NHL Prospect Roundup: Ducks’ Beckett Sennecke turned (temporary) World Juniors snub into OHL dominance
Only one Canadian player was selected before the Anaheim Ducks drafted Beckett Sennecke at the 2024 NHL Draft – Macklin Celebrini.
Celebrini wasn’t going to the World Juniors from the get-go. But Sennecke seemed like a near lock to get the call to selection camp, especially after his tremendous run at the World Junior Summer Showcase.
But when Canada released their 32-man camp roster, Sennecke’s name wasn’t there. It came just one day after Sennecke scored four goals and added two assists with the Oshawa Generals. In his first game post-announcement, Sennecke had a five-point night before following it up with three points against London two nights later.
For those bad at math, that’s 14 points in three games.
Fortunately, Hockey Canada added him to the camp roster on Monday. They couldn’t afford not to. He’s on the biggest heater in major junior right now. Standing tall at 6-foot-4, he has another year of eligibility to go, and he’ll be even more important when the tourney shifts to Minnesota for 2026.
Given he’s on pace for more than 50 goals and close to 110 points, Sennecke is playing as motivated as ever. Don’t doubt him in Ottawa this week.
OHL
– Don’t count out Carter George as Canada’s starter for the World Juniors. Sure, his 4-13-5 record might look ugly, but he’s been absolutely exceptional for Owen Sound. He enters training camp having not won a game in a month, but he routinely finds himself having to face 35-45 shots a night on one of the worst defensive teams in the CHL. As one scout said, “He’s playing as good as any goalie prospect in the world right now, but the stats won’t show you that.” The Los Angeles Kings prospect is a favorite of Hockey Canada and has a realistic opportunity to lead the charge in net for two straight years – a good camp could help.
WHL
– Look for Toronto Maple Leafs product Miroslav Holinka to become Czechia’s No. 1 center at the World Juniors. Holinka is having a good year in the WHL, sitting at 21 points in 23 games with the Edmonton Oil Kings. HYe has missed time recently with an injury, but all signs point to Holinka being ready for camp. It’s his first year in North America, and the move has allowed him to maximize his ice time. Had he remained in Czechia, he likely would have been stuck deep in the lineup and not gotten the opportunities he needed to succeed, so the move made sense. Holinka isn’t going to drive play – that’s simply not his game. But like Fraser Minten, Holinka is a reliable two-way threat who does a lot in his own zone. Scouts like how he supports his defenders and that he’s willing to block shots and get in the way of scoring chances. His first step looks better than it did before the draft — he’s still not quick, but he’s quicker.
QMJHL
– Matvei Gridin started off with a modest seven points in his first nine QMJHL games with Shawinigan. But a hat trick on Nov. 3 helped spark something in the Calgary Flames prospect. He’s up to seven multi-point efforts this year, including a trio of three-point efforts. The Russian winger led the USHL with 38 goals and 83 points last year, and while he won’t lead the Q in scoring this year, he has a realistic shot of leading all NHL-drafted players in the league this year. Taking him 28th overall might have been a bit of a stretch by the Flames, but he’s looking good right now, at the very least.
USHL
– Keep a close eye on Will Zellers during the World Junior A Challenge. The Green Bay Gamblers standout is on pace for around 50 goals this year, so he’ll be relied on to produce for the Americans over the next week. Zellers was one of USA’s best players at the 2023 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, so he’s no stranger to producing with the American sweater on. I do have concerns about Zellers’ effort levels along the boards from time to time, but I think the pure skill still makes him an intriguing pickup by the Colorado Avalanche.
NCAA
– Expect Cole Eiserman to play a big top-six scoring role for the Americans at the World Juniors. He has nine goals in 15 games as a college freshman at Boston University while averaging three to four shots per game most nights. Eiserman is one of the best sharpshooting prospects in the game today and he always seems to rise to the occasion in an American uniform. Look for the New York Islanders winger to get plenty of power-play time, too. And once he returns back, perhaps with a medal, we could see Eiserman start to really heat up at BU.
AHL
– St. Louis Blues prospect Dalibor Dvorsky is having himself quite the stretch with Springfield. The 19-year-old Slovak forward is riding a seven-game point streak, registering a single point in every single one of them. The Thunderbirds are 6-1 in that span and have won almost all of the games by a single goal, so Dvorsky’s play has been important. Dvorsky will miss time with the World Juniors so he won’t likely finish at the 60-point pace he’s playing at, but he’s easily the most productive U-20 player in the AHL this season. In fact, Dvorsky has a chance to post one of the most productive U-20 seasons in AHL history – only nine players have broken past the 60-point mark.
– While his overtime record might not be great, Leevi Merilainen has generally looked quite impressive for Belleville. The Ottawa Senators prospect hasn’t allowed more than three goals in a game since Oct. 19 and recently posted an impressive 28-shutout over the Bridgeport Islanders. Meralainen has primarily shared the net with veteran Malcolm Subban but has outplayed him throughout the season – a solid sign for the 22-year-old. The Senators might already have their long-term No. 1 in Linus Ullmark, but I do believe Merilainen could be a solid option for them in the long run: he’s got a good 6-foot-3 frame, he’s athletic, and he’s competitive.
ECHL
– The Pittsburgh Penguins are believers in Sergei Murashov, whom they took in the fourth round in 2022. Murashov has an 11-2-0 record between the AHL and ECHL, including a 9-2-0 run with a .922 save percentage with the Wheeling Nailers. Those are numbers you’re hoping to see from a young prospect with limited pro experience in the KHL. Murashov isn’t big at six-foot, but he’s athletic and quick enough to make up for it – at least at the ECHL level. Murashov has an opportunity to rack up a ton of starts with Wheeling, so there’s no rush to bring him up to the AHL on a consistent basis.
Liiga
– The Detroit Red Wings get featured here a lot, and for good reason. I’m a big fan of Jesse Kiiskinen, who should be a top-six fixture for the Finnish World Juniors team. He has 19 points in 23 games this year with HPK, putting him on pace for 44 games. He’ll miss time due to the WJC, but he’s second among U-20 scorers in Finland and on pace for a top-20 season all-time at that age. The six-foot winger loves to shoot the puck, and I expect him to do a lot of the heavy lifting in open space at the WJC. The Finns will need him to shine.
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