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The 32-in-32 Series is an annual event here at DobberProspects! Every day in August, we will bring you a complete breakdown of a team’s draft and insights into their off-season movements thus far. Following this up in September, we will dive into every team’s prospect depth chart with fantasy insights and implications for the upcoming seasons. Check back often because we plan on filling your hockey withdrawal needs all off-season long!
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By: Naftali Clinton
The last few seasons have felt like Groundhog Day for fans of the Ottawa Senators. They make a splash in free agency, while failing to address some of their biggest needs, leading to high expectations for the following season. They then fall completely flat in October and November and spend the rest of the season simulating the NHL Draft on Tankathon.
This year, there was a new regime in place under the ownership of Michael Andlauer and the management of Steve Staios. They have taken a cautious stance towards building the team and it remains to be seen whether this strategy will pay off.
They made a number of key moves that help the Sens’ positional needs while arguably lowering the overall talent of the team. It is a gamble that certainly has it’s merits. Through the free agency period, Staios has solidified the top-six on offense, the top-four on defense, and the two goalie spots. That leaves a number of depth spots open on the roster for some of the Sens’ prospects to take the leap onto the big club.
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NHL Draft Recap
Round 1, 7th overall – Carter Yakemchuk, D
The Senators made a total of six draft selections in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. None were as important as their first pick, which they used to select right-handed defenseman Carter Yakemchuk. He was drafted out of the WHL, playing the last three seasons for the Calgary Hitmen and really blossomed in the 2023-24 season. The 18-year-old is expected to play for the Hitmen next season.
This past season, he posted 30 goals and 71 points along with 120 penalty minutes for the Hitmen and was first among Calgary defenseman in all offensive categories. Yakemchuk has a big frame, standing at 6-3 and 190 lbs which enables him to be dangerous at both ends of the ice. He owns a powerful slapshot and has near elite offensive instincts.
Yakemchuk will need to work on his defensive game but given the fact that he is not expected to be in the Senators’ lineup for a good few more years, he has time to work on it. He has the potential to be a top-four defenseman in the NHL but needs to become more mature in his game. He finds himself out of position too much on the ice and misses his checks often as well.
If Yakemchuk can work on his maturity and improve in his defensive game, look out. Not to mention, offensive defenseman Thomas Chabot has four years remaining on his contract in Ottawa, which coincides with when Yakemchuk is projected to take the offensive reigns for the Senators. He has a pathway to the NHL with this organization but it is going to take good coaching and patience to see him get there.
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Round 2, 39th overall – Gabriel Eliasson, D
The Sens woke up and chose violence when they got up to the podium to make their second round selection, literally. Eliasson was not ranked this high by most prospect writers but he is undeniably a physical specimen. Standing at 6-6 and 192 lbs, Eliasson was one of the biggest players in the draft and probably the most violent. He has a penchant for big hits and that is most of what he does on the ice.
Besides for always being the toughest on the ice, there is not much else to his game. He put up just one goal and six points in 36 games for HV71 Jr. in the Swe-Jr league this past season and does not have much of an offensive toolkit. He did put up 103 penalty minutes which is a red flag for the Senators to keep an eye on.
Eliasson is a defenseman who has great size and strength but will need to improve on every other area of his game before he can graduate to the NHL. He has committed to the University of Michigan for the 2025-26 season. Eliasson will hope to follow in the footsteps of fellow hulking Senators defenseman, Tyler Kleven, who has all but earned a permanent spot on the Sens’ roster four years after being drafted.
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Round 4, 104th overall – Luke Ellinas, LW
The Senators’ first forward selection came in the fourth round of the draft this year. Ellinas played the 2023-24 season with the Kitchener Rangers and put up decent stats in his first OHL season. He put up about 0.5 points per game and was a plus eight. He was a valuable depth contributor on a strong Rangers team that featured the likes of Carson Rehkopf, Hunter Brzustewics, Matthew Sop, and fellow Senators prospect Matthew Andonovski.
Ellinas’ eight points in 10 playoffs games showed that he can level his game up when it matters most. He does not have the flashiest skill set but he has good size (6-2 and 198 lbs) which fits the profile of the type of player the Sens have been targeting lately.
The odds against Ellinas making it to the big club are long but he could end up being a solid contributor in Belleville as early as this season. If not, he could go back to Kitchener and take on a bigger role there as an 18-year-old.
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Round 4, 112th overall – Javon Moore, LW
Moore has the most boom-or-bust potential of anyone drafted in the later rounds of the 2024 NHL Draft. He put up nearly two points per game at the high school level but has not played a meaningful stretch of games in the USHL yet. He committed to the University of Minnesota for the 2024-25 season.
If he opts to make the jump from high school hockey to the NCAA that would be a huge sink or swim season for him. He certainly has the size necessary to compete in college but may not have good enough hockey sense to keep his head above water there.
Moore has great size and good hands and it will be interesting to see if he is able to mature his game enough to be a regular on a college roster. He might also decide to play the season in the USHL with the Sioux Falls Stampede, which would be a smaller jump.
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Round 4, 117th overall – Blake Montgomery, LW
Montgomery has a number of similarities to fellow Sens’ draftee Javon Moore. They’re both left wingers, both stand at 6-3, and both played at least part of last season in the USHL. What Montgomery does not have is the offensive skill of Moore.
Montgomery put up 22 goals and 43 points in 58 games for the Lincoln Stars this year and led the team in points-per-game as well as tied for the lead in goals. Nevertheless, he does not seem to have the explosive skill that is required to become an NHL player.
The 19-year-old is committed to the University of Wisconsin but is not eligible to play there until the 2025-26 season. Which means he has a year to hone his skills and hopefully become more of an offensive threat before he plays against the tough opponents in the NCAA. Still, he has good work ethic and a strong two-way game so never say never for guys like that.
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Round 5, 136th overall – Eerik Wallenius, D
Who knows if the latest Sens draft pick out of Finland will ever grace an NHL arena, but he does fit the model of the type of player the team has been drafting lately. At a mighty 6-4 and 212 lbs, Wallenius was one of the biggest players selected in this years draft.
Wallenius played last season for the HPK team in the SM-sarja league in Finland. He put up a combined 22 points in 52 games between the different age groups. Those are pretty good stats for a defenseman, especially in a league that doesn’t necessarily have the highest scoring.
The big Fin is a huge wildcard for one, if he will ever play in the NHL, and two, if he will ever even come to North America. This season will be an important one in his career where he can really establish himself as one of the better defense prospects in Finland. Then he can decide if he wants to come to North America and play for the Belleville Senators.
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Development Camp
A total of 28 skaters and five goalies took part in the 2024 Ottawa Senators’ development camp. Some of the more notable names included in the camp were: Stephen Halliday, Javon Moore, Carter Yakemchuk, Jorian Donovan, and Thomas Hamara. Goaltender Leevi Merilainen headlined as the best goalie prospect in the group.
The players engaged in activities such as off-ice seminars, learning lacrosse from instructors, and skating drills. One of the highlights of the event was when defenseman Matthew Andonovski signed his entry-level contract with the Senators.
On the final day of development camp, they had a special 3-on-3 tournament which was the highlight for many of the players. The winning team of that tournament consisted of Carter Yakemchuk, Connor Lockhart, Stuart Rolofs, Oliver Johansson, and Matthew Andonovski. That pairing of Yakemchuk and Andonovski might have been one of the best possible combinations that the Sens development camp roster could muster. So much for making the teams fair.
After that the Senators handed out the annual Jonathan Pitre Memorial Trophy for the hardest working player during the development camp. The award went to defenseman Jorian Donovan. He joins an illustrious company alongside current Senators’ Brady Tkachuk, Tyler Kleven, and Ridly Greig who have all won that award.
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Offseason Moves
Incoming
Linus Ullmark, Trade
Nick Jensen, UFA
David Perron, UFA
Michael Amadio, UFA
Noah Gregor, UFA
Jeremy Davies, UFA
Filip Roos, UFA
Hayden Hodgson, UFA
Adam Gaudette, UFA
Jan Jenik, Trade
Xavier Bourgeault, Trade
Jake Chiasson, Trade
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Outgoing
Mark Kastelic, Trade
Joonas Korpisalo, Trade
Jakob Chychrun, Trade
Bokondji Imama, UFA
Parker Kelly, UFA
Erik Brannstrom, UFA
Mathieu Joseph, Trade
Dillon Heatherington, UFA
Egor Sokolov, Trade
Roby Jarventie, Trade
Kevin Mandolese, Trade
Rourke Chartier, UFA
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Re-signed
Angus Crookshank, one-year deal
Cole Reinhardt, one-year deal
Maxence Guenette, one-year deal
Nikolas Matinpalo, one-year deal
Jamieson Rees, one-year deal
Wyatt Bongiovanni, one-year deal
Matthew Highmore, one-year deal
Garret Pilon, one-year deal
Shane Pinto, two-year deal
Jan Jenik, one-year deal
Mads Sogaard, two-year deal
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Final Thoughts
Two things are true about the Senators’ prospect pool. One, it has improved since last year. Two, it is still one of the worst prospect pools in the NHL. That is due to the fact that the previous regime traded away most of their draft picks and made a lot of dubious picks with the ones they kept. Nevertheless, they have a decent core of prospects which they can build around. That includes Carter Yakemchuk, who is the best prospect in the organization, as well as Tyler Kleven, Stephen Halliday, Mads Sogaard, Angus Crookshank, and Zack Ostapchuk.
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Naftali Clinton