Ottawa Senators 2025-26 Prospect Pyramid

Of course, most fans won’t be watching the Senators’ farm team. This is a playoff team now, and the players are hungry to return to the Stanley Cup race and improve on last season’s results. Ottawa doesn’t necessarily need a top prospect to come in and shake things up. That’s what the 2020 Draft was for.

But the Senators’ prospect pool is still worth paying attention to; these players want to be part of a competitive roster, and there will only be opportunities for the best of the best. Gone are the days when prospects were given a few games to see what they were. Now, the Senators are looking for who proved they can hang with the big guns. That will force players to step up their game…or be replaced.

The best way to see who will be competing for which spots, in my opinion, is the Prospect Pyramid. So, without further ado, let’s take a look at every prospect in the Senators’ system and who has the best chances of being part of Ottawa’s push to claim its first Stanley Cup.

What Is a Prospect Pyramid?

Created by YouTuber Steve Dangle, the Prospect Pyramid was designed to be a cleaner and less divisive model. It’s an easier way to rank prospects rather than trying to decide which player should be 12th and which should be 13th. Instead, they are simply put into one of five tiers, which are as follows:

Tier 1 – Top-line/top-pair talent or better.

Tier 2 – Top-six forward, top-four defender, or starting goaltender.

Tier 3 – Wild card players; high-potential prospects with a great chance to make the NHL, and could end up in a team’s top six, but just as easily could be bottom-six players.

Tier 4 – Players with limited impact; either high-potential prospects with a low chance of making the NHL, or low-potential prospects with a decent chance of playing NHL games.

Tier 5 – Everybody else; minor league player used for call-ups.

For this list, I will use the Calder Trophy definition of a prospect: a player under 26 years old who has not played more than 25 games in a single season or six or more games in each of any two preceding seasons.

Additions, Subtractions & Graduates

Since July 2025, these prospects have either joined or left the organization.

Additions

Trades: Tristen Robins* (was not re-signed)

Free Agents: Lassi Thomson, Jackson Parsons

Draft: Logan Hensler, Blake Vanek, Lucas Beckman, Dmitri Isayev, Bruno Idzan, Andrei Trofimov

Subtractions

Trades: Zach Ostapchuk (SJ)

Free Agency: Angus Crookshank (NJ), Cole Reinhardt (VGK), Jeremy Davies (VGK), Philippe Daoust (AHL), Jamieson Rees (AHL), Filip Roos (SHL), Oliver Johansson (rights expired)

Graduates: Tyler Kleven, Nikolas Matinpalo

Tier 1 – Guaranteed Top Line Talents (Or Better)

Carter Yakemchuk, RD

Carter Yakemchuk remains the Senators’ only Tier 1 prospect, and the gap to second place is a significant step down. If he reaches his potential, he could be a top-pairing defender in the same tier as Alex Pietrangelo, Evan Bouchard, or Brent Burns. He can light the lamp with ease and control the flow of the game with speed or by shutting down the opposing team’s best forwards. Last season saw him grow specifically in the latter area, which was exactly what Staios and company were hoping for.

There’s only one thing left on Yakemchuk’s checklist – claiming a spot on the Senators’ opening-night roster, and with how much he’s grown last season, it will be incredibly difficult to find a reason not to give him a chance. However, there’s not really a spot for him, especially after the acquisition of Jordan Spence. It might be better if he starts in the American Hockey League (AHL) instead of sneaking into 5-10 minutes a night in Ottawa.

Staios made sure not to make any predictions, saying on the Coming in Hot Podcast, “I wouldn’t go so far that quickly on (Yakemchuk playing in Belleville in October). We wanted to have a competitive training camp. I think when you want players to come and push, and if they do come in and push, it’s my job to make sure that we have the room. If they’re going to help the Ottawa Senators win, we’re in the business of winning and winning at the NHL level.” Whatever happens, the Senators have the luxury of patience with their top prospect, and there’s no reason to throw that away.

Tier 2 – Top-of-the-Lineup Players

Logan Hensler, RD

There’s already a lot to like about Logan Hensler, the Senators’ top choice in the 2025 NHL Draft. In 2023-24, he put up .52 points per game with the United States National Team, which is comparable to Jake Sanderson or Adam Fox’s production at the same age. Then, as a freshman at the University of Wisconsin, he was the team’s second-highest-scoring defenceman with 12 points and was a member of the Americans’ gold medal effort at the 2025 World Juniors.

Although he projects to be a solid presence as a second or third-pairing defenceman, Hensler’s similarities to Sanderson might mean he’s primed for a breakout in the coming years. Already blessed with an NHL frame, his best attributes are his skating and mobility, and he’s made massive improvements to his defensive game. While he’s unlikely to emerge as a future Norris candidate like Sanderson or Yakemchuk, there’s little doubt that he can become a big part of the Senators’ future.

Leevi Merilainen, G

It’s hard not to be excited about the prospect of Leevi Merilainen getting an opportunity to back up Linus Ullmark this season. No matter where he’s played, all the young Finn has done is win. He has a World Junior silver medal, was the second-most-winningest goalie in his only season in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), was the only 20-year-old to post a save percentage (SV%) over .907 in his only full season in Finland’s Liiga, and was undefeated in his first three games in the AHL with Belleville.

Last season, Merilainen took his dominance one step further and put up one of the greatest performances from a rookie Senators’ goalie since Andrew Hammond’s 20-1-2 record in 2014-15. In 12 games, the young Finn had eight wins, three shutouts, a 1.99 goals-against average (GAA), and a .931 SV%. That record gave Ottawa the confidence to let Forsberg walk to free agency and entrust the backup job in 2025-26 to Merilainen. He’s already incredibly athletic and very competitive, but his skillset still shows lots of room for growth. His rookie season will be one to watch.

Tier 3 – The Wild Cards

Mads Sogaard, G

At this time last year, Sogaard was on track to be the Senators’ goalie of the future. However, injuries limited him to just 10 games last season, and when he played, he wasn’t great. In his eight AHL games, he had a .800 SV% and finished with a 0-5-2 record. In the NHL, he had a 5.24 GAA, by far the worst stat of any goalie to play in Ottawa in 2024-25. In the battle with Merilainen, he came out firmly in second place.

However, this is not a sign to give up on the once-promising prospect. As it’s been said many times before, goalies are very difficult to project, especially those who stand 6-foot-8. I’ve been a big fan of him ever since he was selected in the second round of the 2019 Draft, and it wasn’t that long ago that he was one of the AHL’s best goalies. All he needs to do is stay healthy, and he should bounce back. Of course, that’s easier said than done, but for now, he remains a promising goalie in the Senators’ system with the potential to be an NHL starter one day.

Blake Montgomery, LW

It’s always tricky to evaluate players right after they’ve been drafted, but Blake Montgomery was in his second year of eligibility and was still really raw. Scouts were quick to praise his transition game and relentless attack, but he was lanky and awkward. There appeared to be an NHL player there, but how impactful he’d be was still up for debate, so I placed him in Tier 4. I’m happy to admit that I was wrong about my initial assessment, because Montgomery looks like one of Ottawa’s best prospects heading into 2025-26.

Montgomery’s stint with the London Knights was electric. Over an 18-game stretch from Nov. 23, 2024, to Jan. 21, 2025, he scored 17 goals and 31 points, most of which were accomplished without the help of London’s record-setting scorer Easton Cowan, who was out with an injury. Montgomery is now off to the University of Wisconsin, where he’ll continue to work on his skating and strength. It will be interesting to see if his scoring touch follows him to college, but he’s now well on his way to becoming a strong middle-six power forward in the NHL someday.

Jorian Donovan, LD

Transitioning from junior to pro is always a steep learning curve, and it took Jorian Donovan 20 games before he registered a point with Belleville, but he got more comfortable as the season progressed, finishing with three goals and 12 points. He was also a constant presence on the penalty kill, and his 83 penalty minutes show a willingness to engage physically. Although he’s likely destined to be a bottom-pairing defensive defender in the NHL, his mobility, intelligence, and offensive skills are already helping him move up the depth chart in Belleville. If he can handle the tougher deployments, he could have a bright future.

Lassi Thomson, RD

This may be a bit high for some, but I think Lassi Thomson still has the potential to be an impact NHL player. He struggled to find his place on the team in the past, but he was fantastic in Sweden last season, leading all defencemen with 17 goals. He’s always had a strong offensive sense, but the right-handed defender has continued to improve his two-way abilities. He’s always had the potential to be a top-four defenceman, but it’s just taken him a bit longer to put everything together.

However, this is likely Thomson’s last chance to earn an NHL job, and the odds are stacked against him. Although the Senators were a weak team when he joined them in 2020-21, he wasn’t able to find a place on the roster despite putting up decent AHL numbers. In 202 games with Belleville, he had 24 goals and 93 points, the eighth-highest total since the team moved from Binghamton in 2017. He didn’t leave on good terms with previous management after a double waiver claim, and having new faces in charge might lead to better opportunities in Ottawa. But he’ll need to be on his A-game this season to earn an extension.

Tomas Hamara, LD

Although Tomas Hamara was projected to play in Belleville last season, he was instead reassigned to the Brantford Bulldogs to play his final season of OHL eligibility. He had always been a solid performer for Czechia internationally, but his impact was limited in North America. However, 2024-25 did a lot for Hamara’s confidence, as he finally emerged as a go-to offensive defenceman with eight goals and 55 points in 58 games. There’s no question he’s turning pro this season, and although there will be a battle for spots, he arguably has the highest offensive upside among left shots on Belleville’s blue line this season. While he’s still a long way away from making an impact, Ottawa’s patience seems to be paying off.

Stephen Halliday, C

Stephen Halliday is the definition of a late bloomer. Selected in 2022 in his third year of draft eligibility, he jumped out of the gate with the Ohio State University, leading the team in points as a freshman and sophomore, then leading Belleville with nine points in seven playoff games.

There were questions whether Halliday would be able to handle the more physical pro game in the AHL, but he did just fine, leading Belleville with 51 points, with his coach saying he already has NHL skill. With a few NHL practices already under his belt, it’s only a matter of time before he’s called up for his first NHL game.

Javon Moore, LW

Javon Moore is setting himself up to be the most underrated prospect in Ottawa’s system. A fantastic athlete, he had a strong rookie season in the United States Hockey League (USHL) last season, scoring 17 goals and 39 points in 56 games, good for fourth on the Sioux Falls Stampede. It wasn’t a mind-blowing total, but there were flashes of high-end potential throughout the season, including scoring four goals in five games in February. He’s now off to the University of Minnesota, where he’ll likely stay for a few seasons before turning pro, but his aggressiveness and intelligence could be a sign of a Shane Pinto-like breakout.

Gabriel Eliasson, LD

Gabriel Eliasson made no pretence about what he planned to do in his first OHL season with the Barrie Colts. In his first game, he was penalized for crosschecking, roughing, and interference, and after five games, he’d already sat in the box for 18 minutes. Comparatively, it took him seven games to score his first goal and 17 games before he recorded his first assist. When the season concluded, Eliasson had three goals, seven points, and a team-leading 116 penalty minutes (PIM). Given his size, he’s on track to play in the NHL, but what his role will be will depend on whether he can round out the rest of his game.

Lukas Ellinas, LW

Lukas Ellinas had an interesting 2024-25. Injuries limited him to just 50 games, but he still managed to improve on his previous season totals, jumping up from 33 to 37 points. But what put him on the Senators’ map was his ability to score big goals. His 20 markers last season were the fifth-most on the Kitchener Rangers despite playing at least 10 fewer games than most of the players ahead of him. He was even better in the playoffs, leading the Rangers with eight goals and 16 points in 14 games. A big playoffs often lead to a big season, so keep an eye on Ellinas as he enters his 20-year-old season.

Blake Vanek, RW

There are a lot of similarities between Blake Vanek and Montgomery: both are big, lanky players with excellent shots and great stats in high school, were unproven against tougher competition in their draft years, and jumped to the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) after a brief stint in the USHL. Vanek is off to the WHL’s Wenatchee Wild, and although he doesn’t have a point in two preseason games, Wenatchee aren’t worried. In a press release, Wild scout Leigh Mendelson said, “He was a player we wanted to have in our organization due to his innate athleticism, game sense, and ability to produce offensively.” There are a lot of opportunities to move up the lineup this season, so watch for a big rookie season.

Lucas Beckman, G

One of my top goalies from the 2025 Draft, Baie-Comeau Drakkar star Lucas Beckman led the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) with 31 wins and had the third-most shutouts with three. Internationally, he suited up for Canada three times: twice at the 2025 U18 World Championship and once at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup. Although he was always stuck behind Jack Ivankovic, he recorded a .960 SV% and a 0.86 GAA. Calm, smart, and athletic, he could follow in Merilainen’s footsteps and emerge as a potential NHL starter.

Bruno Idzan, LW

It’s really difficult to know what Bruno Idzan will become because the sample size is just so small. However, the brief glimpse into his game looked excellent. After scoring 21 goals in 19 games in the Alps Hockey League (AlpsHL), he jumped to the USHL and added another 22 goals in 36 games with the Lincoln Stars. He was an overage prospect when selected, but so were Halliday and Montgomery, and they’ve emerged as fantastic prospects. Idzan has a similar profile, meaning it wouldn’t be surprising to see him lead the University of Wisconsin in scoring as a freshman.

Tier 4: Role Players and Limited Impact

Donovan Sebrango, LD

Although injuries slowed him down last season, Donovan Sebrango put up career-highs in nearly every category, recording eight goals, 12 assists, and 20 points. He also took on a leadership role in the AHL and was named the team’s Man of the Year for community engagement. While he won’t become a top-four defenceman, he could have a similar impact to Nikolas Matinpalo last season – not bad for a minor part of the abysmal Alex DeBrincat trade. Watch for him to be one of the first players called up if there’s an injury.

Maxence Guenette, RD

Things were looking great for Maxence Guenette heading into 2024-25. A late cut from the 2023-24 Senators training camp, he had an All-Star season with Belleville and earned a handful of call-ups to Ottawa. But last season didn’t go quite as both he and the Senators had hoped. He got a handful of callups but didn’t play in any NHL games, and his point total dropped from 34 to 23, although his goals increased from seven to nine.

With so many right-shot defencemen in the system, Guenette may end up as the odd one out. He’s currently the only unsigned restricted free agent, and although he was given a qualifying offer, according to Bruce Garrioch, “the expectation is that he will be dealt before camp” (from ‘Ottawa Senators sign restricted free agent defenceman to one-year deal,’ Ottawa Citizen – 4/09/2025).

Jan Jenik, C/W

In his training camp preview, The Hockey Writers‘ Paul Quinney wrote, “(Jan Jenik) has the potential to put himself on management’s radar at training camp.” His connection to Staios and his AHL experience give him a leg up in stealing away a depth role in the NHL. However, after five pro seasons, it seems like if that was going to happen, it would have already happened. Jenik’s unspectacular first season in Belleville doesn’t lend a lot of confidence to his future with the Senators, but at 24 years old, he still has time to break out and prove he’s an effective depth forward in the NHL.

Xavier Bourgault, C

I had high hopes for Xavier Bourgault last season, and while he didn’t disappoint, per se, he didn’t break out and push for a roster spot. He finished with 12 goals and 26 points in 61 games in Belleville, his second-best total in the AHL, but that wasn’t good enough to earn an NHL call-up. While he’s still only 22 years old, I think his time as a fringe top-six player is over. A one-year, two-way extension will give him another shot at asserting his place in the organization, but if his development remains static, there are several other players looking for NHL deals that would be happy to take his place in 2026-27.

Tyler Boucher, RW

One of the biggest questions this season, at least concerning the Senators’ prospects, is whether Tyler Boucher will earn an extension with Ottawa. After years of constant injury concerns, he finally skated in more than 45 games since 2019-20, but only managed to put up five goals and 10 points, one of his lowest totals in his young career. While there’s still hope he can emerge as the talented energy forward he was projected as in 2021, time is running out. Another sub-par season could see him leave the organization as one of the most disappointing first-round picks in recent memory.

Hoyt Stanley, RD

Hoyt Stanley has been a reliable member of Cornell University’s defence for the past two seasons, helping the Big Red win back-to-back Conference titles. He’s a rangy, mobile defender with a strong defensive awareness and some offensive abilities, although they haven’t been overly present at the NCAA level. However, an NHL career isn’t out of the cards at this point, and he’ll need to continue to gain strength and engage with opponents with more physicality. He also needs to increase his offensive game this season, but he’s on his way to earning an entry-level deal.

Matthew Andonovski, LD

Like Sebrango, Matthew Andonovski projects to be a reliable depth defenceman with limited offence. He was consistently rated as one of the best defensive defencemen in the OHL by both coaches and fellow players, and last season, he was named Kitchener’s captain due to his work ethic and commitment to his teammates. He’s also not afraid to throw his 6-foot-2 frame around, leading the OHL with 132 PIMs. Andonovski’s next stop will be in Belleville, and while he looks ready for the pro circuit, the team has a deep left side, especially with defensive-minded players, so minutes may be limited to start.

Filip Nordberg, LD

With so many mobile defensive defencemen with a physical edge in their system, Filip Nordberg might have trouble standing out in the Senators’ depth chart. Last season, he made some significant improvements to his game, putting up 24 points and 105 PIMs, and had flashes of top-end skill. But he was also one of the oldest players in the USHL, which gave him an advantage in the junior league.

Nordberg recently committed to Merrimack College for 2025-26, which is an interesting choice. The program wasn’t strong defensively in 2024-25, allowing the second-most goals in the Hockey East Conference, and their best plus/minus defender just signed in Europe. That leaves the freshman Nordberg as one of their best players, which could mean a big year for the big blueliner, or he could be in for a difficult season that hurts his development.

Kevin Reidler, G

Kevin Reidler has had an up-and-down career since arriving in North America. He was excellent with the USHL’s Dubuque Fighting Saints in 2023-24, but only played eight games in 2024-25 with the University of Nebraska-Omaha. He was still a strong presence in net, but needs to get more playing time to develop. The 6-foot-6 Swede recently announced he’s transferring to Penn State, where he’ll hopefully get more starts. Until then, it’s hard to know where he’s at in his development.

Owen Beckner, C

Owen Beckner is one of the few players I’ve moved up from Tier 5, but his freshman season at Colorado College warranted some consideration as a fringe NHL prospect. In 37 games, the Senators’ seventh-round pick in 2023 led the Tigers with 27 points, which is how Halliday also began his college career. In fact, there are quite a few similarities between the two prospects, as both are bigger players who don’t play overly physical games and instead rely on smart puck movement – Beckner finished last season with just four PIMs. With a good foundation to build on, Beckner might emerge as another diamond in the rough for Ottawa.

Tier 5 – Everybody Else

While there could be some hidden gems in this tier, these players don’t have a great chance to make an impact in the NHL and are more likely to top out as valuable AHL players. They include Oskar Pettersson, Cameron O’Neill, Nicholas Van Tassell, Tyson Dyck, Eerik Wallenius, Jake Chiasson, Wyatt Bongiovanni, Vladimir Nikitin, Theo Wallberg, Djibril Toure, Jackson Parsons, Dmitri Isayev, and Andrei Trofimov.

There are several interesting names to watch in this list, but one I’d like to highlight is Jackson Parsons. A free agent signing in the summer, he was named the OHL and CHL’s Goalie of the Year last season. Although he was never drafted, he looks ready to battle for minutes with Sogaard and Shepard in the AHL. If he can assert himself as a rookie, he’ll instantly become a goalie to watch for the future.

A Refreshed Depth Chart

Staios has done wonders with Ottawa’s prospect pool in the short time he’s been at the helm. He has been methodical in his approach, addressing the team’s weaker defence, improving its goaltending depth, and adding skilled scorers with a physical edge who could be at home anywhere in the lineup. It’s a fast, talented farm system with plenty of breakout potential and will not only provide excellent depth options for the team in the future, but will also help give the Senators a much better farm team in Belleville. That’s a great formula for sustained success in the NHL, and hopefully, claiming the Stanley Cup.