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Welcome to the August 2023 edition of the DobberProspects 32-in-32 Series. This month, we are diving into the depth of each organization, looking at their recent graduates, risers, fallers, and top-20 prospects.

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Last season, Ottawa finished six points out of the playoffs with a record of 39-35-8, which was good for 86 points and an improvement from the year before when the Senators were 33-42-7 and had 72 points. The slight improvement came at the cost of the Senator’s picks in the first three rounds of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. Ottawa didn’t have a pick until the 108th overall pick in the 4th round when they chose Hoyt Stanley, a defenseman from the BCHL destined for Cornell University. 

Graduates 

Roby Jarventie  

Jarventie will be entering into his third pro season in North America after an injury-plagued 2022-23 where he played just 40 games for Belleville but did post 16 goals and 14 assists. If he can remain healthy, he should see a cup of coffee in Ottawa if they need an influx into their top-six or on the power play. He is signed for two more years. 

Cole Reinhardt 

Reinhardt’s 2022-23 campaign saw him play 66 games in Belleville and put up 11 goals and 23 assists. He will be an RFA after 2023-24 and will need to show some progression in his production to warrant an offer from Ottawa. He could still see some games in Ottawa as he brings some energy and grit most nights. 

Shane Pinto

Pinto is at 99 career NHL games now and won’t be on this list moving forward. He ended up playing all 82 games in 2022-23, putting up 20 goals and 15 assists. He will be in the NHL moving forward.

Mark Kastelic

Kastelic ended up playing 65 games with the Senators and produced seven goals, four assists, 102 PIM, and 154 hits. He was very good in the faceoff circle going 56.9 percent. It looks like the fourth-line center role is his to lose in 2023-24.

Parker Kelly

Kelly is now up to 97 NHL games after playing in 55 games with a goal, three assists and 172 hits. His production took a hit, but his energy and determination kept him in the lineup most nights and in the NHL for the whole season. He will need to win his spot in training camp as there are a few players who might be ready to supplant him.

Angus Crookshank

Crookshank missed all of 2021-22 with an ACL injury but played 71 games for Belleville in 2022-23 and had an impressive 26 goals and 21 assists on 188 shots on goal. He doesn’t require waivers, so should start in the AHL once again.

Yegor Sokolov

Sokolov had another audition in the NHL for five games and he was a little more prepared than he was in 2021-22 where he saw eight games. He’s done all he can in the AHL after putting up 134 points in 169 games the past three years. He will require waivers to be sent down in 2023-24 so expect a battle with Kelly for a roster spot. This might be a make-it-or-break-it year for him.

Jake Sanderson

Sanderson had an impressive rookie year in Ottawa and ended up with 32 points in 77 games to go along with 147 blocks while averaging 21:55 per night. 

Jacob Bernard-Docker

The addition of Jakob Chychrun didn’t help Bernard-Docker in the numbers game on the right side of the defense. He ended up playing 19 games with the Senators and looked much more comfortable than he has had in prior stints. If he becomes a regular in the NHL he might not provide that much offense, but he could be a member of the 100/100 club for hits and blocks.  

Lassi Thomson

Thomson and Bernard-Docker have been going back and forth for a few years now, but it appears that Bernard-Docker is ahead of Thomson at this point. Thomson did provide some production in Belleville with 33 points in 56 games but only appeared in two games for Ottawa. Both Thomson and Bernard-Docker require waivers to be sent down, so perhaps their days are numbered there.

Mads Sogaard

Sogaard’s 19 games with the Senators were probably not part of his development plan but born out of necessity with the injuries to Anton Forsberg and Cam Talbot. Sogaard still needs some development at the AHL level. 

Ridly Greig

Greig played 39 games in Belleville and had 15 goals and 14 assists and then finished the year with Ottawa where he played 20 games and had two goals and seven assists. He looked right at home on the third line, but with the return of Josh Norris and his being waiver exempt makes him an ideal candidate to start the year in Belleville.

Phillipe Daoust

Daoust had a very good start to his season in the AHL with seven points in nine games, but unfortunately his year was cut short and ended there. He will hope to be healthy and get some games in with Bellevue to make up for his lost year of progression.

Tyler Kleven  

Kleven turned pro after his third season at the University of North Dakota. He played eight games with the Senators and had two assists where he looked like he belonged at times. He will need a full year in the AHL but he could climb the ladder over a few other defenders on this list. 

Tyler Boucher

After just 21 games with Ottawa in the OHL because of injury, Boucher should be joining Belleville next season. He needs to play 60-70 games and develop, pure and simple, as he hasn’t played much hockey since 2020-21.

Zack Ostapchuk

Ostapchuk played his last season in the WHL split between the Vancouver Giants and the Winnipeg Ice where he played 55 games and had 31 goals and 36 assists. He should get a full year in the AHL with Belleville but could get some games in Ottawa later in the year if things work out well for him. 

Risers

Jorian Donovan

Donovan should be back in Brantford of the OHL for his third and likely final season in junior hockey. He broke out offensively with 45 points in 55 games and will hope to improve upon that. 

Filip Nordberg

Nordberg should get a chance to play in the SHL this year with Vaxjo, but he is still eligible to play for the U20 team as well if he gets in over his head. Expect a combination of games at both levels. 

Oskar Petterson

Petterson was a 3rd round pick for Ottawa in the 2022 draft and should play for Rogle BK in the SHL on a regular basis as he saw 29 games there last year where he had just one goal and one assist. The story was a little different with their U20 team as he had 23 goals in 24 games. He had a total of 48 goals in 70 U20 games over the past two seasons. 

Stephen Halliday

Halliday played his freshman year at Ohio State University and hit the ground running with nine goals and 32 assists in 40 games which led the team. Ohio State might not be as strong a team in 2023-24, so it could be a test for Halliday to duplicate or progress.

Leevi Merilainen

Merilainen had an excellent year with Karpat in Liiga where he played 42 games and had a 91.8 save percentage. He made his way over to North America late in the season and played four games with Belleville and two with Ottawa and showed well. He will look to get 30 or more games in the AHL next season.

Fallers

Tomas Hamara

Hamara is only 19-years-old still but he had a disappointing first season with Kitchener in the OHL where he played 56 games and ended up with two goals, 15 assists and was a minus 21. The transition to North American hockey didn’t go as smoothly as he would have liked. The good news is that he played fairly well for Czechia at the World Juniors. 

Oliver Johansson

Johansson played six games in the SHL with Timra before being loaned to IF Bjorkloven of the Allsvenskan where he played 27 games and had six goals and three assists. He should get another shot with Timra in the SHL this season, but he has been passed by a few other prospects. 

Tyler Boucher

Until he can remain healthy for 50 or more games in a season, it is difficult for him to show progression. This year should be a huge test for him in the AHL, but his game might translate at the pro level. 

Prospect Depth Chart 

The list is a combination of NHL readiness and upside.

Left Wing	Center	Right Wing
Ridly Greig	Shane Pinto	Yegor Sokolov
Roby Jarventie	Mark Kastelic	Tyler Boucher
Zack Ostapchuk	Parker Kelly	Oskar Pettersson
Cole Reinhardt	Oliver Johansson	Stephen Halliday
Angus Crookshank	Philippe Daoust

Left Defense	Right Defense
Jake Sanderson	Jacob Bernard-Docker
Tyler Kleven	Lassi Thomson
Filip Nordberg	Maxence Guenette
Jorian Donovan	Nikolas Matinpalo
Tomas Hamara
Hoyt Stanley
Donovan Sebrango
Goalies
Mads Sogaard
Leevi Merilainen
Kevin Mandolese
Kevin Reidler

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. Mads Sogaard
5. Roby Jarventie
6. Yegor Sokolov
7. Zack Ostapchuk
8. Lassi Thomson
9. Tyler Boucher
10. Jacob Bernard-Docker
11. Tyler Kleven
12. Oskar Pettersson
13. Leevi Merilainen
14. Stephen Halliday
15. Angus Crookshank
16. Jorian Donovan
17. Phillipe Daoust
18. Oliver Johansson
19. Maxence Guenette
20. Tomas Hamara

This concludes our look at the Ottawa Senators organization in 2023. Our previous July-32-in-32  article examined the team’s 2023 draftees, off-season acquisitions, and numerous other topics. 

Thanks for reading!

Grant Campbell