For players playing in the junior ranks in Canada, they typically have to be 20 before they can play in the minors — with a couple of exceptions. One of those is that a player can go down once their junior team is eliminated from the playoffs (or doesn’t qualify at all). The Senators are certainly taking advantage of that provision as their farm team announced that prospects Tyler Boucher, Ridly Greig and Carson Latimer have all been assigned to AHL Belleville.
Boucher was the 10th overall pick last summer out of the U.S. National Development program and started the season at Boston University before changing his development path in late December when he signed with Ottawa. The winger was assigned to OHL Ottawa in January and put up seven goals and seven assists in 24 regular-season games with the 67’s while adding a goal and an assist in four playoff contests.
As for Greig, the 2020 first-round pick (28th overall) has a bit of AHL experience under his belt as he was able to play in seven minor league games last season while waiting for the WHL season to get underway. The 19-year-old winger had a standout year with WHL Brandon, notching 26 goals and 37 assists in just 39 games while also being named to Canada’s entry for the World Juniors last December.
Latimer, meanwhile, was a 2021 fourth-rounder (123rd overall). The winger started the season with Edmonton of the WHL before being moved to Prince Albert at the beginning of December where he had an opportunity to play a bigger role and made the most of it, picking up 12 goals and 20 assists in 44 games.
None of the three players were in the lineup for the opening game of Belleville’s play-in series against Rochester tonight but if the Senators are able to move on, it’s possible that Boucher and Greig, in particular, get a chance at some extra game action in the weeks to come.
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