An Early Peek at the 2025 NHL Draft For the Ottawa Senators

While the NHL is navigating its Conference Finals, Ottawa Senators general manager Steve Staios is already hard at work, seeking to shape his roster for next season and beyond.

Staios recently met with his amateur and professional scouting staff to discuss viable options in all areas.

With the 2025 NHL Draft only five weeks away, the club is locked into the 21st position. However, due to the previously imposed league punishment of forfeiting their first-round selection within three seasons starting with the 2023 Draft, the Senators were forced to decide when to do this.

Probably hoping NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman will lessen league punishment, Staios elected to hold on to his pick in the upcoming Draft, June 27-28.

An alternate reason may be that the team chose to forfeit for this upcoming Draft; they wouldn’t be picking before the third round, so there’s a lot at play.

As it stands today, the Ottawa Senators currently hold at least one selection in each round except for the second.

With this in mind, let’s peek at five players who may be available in the 21st spot, starting with a teammate of Ottawa Senators 2024 seventh overall pick, Carter Yakemchuk.

Potential Ottawa Senators First Round Draft Picks

Benjamin Kindel  RW

5′ 10″, 176 lbs

Calgary Hitmen WHL

65 gp 35 g 64 a 99 pts 39 pm – regular season

11 gp 8 g 7 a 15 pts 6 pm – playoffs

Kindel’s draft rankings are all over the map, ranked as high as 11 by Smaht Scouting to 27th by TSN’s Craig Button and THN’s Ryan Kennedy. The native of Coquitlam, BC is currently ranked 21st by EliteProspects.com, Draft Prospects Hockey and 20th on Daily Faceoff’s list.

Coming off a gold medal win for Canada at the U18’s, Kindel registered one goal, six assists in five games.

Steven Ellis – Daily Faceoff in an article published April 21.

“He’s equally good as a shooter and a playmaker and is the driving force of Calgary’s attack. Kindel does a great job of finding open space and exploiting it and he has a shot he can unleash from just about anywhere. Below-average skating and a lack of a physical edge knock him down a few pegs, but many teams should consider him for his pure puck skills and solid all-around improvement.”

Blake Fiddler  RD

6’4″, 209 lbs

Edmonton Oil Kings WHL

64 gp 10 g 23 a 33 pts 36 pm – regular season

7 gp 0 g 1a 1 pt 0 pm – playoffs

Son of former NHLer Vernon, who played 14 seasons, Blake Fiddler averaged 22 minutes per game at only age 17 for the Oil Kings this past season.

The native of Nashville captained the US club at last summer’s Hlinka Gretzky tournament. Fiddler is ranked 21st by TSN’s Bob McKenzie, THN’s Ryan Kennedy, Daily Faceoff and Recruit Scouting.

Jason Bukala – Sportsnet in an article published March 26.

“For his stature, Fiddler moves very well off the puck and has the ability to join the rush as an extra layer. Defensively, he does whatever it takes to keep pucks out of his net. He gets in shooting lanes to block shots, and he’s efficient with his outlets. Fiddler has potential middle pairing upside as a two-way/match-up defenceman. 

Toronto Maple Leafs: Same Old Story: Toronto Maple Leafs Lose Another Game 7

Florida Panthers: New Look Third Line Delivers for Paul Maurice and the Florid Panthers

Ottawa Senators: GM Steve Staios and Head Coach Travis Green Discuss a Range of Topics at End of Season Availability

Braeden Cootes  C

6’0, 183 lbs

Seattle Thunderbirds WHL

60 gp 26 g 37 a 63 pts 18 pm – regular season

6 gp 2 g  6 a 8 pts 4 pm – playoffs

The last time the Senators drafted a player named “Braeden” it worked out rather well. The native of Sherwood Park, AB is a natural leader, Cootes was not only Thunderbirds captain, but also donned the “C,” leading Canada in scoring in a gold medal performance at the U18 World Championship (7 gms 6 goals 6 assists).

Nine common scouting outlets rank Cootes anywhere from 17 to 23 for the 2025 Draft.

Derek Neumeier – McKeen’s Hockey published April 7.

“Cootes is the type of prospect that you need to watch closely, while also understanding the nuances of his situation in order to properly appreciate, because simply looking at his stats will never tell the full story. As a true heart-and-soul kind of player and a natural leader, the impact that he leaves both on and off the ice cannot be measured in goals and assists alone. Though his numbers in those departments are both still highly respectable, mix in the ability to play center in all situations and the ease with which he earns the trust of coaches and the overall result is someone who is surely being coveted highly by NHL Scouts.”

Malcolm Spence LW

6’2″, 201 lbs

Erie Otters OHL

65 gp 32 g 41 a 73 pts 57 pm – regular season

9 gm 4 g 5 a 9 pts 6 pm – playoffs

Turning 19 in September, Spence decided at the conclusion of this season to take advantage of the new NCAA eligibility rules and will attend the University of Michigan this fall.

The Mississauga resident is one of the most intriguing prospects available. Spence ranks eighth on THN’s Ryan Kennedy’s list to 29th with Smaht Scouting.

Gordon Munro – Recruiting Scouting published October 4, 2024.

“Malcolm Spence has been a highly touted name for the 2025 NHL Draft for a few years now. The hype hasn’t stopped, as he currently ranks eighth overall according to Elite Prospects’ consolidated rankings list. He was drafted second overall by the Erie Otters at the 2022 OHL Priority Selection, and since then, he has amassed over 100 career points and wore an alternate captain’s “A” for Erie this past season. Malcolm Spence has been a staple on the Canadian National Team as well, winning gold at both the World Junior U-18’s (Also with an “A”) and the Hlinka Gretzky Cup Tournament in 2023, scoring at a point-per-game rate at both tournaments.

He is a hard-forechecking forward who is every coach’s dream playing a very sound 200ft game. He consistently logs time on both special teams units and has the skill at both ends of the ice to warrant it. Although not often, he has also shown an ability to take draws here and there. He is puck-hungry and constantly pressuring the opposition, making their lives a living hell whenever he steps out onto the ice.”

Cole Reschny F

5′ 10″, 187 lbs

Victoria Royals WHL

62 gp 26 g 66 a 92 pts 44 pm – regular season

11 gp 9 g 16 a 25 pts 10 pm – playoffs

After posting a 92-point regular season, Reschny’s stock may have risen higher after a spectacular postseason. The native of Macklin, SK, recorded 25 points in the first two rounds of the playoffs, finishing ninth among WHL points leaders, while adding five goals in five games for Canada at the U18 tourney.

Smaht Scouting  – Spring 2025 compilation published on Smahtscouting.com.

“Although outside of high-end puck handling, he lacks the sort of tools you’d hope to find in a top prospect. His hockey IQ really jumps out at you every time you watch him play. Defensively Reschny is consistently engaged in his defensive zone assignments and is more effective at winning possession and creating breakouts than one might think a player of his stature would be due to strong physical battle habits, quick and precise small-area puckhandling, and a strong awareness of where his wingers are at in any given situation. 

In transition, he is still able to achieve great results despite a lack of high top skating speed due to his ability to draw defenders towards him and dish off very consistent and accurate passes to other lanes. On offense, his inability to imposing in front of the net and lack of a particularly high-end shot make it so that he’s not a particularly prolific goal scorer, but his playing making should be considered nothing short of high-end. Reschny is outstanding at reading the entirety of the ice, utilizing passing lanes that go the entirety of the width of the ice much more than the majority of players I’ve watched in this draft.” 

There are a lot of options on the table for the Ottawa Senators at the 2025 NHL Draft.