. 10 when most didn’t expect him to go in the first round? It still doesn’t look like a great pick, but he still looks like a solid prospect. The 6-foot-1, 205-pound player might be the hardest-hitting player in the system, and he also has a nose for the net. He looked solid at the world juniors, and despite playing just 21 games in the OHL this year due to injuries, he contributed 10 goals. His style of player is built for pro hockey, so we’ll see what he can do.

5. Jacob Bernard-Docker, D, 23 (Ottawa Senators)

Drafted: No. 26, first round in 2018

The 23-year-old has been in the system for a while now, so he’ll have to make the move up to the NHL sooner rather than later. He’s better in low-event hockey, where he’s shutting things down and keeping players away from the crease. Offensively, there isn’t much there. JBD is the type of player you hope excels in a third-pairing role, but Travis Hamonic and Erik Brannstrom will look to prevent that from happening. It was good to see him play nearly 20 games with the big club last year, though.

*Mads Sogaard (Steven Ellis/Daily Faceoff)*

6. Mads Søgaard, G, 22 (Belleville, AHL)

Drafted: No. 37, second round in 2019

Søgaard is one of the biggest goaltenders in the game at 6-foot-7, and he moves well at that size. He’s athletic, efficient in the crease and the extra size doesn’t hurt. Using it to his advantage has been a bit more difficult, given he seems to allow a high number of weak goals. But the Danish keeper had some solid moments with the Senators down the stretch as he accumulated many starts in the final two months. Can Søgaard build upon that and establish himself as a potential long-term option?

7. Roby Järventie, LW, 21 (Belleville, AHL)

Drafted: No. 33, second round in 2020

Where would Järventie’s game be if he hadn’t missed close to have the season with a knee injury? Järventie still managed to be a big-time contributor with 30 points in 40 games, three off of his rookie output in 30 fewer games. So the steps forward were noticeable, but the goal in 2023-24 is just getting a full, healthy season. He has a quick release, a big 6-foot-2, 214-pound frame and isn’t afraid to get into the dirty areas to make a play. I think there’s something here.

8. Tyler Kleven, D, 21 (Belleville, AHL)

Drafted: No. 44, second round in 2020

Kleven, a 6-foot-4 defenseman, is known for his punishing physical play, with no player besting his 214 penalty minutes during his 95 games over three seasons in the NCAA with North Dakota. Kleven isn’t going to put up a ton of points, but he can be a menacing presence deeper in the lineup and has enough speed and skill to step up if needed. There’s a chance Kleven cracks the roster, giving the team some size at 6-foot-4. He showed some promise in an eight-game stint with the Senators, but at 21 with little pro experience, they don’t need to rush Kleven just yet.

9. Donovan Sebrango, D, 21 (Belleville, AHL)

Drafted: No. 63, third round in 2020

Last year was a bit of a difficult one for Sebrango, splitting the year between the AHL and ECHL. He finished the AHL regular season with Grand Rapids at least, but he just didn’t seem to improve like most were hoping to see. The good news? Sending him down to Toledo to close the season was a chance to get him into more games, and he looked good. Now with Belleville, Sebrango will have a chance to get significant minutes and prove himself to his new team.

*Lassi Thomson (Steven Ellis/Daily Faceoff)*

10. Lassi Thomson, D, 22, (Belleville, AHL)

Drafted: No. 19, first round in 2019

The 22-year-old had a great third season with Belleville, registering a career-high 26 assists and 33 points in 56 games. The aggressive defender used to be a lot more mistake-prone, but he cleaned up his puck work lats year. Consistency is still a concern here, and some scouts wonder if he’ll ever add an extra gear to his game to help him stand out in the NHL.

Other notables: Tomas Hamara, D (19), Leevi Merilainen, G (21), Oskar Pettersson, RW (19), Angus Crookshank, LW (23), Philippe Daoust, LW (21), Philippe Daoust, LW (21), Cole Reinhardt, LW (23), Max Guenette, D (22), Jorian Donovan, D (19), Kevin Mandolese, G (22), Stephen Halliday, C (21), Tyson Dyck, C (19), Hoyt Stanley, D (18), Kevin Reidler, G (34), Vladimir Nikitin, G (18), Theo Wallberg, D (19), Filip Nordberg, D (19), Matthew Andonovski, D (18), Owen Beckner, C (18)

Previous 2023-24 NHL Prospect Pool instalments

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