Welcome to the September 2022 Edition of the DobberProspects 32-in-32 Series! This month, we will be doing a  deep dive into each organization, looking at their recent graduates, risers, fallers, and top 20 prospects.  

Last season, Ottawa finished well below .500 with a record of 33-42-7 which was 26th overall in the NHL. They will look to improve this season and possibly make inroads into playoff discussions towards the end of this year. 

The additions of Alex DeBrincat, Claude Giroux, and Cam Talbot will improve the team immensely. The progression of players like Brady Tkachuk, Josh Norris, Tim Stutzle, Drake Batherson, Alex Formenton, Mathieu Joseph, Erik Brannstom, and Anton Forsberg should propel the Senators into the playoff picture if the roster isn’t missing some players. 

Development Camp and Rookie Tournament

The Senators held a development camp from July 11th to the 14th, which included eight of their draft picks from 2022, six from 2021, two from 2020, and three from 2018. 5th overall pick from the 2020 draft, Jake Sanderson, did not take part as he was still nursing his injury from the 2021-22 season. 

The camp was mostly drills and some half-ice scrimmages and then a three-on-three tournament. 

Some standouts were Tyler Boucher, Tyson Dyck, Ridly Greig, Stephen Halliday, and Zack Ostapchuk. 

The Senators invited 26 rookies to take part in a Rookie tournament against Buffalo, Boston, and Montreal from September 15th through the 19th. 

The prospects lost to Boston 5-4 and Montreal 7-2 before playing Buffalo and losing 6-3. 

Mads Sogaard started the first game and let in a few weak goals in the 5-4 loss, while Kevin Mandolese played against Montreal in a game where he let in all seven goals. 

Ridly Greig didn’t dress for any of the games and the team lost Viktor Lodin to injury in the second game and he could be out for a while which puts his participation in the main training camp at risk. Zack Ostapchuk also went down with an injury and missed the third game.

US college players (or committed) were not eligible to play in the tournament so Tyson Dyck (who plays in the BCHL), Stephen Halliday, Tyler Kleven, Luke Loheit, Jakov Novak, and Cameron O’Neill did not take part. 

Jake Sanderson only played in the first game and had some good moments, but it was just good to see him playing in the Senator’s uniform. Shane Pinto played in the first game as well which is a good sign after only being able to play in five games last year due to injury. Pinto was one of the better players on the ice. 

It is only three games, so we shouldn’t put too much stock into these tournaments but the players that stood out for me were Angus Crookshank, Philippe Daoust, Pinto, and Maxence Guenette. 

Graduates 

The Senators are not short of players who could make the transition to the NHL this year or next.  

Roby Jarventie, LW

Jarventie played his first pro season in North America last season with Belleville in the AHL and had flashes of NHL skills on his way to putting up 11 goals and 22 assists in 70 games. Look for him to start the season with Belleville once again and to get a shot on the power play where he can possibly utilize his impressive one-timer. If he can pot 20 goals or more in the AHL he could get a look in Ottawa at some point. He’s only 20 years old so there is no need to rush him and a full season in the AHL would not hurt him as there are still some holes in his game. 

Cole Reinhardt, LW 

The 22-year-old Reinhardt played 70 games for Belleville last year with 15 goals and 15 assists which earned him an NHL call-up where he dressed for one game in Ottawa towards the end of the season. He could see some more games in Ottawa if they run into injury trouble as he can slot in on the fourth line as an energy player. He should be with Belleville once again this year for most of the season. 

Shane Pinto, C

If 100% healthy, Pinto could start the season with Ottawa as the third or fourth line center. Having only played five games last season, perhaps the Senators elect to start him in the AHL with Belleville to get him 15-20 games as Parker Kelly and Dylan Gambrell require waivers to be sent down. 

Viktor Lodin, C

Lodin came over to North America at the end of last season after three seasons in the SHL. He played 10 games with Belleville and had five goals and three assists and dressed for one game with Ottawa where he had three shots on goal. He took a late, high hit against Montreal in the rookie tournament and is now a question mark for the main training camp. When healthy, he will need some time in the AHL but could see some games in Ottawa at some point this year. 

Mark Kastelic, C

Kastelic had an extended look in Ottawa last season as he played 16 NHL games where he put up two goals, two assists and 51 hits. He was also impressive in the faceoff circle winning 58.2 percent of his draws. He does not need to clear waivers but could win the fourth-line center role if he has a good training camp. 

Parker Kelly, C

Kelly will need to win his spot in training camp but he impressed in his 41 games with Ottawa last season where he had seven goals and five assists to go along with 131 hits. He plays a high-energy game which he will need to bring night in and night out to stay in the NHL. He requires waivers to be sent down to the AHL this season. 

Angus Crookshank, LW

Crookshank missed all of 2021-22 with an ACL injury suffered in a game against Montreal in last year’s Rookie tournament. He is back and appears to be 100% healthy. The Senators will want to give him as many games as possible this season in the AHL, but he could get some cups of coffee in the NHL at some point. 

Yegor Sokolov, RW

Sokolov has 34 goals and 41 assists in 99 AHL games over the past two seasons and might be ready for the NHL on a full-time basis after seeing eight games with Ottawa last year. He was a little over-matched in those games so he will need to win a job at training camp, but he doesn’t require waivers to be sent down, so expect him to start the season in Belleville once again. 

Jake Sanderson, LD

Sanderson is healthy and ready for the NHL season. We need to remind ourselves that he only played 25 games of hockey in 2021-22, so starting the season in Ottawa is not a slam dunk. He would need to play himself out of a role in the NHL this season during the pre-season so the odds are he starts with the Senators. He is a special player.  

Jacob Bernard-Docker, RD

Bernard-Docker has had extended looks in Ottawa the past two seasons where he dressed for eight games last year and five the year before. He might need to start the season in Belleville and show a little more offense to his game before he gets the call back up to Ottawa. The team is high on him but has Nikita Zaitsev, Travis Hamonic and Artem Zub ahead of him right now, so his opportunity might be reliant on a trade or injury to one of those three this season. 

Lassi Thomson, RD

Thomson is in a similar boat to Bernard-Docker above as he had 16 games with Ottawa last year, but did show some offensive output in his 44 games in the AHL where he had 10 goals and 16 assists. He will need to force his way into the starting lineup during the pre-season or he will start the year in the AHL again. It’s only a matter of time before he and Bernard-Docker replace Hamonic and Zaitsev in the lineup. 

Mads Sogaard, G

Sogaard should begin the season as the third goalie in Ottawa. As a result, he should see 40-50 games in the AHL and be called up to Ottawa if needed as a result of any injuries to Cam Talbot or Anton Forsberg. 

On the Cusp 

Ridly Greig, LW

Greig was injured during the World Juniors tournament in August 2022 and was forced to miss the Rookie tournament in September. He is hoping to be able to participate in the main training camp. Once healthy, he will most likely begin the season in the AHL with Belleville. 

Tyler Boucher, LW

Boucher will more than likely be back with the Ottawa 67s in the OHL and get some much-needed familiarity on one team for a full season. He needs to play 60-70 games this year and just play. He might never have the high ceiling for offense that you hope from such a high pick but he has much to offer the Senators in a few years. 

Phillipe Daoust, C

For a 6th-round draft pick, Daoust has continued to progress since he was drafted in 2020. He was one of the better offensive players for the Senators in this year’s Rookie Tournament and he should start the season in Belleville of the AHL where he dressed for 15 games last year. The offensive roles will be very crowded for Belleville, so I would temper expectations for him this season.  

Zack Ostapchuk, LW

Ostapchuk will be back with the Vancouver Giants in 2022-23 and will look to build off his 26 goals in 60 games last season and his 23 points in 12 playoff games. He had a busy summer playing with Team Canada in the World Juniors in August and played in the Rookie Tournament in September. Hopefully, the injury that he sustained in one of those games doesn’t cause him to miss much time. This season is a big one for him to show some more progression. 

Risers 

Tyler Kleven, LD  

After playing in this year’s World Juniors for Team USA, Kleven will look to head back to the University of North Dakota for his third season there. He should be a key player for them this season and could see some offensive minutes which could help him develop his puck skills. 

Viktor Lodin, C

Since being drafted, Lodin has had two very strong seasons in the SHL and now that he is 23, he appears ready to make his mark in North America. He should get an opportunity at the NHL level at some point, but he will need to make the most of it. 

Filip Nordberg, LD

Nordberg was a 2nd round pick for Ottawa in the 2022 draft and will play for Sodertalje SK in the SHL this season either in the J20 or HockeyAllsvenskan. Last season he had 27 points in 42 games for them in the J20 league, so he will look to progress from there. 

Oskar Petterson, RW

Petterson was a 3rd round pick for Ottawa in this year’s draft and will play for Rogle BK in either J20 or the SHL. Last year he had 25 goals in 46 games with them in the J20. He’s a goal scorer pure and simple and his spot is right in front of the net. 

Tomas Hamara, LD

Hamara will play for the Kitchener Rangers in the OHL this season after the Senators drafted him in the third round this year. He’s a very good skater, but he will need to work on his defensive game positioning and working on his puck skills a little. 

Fallers 

Vitali Abramov, LW

Abramov has just started his second season back in the KHL and is now with CSKA Moskva. The 24-year-old played three seasons in the QMJHL before spending the next three in the AHL. He is signed to the end of 2022-23 so there is a small chance he could come back to give it another shot in Ottawa. 

Jacob Bernard-Docker, RD

I remember reading a 2020 Prospect report that had Bernard-Docker ahead of Josh Norris, Drake Batherson, Alex Formenton, Shane Pinto and Lassi Thomson. As mentioned above, the Senators still have high hopes for him, but others have passed him by over the past two years. He needs to have a solid season whether it be in the AHL or if gets an opportunity with the Senators. 

Prospect Depth Chart 

The list is a combination of NHL readiness and upside 

Top 20 Fantasy Prospects 

This section is intended to paint a picture of the Ottawa Senators’ prospects whose current trajectory projects them making the most positive fantasy impact at the time that they reach the NHL. The arrival date and NHL certainty have been taken into consideration. However, a player’s potential upside is the most important factor in determining this list.  

1. Jake Sanderson
2. Shane Pinto
3. Ridly Greig
4. Lassi Thomson
5. Yegor Sokolov
6. Tyler Boucher
7. Roby Jarventie
8. Zack Ostapchuk
9. Viktor Lodin
10. Jacob Bernard-Docker
11. Filip Nordberg
12. Angus Crookshank
13. Tyler Kleven
14. Oliver Johansson
15. Mark Kastelic
16. Tomas Hamara
17. Phillipe Daoust
18. Oskar Pettersson
19. Maxence Guenette
20. Vitali Abramov

This concludes our look at the Ottawa Senators organization in 2022. Our previous August-32-in-32  article examined the team’s 2022 draftees, off-season acquisitions, and numerous other topics. 

Thanks for reading!

Grant Campbell