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Ottawa Senators Prospect of the Week (The Hockey Writers)

Ottawa Senators Prospect of the Week – Jorian Donovan

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Dayton Reimer | Last updated Mar 12, 2025 3:10 PM ET

Regardless of where a team sits in the final stretch, the end of the season is a great time to see some breakout stars. For the Ottawa Senators, that’s been Jorian Donovan. The 20-year-old looked like one of the organization’s top defensive prospects last season with the Hamilton Bulldogs and Saginaw Spirit, helping the latter win their first Memorial Cup and earning a spot on Canada’s World Junior Championship roster. But as a rookie in the American Hockey League (AHL) this season, he looked far less impressive. Before March, he had just four points — all assists — in 44 games, a far cry from his nearly point-per-game junior pace.

But this month, Donovan has finally hit his stride, beginning with his first pro goal on March 1, which he followed up with four points in the next four games. His emergence as the Belleville Senators fight for a playoff spot makes him the Senators Prospect of the Week for Marc 3-9, 2025.

Donovan Thriving With Guenette

Donovan has bounced around Belleville’s defence pairings this season. He began on the bottom pair with Nikolas Matinpalo, spent some time as the seventh defenceman, then found a regular partner in Jeremy Davies. While the pair seemed to work well and helped get Davies to the AHL All-Star Classic for the first time in his career, Donovan remained offensively stagnant.

That all changed when he was paired with Maxence Guenette. Since joining forces on the second pair, the two have combined for three goals and nine points in just four games, and while Guenette has long been seen as the better defenceman after nearly making the Senators’ opening-night roster in 2022-23 before cap constraints forced the team to send him back down, Donovan has demonstrated a high level of awareness and creativity while at his side.

In the frustrating blowout against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on March 8, Donovan and Guenette rushed back to stop a breakaway. Donovan reached the opponent first, using his body to separate him from the puck and push it towards his defence partner, who fired a breakout pass to Zack MacEwen for a goal. Not only was it a great combined effort from the defencemen, but Donovan showed fantastic work ethic despite the game’s scoring spiralling out of control.

Just a few days earlier, Donovan showed off his vision while shorthanded. Belleville’s goalie passed him the puck, and rather than skate it up the ice, he fired it right to Zach Ostapchuk, who got the odd-man rush and scored to take the lead. The point back to Donovan says it all – without him, the play wouldn’t have happened, and he earned the game’s second star as recognition.

Then there’s his shot. Although Donovan hasn’t been able to flex his offensive skills as much this season, playing a more defensive role, having Guenette with him allows him to play a bit more aggressively. On March 5 against the Hershey Bears, Guenette picked up the pick in the offensive zone and carried back up to the point. His patience gave Donovan the opportunity to slide into the zone, take the pass from Guenette and fire it past the goalie for his second goal in three games.

Although his point streak was halted at four games, Donovan showcased what made him a dominant player in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). He’s intelligent, quick, and not afraid to use his size and strength to make things happen. All he needed, it seems, was just some time to get comfortable in the pro ranks.

Senators Honourable Mentions & Check-Ins

Tristen Robins arrived in Belleville this week, appearing against the Hartford Wolf Pack on March 9 after he was acquired from the San Jose Sharks along with Fabian Zetterlund for Ostapchuk and Noah Gregor. The 2020 second-round pick is a speedy, high-energy forward with great offensive instincts and hockey IQ, but started this season injured and didn’t make the progression the Sharks wanted to see. With a faster, grittier team, he should have no problem thriving.

Robins arrival was preceded by Tyler Boucher’s return after spending nearly two months out of the lineup with an injury. When he’s healthy, he’s a very effective physical winger with some offensive upside, but the problem since he was taken 10th overall in 2021 is that he’s never been fully healthy. Hopefully he can finish this season on a high note and carry that into either the playoffs or a strong start to the 2025-26 season.

The Senators seem to know how to find value with their seventh-round picks. Owen Beckner, selected 204th overall in 2023, continued his hot streak last week, scoring another goal and adding an assist with Colorado College. The freshman now sits first in team scoring with 26 points in 34 games and seven goals put him sixth and just behind drafted prospects Zaccharya Wisdom and Noah Laba.

The final update is for another defenceman, Filip Nordberg, who has also been finding his game as of late. Last week, he scored two goals and added an assist for the United States Hockey League’s Sioux Falls Stampede, giving him a total of five goals and 15 points in 44 games. While not a high-end offensive defender, he’s a smart puck mover and knows how to use his 6-foot-5 frame to close the distance between opponents quickly. With his recent surge, the 21-year-old could be looking at turning pro next season.

Tune in next week to see which prospect stood above the rest.