Ottawa Senators 2026-27 Prospect Pyramid

This season, Yakemchuk is all but guaranteed to make the Senators out of training camp. The Senators have shown patience with his development, and they may want to shelter him on the third pairing alongside Tyler Kleven. However, he’s lined up beside Sanderson in training camp, and the Senators’ defender was impressed with what he saw, saying that the two were already building some chemistry. That could result in a Calder Trophy nomination as the NHL’s top rookie, and it shouldn’t be long until he’s an anchor on the top pairing.

Tier 2 – Top-of-the-Lineup Players

Logan Hensler, RD

Logan Hensler’s scary season-ending injury in January limited him to four goals and 12 points in 23 games, but he looked every bit the high-end mobile defenceman he was projected to be when he was drafted. Despite the shortened campaign, he set a career high in goals and tied his freshman point total while tying for sixth on the team with two game-winning goals. However, after tearing his ACL, rupturing his deltoid in his ankle, and suffering a nasty high-ankle sprain, it has yet to be seen if he can regain his trademark agility this season. He’s a potential top-four defenceman with it, so this season could be a challenge for the Wisconsin junior.

Jonas Lagerberg Hoen, RW

It might be a bit optimistic after just 11 games last season, but Jonas Lagerberg Hoen has all the pieces to be a future top-six, high-energy goal scorer. He had nine goals in nine games before his injury, and his ability to manipulate the puck into the perfect position drew comparisons to Filip Forsberg from the Senators’ scouting staff. In September, he arrived in Ottawa for the team’s rookie camp, and his speed, work ethic, and puck skills were immediately evident.

The one big concern is the sample size. Although Lagerberg Hoen was in Ottawa, he didn’t participate in the NHL Prospect Challenge as he was still recovering from ACL surgery. But that also gave him a chance to share his mindset with the media, which was focused on his future. “You learn to be patient and work on everything you can work on,” he said regarding what he was doing while recovering. “You can always get better at something.” With that mentality, he’ll be fighting for a spot with Leksands’ top club and a spot on Sweden’s World Junior team.

Tier 3 – The Wild Cards

Jaxon Cover, LW

Jaxon Cover went from a great story at the 2026 Draft to one of Ottawa’s most exciting prospects in 2026-27. He was the biggest standout at the NHL Prospect Challenge of any team, putting up three goals, including an overtime game-winner, and seven points over two games. His intelligence and deception shone whenever he got the puck, and although he wasn’t as consistent without it, he showed star player potential. For a player who has only been playing ice hockey for five years, his development has been unbelievable. At this rate, he could be a top-three prospect for Ottawa at this time next year, but I’ll be a bit more conservative in my placement at this time.

Kasper Halttunen, RW

Kasper Halttunen has a chance not only to become one of the Senators’ top prospects, but to secure a roster spot this season. Acquired in the trade that brought William Eklund, Halttunen came with a highly touted shot but an underdeveloped game, most notably with his skating, making him a potential third-line Kevin Labanc-style player who needs time on the power play to thrive.

However, at the Prospect Challenge, he scored twice in two games and showed off his physicality on every shift. With Ottawa looking for a skilled right-shot scoring winger, he could be in the perfect place for his career to take off.

Adam Nemec, LW

Adam Nemec is arguably the biggest wild card in Tier 3. He began last season in Slovakia’s top league, where he struggled, but after a midseason transfer to the Ontario Hockey League’s (OHL) Sudbury Wolves, he erupted for 14 goals and 35 points in 31 games. The latter example shows a potential top-six playmaker who can play on both special teams, but the former shows more of a bottom-six defensive forward. He’s well on his way to making the NHL, but what he’ll be when he gets there is anyone’s guess.

Blake Montgomery, LW

Black Montgomery’s entry-level deal with the Senators last season after the NCAA season wrapped up caught me off guard. The Wisconsin freshman had nine goals and 17 points in 38 games while also sporting a team-worst minus-7, which seemed like a player who needed some more time to round out his game. Yet the Senators made him the first Wisconsin freshman to turn pro since Alex Turcotte in 2020, and in his second AHL game, he scored his first pro goal. The Senators clearly couldn’t wait to bring him on board, which makes me think they see something that others have missed and could be much closer to the NHL than initially anticipated.

Jorian Donovan, LD

Jorian Donovan is progressing well towards making the NHL sooner rather than later. He took a big step forward in his sophomore AHL season, jumping up from 12 to 21 points, looking much more comfortable as a slick two-way presence, and even snuck into his first two NHL games after injuries ransacked Ottawa’s blueline. He was also named Belleville’s Man of the Year for his dedication and enthusiasm to supporting the community and the team. He may not become a top-four defenceman in the NHL, but his character, skill, and leadership make him one of the Senators’ best all-around defensive prospects.

Tomas Hamara, LD

Last season was a growing year for Tomas Hamara. In his first pro season, he finished with four goals and six points, which is a big drop from his 2024-25 pace in the OHL. But aside from his lower production, the transition from junior to the AHL went relatively smoothly. He was a consistent presence on the bottom pair, playing a calm, two-way game that didn’t lead to many mistakes and showed a level of discipline not often seen in rookies. That’s a great place for Hamara to start his pro career, and he’s been putting in the work this summer to prove that he can be a top-four defenceman in Belleville and hopefully get some NHL games under his belt.

Eskild Bakke Olsen, C

Signed to a one-year deal after a strong World Championships with Norway, Eskild Bakke Olsen was instrumental in defeating Canada to help the Norwegians win their first medal ever at the tournament, scoring the opening goal and using his size, strength, and awareness to push Norway to a 3-2 overtime victory. Now he’s getting a chance to make his NHL dream come true with the Senators, who told him they liked his hockey sense and two-way game. That description feels similar to Stephen Halliday, who also was a late-bloomer after he was passed over twice at the NHL Draft before Ottawa selected him in 2022 and is now one of the team’s top prospects. Bakke Olsen could follow a similar path if given the chance.

Javon Moore, LW

Javon Moore is well on his way to hidden gem status after his freshman season at the University of Minnesota, where he finished fourth in scoring with 21 points in 36 games. Only 10 other freshmen in the Big 10 Conference outscored him, and Moore surpassed several higher-profile rookies, such as Cole McKinney, Luke Misa, and Cayden Lindstrom. Add in his 6-foot-4 frame and his excellent eye for playmaking, and he could earn a spot in the top-six this season. If that goes well, the Senators could be knocking on his door with a contract ready for him to sign.

Gabriel Eliasson, LD

With a freshly inked contract, the 6-foot-7 Gabriel Eliasson is set to make his professional debut with Belleville this season, and opponents will quickly learn to give him a wide berth. Last season, he led the OHL with 122 penalty minutes, including four fights and many bone-rattling hits. But so far in his career, that’s about all he can do. In 61 games, he had just two goals and eight points, which was just one point higher than his rookie totals from 2024-25. His lack of discipline was also apparent in the Prospect Challenge, and while he’s sure to scare more than a few opponents in the AHL this season, he needs to show he can do more than just intimidate.

Lucas Beckman, G

This season, the title of ‘goalie of the future’ has passed from Mads Sogaard to Lucas Beckman, who established himself as one of the best junior goalies in Canada last year with the Chicoutimi Saguenéens. After a midseason trade, he lost just one game before the playoffs, then helped the Saguenéens claim their first league title since 1994.

This season, Beckman is now with the Cape Breton Eagles, who have Memorial Cup hopes, and is a top candidate to be Canada’s starter at the 2027 World Junior Championship. Like all goalies, he’s a long way away from the NHL, but he’s got an incredibly bright future ahead of him.

Bruno Idzan, LW

While Moore thrived in his first year in college, Bruno Idzan struggled to find his place with Wisconsin, finishing his freshman season with five points and 20 appearances, most of which came before January 2026, before being relegated to the press box. However, instead of entering the transfer portal for a better opportunity, he opted to return for 2026-27, where he’s hoping to fill in for one of the five graduating forwards. He can be a dangerous transition player, and with a year of experience under his belt, he should have an advantage in proving he can play big minutes. If that happens, the Croatian could have a huge sophomore season.

Christian Kyrou, RD

A talented defender who just hasn’t been able to find his place in the NHL, Christian Kyrou is joining his third organization in a year after signing a one-year deal with the Senators in the summer. Could Ottawa finally be where he emerges as a high-end puck-rushing defender? He finally found his groove last season with the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms, finishing with 10 goals and 34 points to lead the team’s defence in scoring by a wide margin. There’s still the potential that he emerges as a dynamic top-four defenceman, which is why the Senators took a chance on him, but he needs to prove that last season wasn’t just a fluke.

Ryan Suzuki, C

Like Kyrou, Ryan Suzuki has struggled to find his place in the NHL despite putting up solid AHL numbers. A first-round pick in 2019 by the Carolina Hurricanes, he put up 193 points over 296 AHL games with the Chicago Wolves, but only appeared in two games with the Hurricanes. However, in last season’s playoffs, he broke out with 18 points in 21 games, leading the Wolves in points before they lost in the Calder Cup Final to the Toronto Marlies. But at 24 years old, it was too little, too late for Carolina, so he joined the Senators organization over the summer along with Kyrou and Samuel Bolduc, all older prospects who are looking for a second chance at sticking in the NHL.

Oscar Holmertz, C

The Senators have had good luck with their mid-round picks, finding Moore, Montgomery, and Halliday in the fourth round, and selecting Hamara and Merilainen in the third. The one thing all five players have in common is that, when they were drafted, they were pretty big question marks; Montgomery and Halliday were re-entries, Moore and Hamara were high skill with consistency issues, and Merilainen was a complete enigma. This season, Oscar Holmertz could join them after being drafted 87th overall.

There’s a lot to like about Holmertz’s game. He’s a great skater with excellent offensive instincts, and last season, he was a point-per-game player in Sweden’s U20 circuit and appeared in 11 SHL games with Linköping HC, which is always a good sign for a draft-eligible player. He had the skill to be a first-round pick, but consistency issues pushed him down into the Senators’ lap. Thankfully, there’s no rush for him to fix that, and he’ll have plenty of time to iron out the rest of his game in Sweden over the next several seasons.

Hoyt Stanley, RD

Hoyt Stanley might not be the flashiest prospect in the Senators’ farm system, but he might be one of the more valuable. After spending three seasons at Cornell University, he signed his entry-level deal and played six games with Belleville before the 2025-26 season concluded. That showed off how reliable a defenceman he is, and at the Prospect Challenge, he was deployed to calm down situations on the ice. He’s smart, responsible, and incredibly mobile, and although not noted for his offence, he already has a pro goal to his name. He’s the perfect high-floor/low-ceiling third-pairing defenceman who can make everyone else play better because they know he’ll take care of whatever is thrown at him.

Tier 4: Role Players and Limited Impact

Brandon Svoboda, C

The third player acquired in the deal with San Jose, Brandon Svoboda projects to be a depth defensive forward who’s especially good in the faceoff dot. His offensive game took a big jump last season, improving from nine to 15 points between his freshman and sophomore seasons at Boston University, but he isn’t relied on for his ability to put the puck on the net. Like Stanley, he has the skill to calm down a line, but will need to spend some more time in the NCAA first.

Blake Vanek, RW

I was really excited for Blake Vanek’s rookie season in the Western Hockey League (WHL), and while it wasn’t bad, it wasn’t spectacular. He began the season with the Wenatchee Wild, where he put up eight goals and 18 points in 37 games; then, after a trade sent him to the Calgary Hitmen, he finished the season with 11 goals and 18 points in 32 games.

While 36 points is far from a bad rookie total, Vanek didn’t look like a difference maker when he was on the ice. At 6-foot-3, he has a good frame, but isn’t an overly physical player, and while he has great hands, he didn’t try to push the puck into the offensive zone. Right now, he looks like a reliable bottom-six player in the NHL, but he was also coming from high school to the WHL, so the learning curve may have just been higher than anticipated.

Philippe Daoust, C/LW

You’d be hard-pressed to find a player with worse luck than Philippe Daoust. After battling injuries for the better part of four seasons, he finally strung together an almost-complete season with Belleville in 2024-25, where he finished with 22 points in 52 games. However, with his entry-level deal expiring at the end of the season, the Senators decided not to qualify him, leaving him to become a free agent just as he was starting to get his groove back.

That led Belleville to sign him to a one-year AHL deal for 2025-26 as a way to show the Senators what he could do, and Daoust didn’t hold back. Missing just seven games all season, he went on a tear, scoring 14 goals and putting up 50 points for the third-best total on the team. That earned him the Coaches Choice award at the end of the season, with coach Andrew Campbell saying, “Phil was a driver on our team all season long. He brought competitiveness and work ethic to the rink every single day and made everyone around him better.” 

Now Daoust’s got another NHL contract, and there’s little doubt that, if he stays healthy, he should get into some NHL games. While his long-term potential is still a mystery, he’s never let a little setback hold him down for long.

Xavier Bourgault, C

After three seasons of middling production, Xavier Bourgault finally broke out with a 57-point performance to finish second in scoring for Belleville last season. That led to a two-game call-up with Ottawa, and although he didn’t register a point, it’s a big step in the right direction for the 2021 first-round pick. It’s been a long road, but his patience is starting to pay off. He’s back on another one-year, two-way deal, and the expectation is likely that he can build on last season’s numbers and push for more NHL games.

Tyler Boucher, RW

Last season was critical for Tyler Boucher’s career, and he was just good enough, doubling his 2024-25 totals with a 12-goal, 26-point performance. That earned him another one-year deal and another chance to take a step forward. The 23-year-old still struggled with injuries last season, missing most of November and all of December, but still carved out a depth role in Belleville, showing his ability to play a physical, in-your-face game with a strong offensive sense. He’s still a long shot for an NHL job, but he’s finally progressing in the right direction, and he has the confidence to make it. He just has to stay healthy.

Lukas Ellinas, LW

At this time last season, Lucas Ellinas was one of the most intriguing Senators’ prospects heading into training camp. However, after an injury-riddled 2025-26 season in which he played just six regular-season games, the excitement cooled for the high-scoring forward. He wasn’t dominant in the playoffs, either, combining for two goals in nine games across the OHL playoffs and Memorial Cup. Two shoulder surgeries in a year didn’t help, but they also put his future as a top scorer in the NHL into question. He’s set to turn pro this season with Belleville, joining Kitchener Rangers teammate Matthew Andonovski, and if he can stay healthy, he could bounce back. Until then, I’ve dropped him down to Tier 4.

Matthew Andonovski, LD

Andonovski looks like a typical tweener heading into his first pro season. The tough-as-nails defender played three AHL games between October and November while battling injuries before being reassigned to the OHL, where he helped the Rangers take home the league title and the Memorial Cup.

Andonovski was a solid two-way defenceman in junior, but his offensive skills don’t project to translate to the pro circuit. That leaves him as another big, physical defenceman in the Senators system, and he could have difficulty competing against bigger, meaner defenders already in the organization. He’s still a good bet as a third-pairing shutdown defender in the NHL, but that’s a long way down the road.

Filip Nordberg, LD

Speaking of big, physical defencemen, 6-foot-5 Filip Nordberg will be looking for some consistency, as he’s started every season on a new team since he was selected in the 2022 Draft. 2026-27 will be no different after transferring to Arizona State University following an underwhelming seven-point freshman year at Merrimack College. However, he was fourth on the team with 48 blocked shots and second in penalty minutes with 64, including a team-leading two major penalties. He’s still on track to be a solid depth NHL defender, but aside from his size, he hasn’t shown anything that the Senators don’t already have.

Kevin Reidler, G

Kevin Reidler’s rollercoaster career continued last season after transferring to Penn State University. The starting job was his for the taking, but he was outperformed by his goaltending partner, Josh Fleming, at almost every turn. When it came time for the Frozen Four, it was Fleming who got the start over Reidler. Still, the Senators saw enough to give him a contract, and in three games with Belleville, he put up a 1-1-0 record and an .877 save percentage (SV%). At 6-foot-6, he has the size that NHL teams crave, but the stats just haven’t been there despite being on some very good teams.

Owen Beckner, C

Owen Beckner continued to be a top scorer for Colorado College. Although he took a step back in points last season, falling from 27 points to 23, he still led the team in points, tying with Klavs Veinbergs. He was also given an ‘A’ on his sweater, showcasing some developing leadership skills. Like several other Senators’ prospects, Beckner is a bit of a late bloomer, and his hockey sense should earn him an NHL contract. Where he goes from there is anyone’s guess; Halliday looked about the same at this point in his career, too.

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 Riley Kidney, Louis-Félix Bourque, Elliot Lennon, Harris Pangretitsch, Oskar Pettersson, Cameron O’Neill, Nicholas Van Tassell, Eerik Wallenius, Vladimir Nikitin, Theo Wallberg, Djibril Toure, Jackson Parsons, Dmitri Isayev, Alexander Grunin, and Andrei Trofimov.

Of the group listed, I’m most curious about Oskar Pettersson and Louis-Félix Bourque. Pettersson has shown he’s a hard worker and a beloved teammate in Belleville, but hasn’t been very productive, topping out with 18 points in 69 games. He has the profile of an AHL player without much NHL potential, but I could see him breaking out in the right conditions. Bourque was mostly an unknown to me ahead of the 2026 NHL Draft, and after review, he didn’t show me a ton that grabbed my attention, but he was almost at a point-per-game pace last season. I’m curious if he can take his game to the next level in 2026-27.

The Senators may not have any home run prospects outside of Yakupchuk, but there are several who could follow the Halliday approach, taking their time to reach their full potential and emerge as an excellent depth player. That’s exactly the type of players Ottawa needs. The Senators arguably have some of the best centre depth in the NHL, but they need more of their wingers to show they can handle the pro league. Thankfully, many of them are well on their way to becoming NHL players one day, which is more than you could say a couple of years ago.