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The Ottawa Senators’ 2023 Draft was, in a phrase, underwhelming.
Armed with solely 5 draft picks and none greater than the fourth spherical, some anticipated normal supervisor Pierre Dorion to try to safe a better choose or two, particularly with Alex DeBrincat‘s future uncertain in Canada’s capital. There was additionally hypothesis that the workforce may attempt to purchase a goalie, particularly with a number of high-profile goalies available on the market.
In the top, none of that got here to fruition, that means that the one new gamers to the group have been 5 prospects that few followers had ever heard of earlier than. Those which have heard of them haven’t been impressed; Steven Ellis of Daily Faceoff ranked the Senators lifeless final within the league, writing, “I’m not sure any of these guys will be NHLers.”
However, the important thing to Ellis’ assertion is “not sure.” Dorion and his workforce have taken massive swings earlier than and hit them out of the park. So, whereas there may be nonetheless loads of thriller surrounding the Senators’ picks, there’s some attention-grabbing upside that might repay in a couple of years.
Hoyt Stanley – 108th Overall
The Senators’ first choose was additionally their greatest. Hoyt Stanley, a giant, 6-foot-3 right-shot defenceman, has the potential to be a top-four defenceman within the NHL. He is aggressive on and off the puck, utilizing his attain and first rate puckhandling to create performs and cease opponents of their tracks. He’s additionally sturdy on his skates and might get well from a foul play attributable to being a bit too aggressive or deftly avoiding oncoming assaults. The one phrase that retains popping as much as describe him is toolsy, that means that there are such a lot of little issues that he can do already, regardless of the place he’s on the ice.
However, most of the issues he does nicely want fairly a bit of work earlier than they’re NHL-ready. Stanley has a good shot and he scored 4 targets final season with the British Columbia Hockey League’s (BCHL) Victoria Grizzlies, however he doesn’t interact his physique sufficient when he shoots, that means he may add a ton extra energy to it. He’s first rate within the defensive finish due to his lengthy wingspan, however he’s not overly bodily and will add fairly a bit of muscle to his 205-pound body. His 38-point season put him fourth on the workforce in scoring, however he may make some enhancements in imaginative and prescient and playmaking.
Stanley is dedicated to Cornell University for subsequent season, the place he’ll doubtless keep for a couple of seasons so he can fine-tune his toolkit, very like Tyler Kleven, who spent three seasons on the University of North Dakota earlier than signing with the Senators. There’s an opportunity that Stanley may turn into an all-around top-four defenceman, however proper now it’s extra doubtless he finally ends up as a bottom-pairing participant sooner or later.
Matthew Andonovski – a hundred and fortieth Overall
With their second choose of the draft, the Senators grabbed one other defenceman, however relatively than choose a participant who has an intriguing upside like Stanley, they obtained Matthew Andonovski, who suits completely with this franchise’s persona as a workforce that’s annoying to play in opposition to. A giant, 6-foot-2, 201-pound defender, he has but to file a aim in two seasons with the Ontario Hockey League’s (OHL) Kitchener Rangers, and his 16 assists this yr ranked fifth among the many workforce’s defenders. But he’s powerful and likes to get below his opponent’s pores and skin, which sounds very very like Brady Tkachuk, Ridly Greig, and Zach Ostapchuk.
Andonovski has loads of creating left to do, which is why he was a fifth-round choose. His skating and puck expertise want fairly a bit of work, however he’s aggressive and has proven some first rate hockey sense on the OHL stage. He can also play massive minutes and logged upwards of 20 minutes an evening in the beginning of the season. The Senators doubtless have a greater concept than most of his potential, too, as he at the moment performs with Ottawa’s 2022 choose, Tomas Hamara. There’s not loads of potential right here, as Andonovski doubtless tops out as a bottom-pairing defender, however he may very well be a bit that offers the workforce simply that further bit of snarl that makes them a harmful playoff workforce.
Owen Beckner – 204th Overall
The Senators returned to the BCHL with their first of three seventh-round picks to pick Owen Beckner, a 6-foot-2 two-way heart with the Salmon Arm Silverbacks. He completed tied for first with 50 factors final season and got here in third with 17 targets whereas additionally including 10 factors in 14 playoff video games. Although initially drafted by the Western Hockey League’s (WHL) Regina Pats, the place he had the prospect to play alongside Connor Bedard, Beckner as a substitute determined to pursue the school route, committing to hitch Colorado College for the 2024-25 season.
Related: Grading Each Team’s Draft on the 2023 NHL Draft
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In talking with TSN 1200, Senators’ assistant GM Trent Mann admitted that Beckner is a bit of a long-shot prospect, saying, “He’s got some skill and is a long, lanky kid right now, so physically, we’ll have to help him with that.” Despite his team-leading factors, Beckner doesn’t have loads of high-end offensive expertise and doesn’t create loads of performs, however he doesn’t have many deficiencies, which speaks to his excessive hockey intelligence, something he prides himself in. College, then, was doubtless the perfect route, as he’ll have many extra alternatives to placed on muscle and work on his defensive presence. Given his dimension, he has a fantastic alternative to climb up Ottawa’s depth chart over the following few seasons.
Vladimir Nikitin – 207th Overall
After seeing no goalies taken within the first spherical, NHL groups started to hurry to seize as many as attainable; in Round 5, there have been eight goalies chosen, and one other 5 have been chosen within the sixth spherical. In complete, 26 goalies have been chosen, essentially the most since 2018, when 29 heard their names known as, together with Kevin Mandolese, who debuted with the Senators in 2022-23.
The Senators, seemingly not eager to miss out on the motion, chosen the comparatively unknown Vladimir Nikitin, a 6-foot-4 goalie from Kazakhstan. He wasn’t ranked by any scouting service, together with NHL Central Scouting, however he put up some good numbers in Kazakhstan’s U20 league, recording a .921 save share (SV%) and three shutouts in 24 video games, then went undefeated in 9 playoff appearances whereas permitting 1.56 targets per sport. Where he doubtless popped up on a couple of scouts’ radars was on the U18 World Championship, the place he helped the Kazakhs earn a promotion to the highest division for 2023-24 with a .936 SV% and 4 wins over 5 video games.
Since the Vegas Golden Knights received the Stanley Cup with a duo of Adin Hill, a former third-round choose in 2015 who appeared like a profession backup earlier than the 2023 Playoffs, and Laurent Broissoit, a 2011 sixth-round choose who got here in as an harm alternative and proceeded to place up a .927 SV% in 11 video games final season, there’s been a shift in notion in goalies. They have all the time been seen as unpredictable, which has resulted in fewer groups utilizing first-round picks on them, however that mentality was pushed to its excessive on the 2023 Draft – if any goalie can turn into a star, then let’s add each goalie we are able to.
Nikitin definitely suits into that class, since little else is thought about him aside from he’s heading to the BCHL to join the Chilliwack Chiefs for the 2023-24 season. This choose is vaguely reminiscent of when the Senators chosen the 6-foot-3 Leevi Merilainen in 2020. No sources had him ranked, however he had good numbers within the U18 league in Finland. When he got here to North America in 2021, he put up a really sturdy season, lastly displaying the remainder of the world that he was a critical prospect, and he’s solely improved since then. Nikitin may definitely turn into a prospect and as a seventh-round choose, it’s a incredible gamble.
Nicholas VanTassell – 215th Overall
With their closing choose within the draft, the Senators added one more massive ahead, 6-foot-4 Nicholas VanTassell of the United States Hockey League’s (USHL) Green Bay Gamblers. This is the second yr he was eligible for the NHL Draft, going unranked in 2022 after placing up 18 factors in 58 video games that season. However, 11 of these factors have been targets, which ranked eighth on the workforce. In his second season with the Gamblers, he improved his level complete barely, scoring 37 factors, however ranked fourth with 19 targets.
VanTassell will head over to the University of Massachusetts subsequent season, the place he’ll proceed to develop his sport, notably his energy; he’s listed at simply 196 kilos, which is slight for a participant of his dimension. But as soon as he provides a bit of muscle, he may turn into a dangerous player like Valeri Nichushkin. According to UMass’s head coach, Greg Carvel, “Nick has the potential to be an effective power forward in Hockey East and I’m excited to see his game continue to grow once he gets to UMass. There is a lot of potential to be reached if Nick can continue developing his compete for the puck and use his size most effectively.” VanTassell may also be part of Senators’ 2022 choose Cam O’Neill, who completed up his USHL profession in 2022-23.
Senators Stick to What They Know
If there’s one factor that’s true about Dorion, it’s that he’s affected person. It’s most likely a trait he picked up throughout his time as a scout with the Montreal Canadiens and because the director of scouting with the Senators. It’s evident in how he approaches trades, but it surely’s additionally obvious in his draft targets. Without the flexibility so as to add a sure-fire prospect, the Senators went with a bunch of long-term, high-potential gamers that might find yourself as invaluable NHL contributors, however may simply as simply find yourself as busts.
But even when none of the gamers make the NHL, the 2023 Draft shouldn’t be seen as a failure. This is a workforce that desires to compete for the Stanley Cup. Prospects, even those who be part of the workforce right away like Adam Fantilli, are a number of years away from making a serious influence. Knowing that, Dorion used his most respected picks to accumulate Jakob Chychrun and get out of Nikita Zaitsev and Matt Murray’s contracts. Those will likely be way more invaluable within the brief time period than any participant they might have added at this draft…aside from Bedard.
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