Prospect System Ranking – 24th (Previous Rank - 24th)
GM: Steve Staois Hired: December 2023
COACH: Travis Green Hired: May 2024
The Ottawa Senators remain steady, holding onto their 24th spot in our McKeen’s prospect rankings. While a position in the bottom half is far from ideal, the good news is that they boast a youthful core already making an impact with the big club. With several rising stars on the team, including Tim Stützle (22 years old), Jake Sanderson (21), Brady Tkachuk (24), Drake Batherson (26), Josh Norris (25), Shane Pinto (23), Thomas Chabot (27) and Ridly Greig (23) all flirting with their primes, it feels like a breakout is long overdue.
To bolster this already sound foundation, the Senators added Carter Yakemchuk–McKeen’s 26th-ranked prospect–with their seventh overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft. Yakemchuk brings potential top four upside on the blue line, comfortably keeping the organization afloat in our rankings. Furthermore, the addition of Xavier Bourgault (135th)–via a Roby Jarventie trade–adds an element of hopeful scoring prowess, though Bourgault has struggled to replicate his offensive success at the pro level. GM Steve Staios is banking on the development staff to push Bourgault toward reaching that potential he was once handed when drafted 21st overall in 2021.
High hopes also surround 2023 second-rounder Zack Ostapchuk (163rd), who recently completed his rookie pro campaign in Belleville. While his 28 points in 71 games weren't earth-shattering, his versatile two-way game could make him a valuable candidate for bottom-six minutes on an offensively gifted Senators team.
In the crease, Mads Søgaard (115th) and Leevi Meriläinen (196th) anchor the team’s goaltending depth in the farm. However, the recent addition of Linus Ullmark complicates either goaltender’s path to securing an NHL backup role in the short term.
Despite lofty expectations, the Senators failed to meet their potential in 2023-24. Having leveraged quite a few draft picks—selecting twice in the first three rounds over the last two drafts—the margin for error is slim. The time is now for this core to succeed, and the team’s future draft capital may continue to pay the price to reach that goal.
Ottawa Senators Top-15 Prospects
1. Carter Yakemchuk
Yakemchuk, a big, right shot defender with two-way upside, was the 7th overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft out of Calgary (WHL). Given his late 2005 birth year, Yakemchuk is already more physically advanced than the majority of the players selected this past year and that means he may be very close to NHL ready. His skating has already improved a lot in the last calendar year and that’s had a profound impact on his offensive production. A skilled powerplay quarterback, Yakemchuk has an absolute bomb from the point and should be able to continue to run a powerplay at the higher levels. Defensively, Yakemchuk is a physical throwback to yesteryears. He loves to play through the opposition and relishes the opportunity to throw his weight around. The big concern for Yakemchuk is how well does he think the game? Can he improve his puck management and the consistency of his defensive reads? He should return to the WHL this season and he will once again be one of the top defenders in the league.
2. Mads Sogaard
The big Danish netminder is about to hit a crossroads in his pro career. After splitting two years ago between the NHL and the AHL, Sogaard took a back seat to veterans Korpisalo and Forsberg in Ottawa this past season. The good news is that he played much better with Belleville. The bad news is that he’s struggled mightily in a handful of NHL appearances last year. The other bad news is that Sogaard will no longer be exempt from waivers this season. Insert the crossroads. After bringing in Linus Ullmark to start, what do they do with Anton Forsberg? Do they look to sneak Sogaard through waivers or try to find a trade partner for him? The latter would be shocking because he still has significant NHL upside due to his size and athleticism, but stranger things have happened. The reality is that Sogaard’s play has to do the talking during training camp this year.
3. Xavier Bourgault
Flipped for injured winger Roby Jarventie early this offseason, Bourgault serves as an interesting reclamation project for the Senators. Last season certainly wasn’t the best year for Bourgault and his development. The former first round pick hit a sophomore slump in the AHL with Bakersfield and was particularly ineffective in the second half of the season. The Condors had a pretty veteran-laden roster, especially up front, and Bourgault just wasn’t able to earn consistent ice time and offensive opportunities because of it. However, it’s way too early to give up on the talented pivot. He still possesses top six upside, particularly because of his scoring ability and high end shot. The focus for him needs to be on continuing to improve his quickness and his strength to allow him to earn more touches. He needs to do a better job playing through contact and this summer will be a big one for him from a conditioning standpoint. Look for the former QMJHL star and first round pick to have a bounce back year with Belleville. His NHL future in a new organization might just depend on it.
4. Zack Ostapchuk
Ostapchuk exploded onto the prospect scene a few years ago after a breakout postseason with the Vancouver Giants (WHL) and he hasn’t looked back since. Two WJC gold medals and a cup of coffee in the NHL later and Ostapchuk is still very much relevant as an NHL prospect. The big forward is the prototypical middle six forward in today’s NHL. He has size. He is surprisingly quick. He has great attention to detail as a two-way forward. He brings physicality. At this point, it’s just about increasing his confidence with the puck at the pro level and learning to adjust to the pace of the pro game. It’s not inconceivable to see Ostapchuk in a bottom six role with the Senators to open this year if he has a strong training camp, especially since he’s had a strong finish to the year in the AHL.
5. Leevi Merilainen
Depth is never a bad thing, especially at the goaltending position. Due to Ottawa’s depth last year, Merilainen had to spend a good chunk of his first pro season in North America in the ECHL. This is common, as many NHL netminders have had to spend time in the ECHL. The good news is that Merilainen was solid in both the ECHL and in his time with Belleville (AHL). Merilainen continues to work hard to improve his positioning and puck tracking to help him with his consistency, something that he has struggled with dating back to his OHL days with Kingston. However, as the solid season in Liiga two years ago proved, he’s come a long way. The next step is finding a permanent spot in the AHL for him, which is why the team traded 2018 draft pick Kevin Mandolese. Between Merilainen and Sogaard, the Senators have a great chance of finding a quality NHL netminder.
6. Tyler Kleven
Kleven’s first pro season had to be classified as a success. The big, physical defender excelled in Belleville, even showing well offensively at times, which is certainly not going to be his calling card. Kleven excels in the defensive end with his strong mobility, reach, and aggressive physical nature; simply put, Kleven can be a nightmare for opposing forwards in the defensive end. From an offensive perspective, the majority of his offence is created from his big point shot and ability to get pucks through traffic from the point. He’s not likely to be much of a point producer at the NHL level, but he is still on track to become a PK anchor and second pairing option for Ottawa in the near future. That near future could be as early as this season, if Kleven can have a strong training camp.
7. Angus Crookshank
You never know how a player is going to bounce back from a serious injury. The former New Hampshire standout tore his ACL and missed the entire 2021/22 season. The year post injury ended up being his first full season of pro hockey and Crookshank was quite solid. However, last year he really took his game to that next level as Belleville’s leading scorer. He even played very well in a small sample in Ottawa, scoring his first few NHL goals. Crookshank profiles as a versatile, fan favourite whose energy in the offensive end is infectious. He excels driving the net and he’s managed to improve his speed post knee injury. Crookshank has also greatly improved his on puck play and shooting ability as a pro, which has improved his outlook and upside. He has proven this year that he is knocking on the door of a full-time spot in Ottawa. There is a very real possibility that he finds his way into the Senators’ top nine to start the year.
8. Stephen Halliday
Things didn’t go exactly as planned at Ohio State last year as the team underperformed in comparison to expectations, however Halliday did have another solid season as a sophomore. The USHL’s modern day all time leading scorer recently signed with the Senators and finished out the year with Belleville on a very high note. Halliday is a big, playmaking center whose game has made huge strides over the last five years. He’s gone from being a one dimensional and inconsistent player with big skating concerns to a play driving power pivot who actually projects as a solid pro because of his mobility and engagement level improvements. Now he will need to prove that those improvements will play well at the pro level. If all goes well, Halliday could move quickly through the system. He projects as a middle six center who can be a quality net front presence on the powerplay.
9. Gabriel Eliasson
It is very clear that Ottawa went into this year’s NHL draft with the intention of becoming more difficult to play against. Yakemchuk was first off the board at seven and then they used their early second on rugged Swedish defender Gabriel Eliasson. Simply put, Eliasson is just downright mean. Think early 90’s mean. If anything, discipline has been his biggest issue. He needs to refine his approach. However, he’s a solid skater for his size and has the potential to develop into a very good defensive player. Eliasson intends to play this season in the USHL with Cedar Rapids before making the jump to the NCAA with the University of Michigan. Given the violent nature of his defensive approach, it was probably wise for him to come to North America early to develop.
10. Tyler Boucher
Boucher is every draft pundit’s favourite joke these days because of how highly he was selected by the Senators (10th overall in 2021) and how poorly his development has gone thus far. While expectations regarding Boucher’s potential need to be tempered, we believe that he has been unfairly criticized. While he was undoubtedly overdrafted, and he may never be able to shake that in the eyes of the scouting community, he remains someone with a possible NHL future. Unfortunately, injuries and suspensions have played a large role in the stagnation of his development. Just this year, Boucher’s start as a pro with Belleville was delayed because of a groin injury suffered during training camp. After returning, he was more of a role player suggesting that Ottawa is going to need further patience with him moving forward. Boucher is still an excellent forechecker and a consistent physical threat. He should, at the very least, develop into a quality checking line player. However, he flashes the ability to use his speed on the counterattack, and his hands in tight are better than people give him credit for. Don’t close the book on Boucher just yet.
11. Maxence Guenette
An AHL All Star last year, Guenette took another step forward in what had to be considered an integral year for his development. Now entering his fourth pro season, Guenette will be facing waivers this season. Guenette’s calling card has always been his offensive capabilities and his ability to run the powerplay. However, he continues to work hard to round out his game in the defensive end and has put himself in contention for a roster spot.
12. Jorian Donovan
A Memorial Cup champion this past season with the Saginaw Spirit, Donovan has developed very well during his time in the OHL. He’s gone from an erratic puck mover to a solid two-way defender who can use his mobility to his advantage at either end. The son of Sens development coach Shean Donovan, Jorian will turn pro this year with Belleville.
13. Oskar Pettersson
Unhappy with his ice time in the SHL, Pettersson made the jump to the AHL with Belleville in February of last year, finishing out the season in North America. The former third rounder performed well and looks to be on track to developing into a steady bottom six presence for the Senators in the future.
14. Tomas Hamara
A heady two-way defender, Hamara closed out last season well in the OHL with Brantford; the trade from Kitchener was a real turning point for his development. Now he’ll turn pro this year with Belleville. The upside may not be significant, but Hamara does enough things well that he could be a third pairing option.
15. Kevin Reidler
The big Swedish netminder was excellent for Dubuque in the USHL last year; he was unquestionably one of the best performing goalies in the league. He was especially solid in the Clark Cup playoffs for Dubuque, stealing games and rounds for them. Now he’ll head to the University of Nebraska-Omaha to further his development.