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Jake Sanderson, Ottawa Senators (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)

Revisiting the Ottawa Senators’ 2020 Draft Class

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Aidan Cowling-McDonnell | Last updated Aug 1, 2025 9:35 AM ET

When looking back at the Ottawa Senators’ 2020 draft class, it’s easy to make the argument that it is one of the best in the franchise’s 33-year history. It features a franchise centre in Tim Stützle, franchise defenceman in Jake Sanderson, and a solid bottom-six winger in Ridly Greig. It also brought in current top-six D-man Tyler Klevin and a potential future starter in Leevi Merilainen.

With 10 total selections, it is tied for the third-biggest draft class in team history. Here’s a quick recap of each draft pick and how their careers have panned out after Ottawa welcomed them into their organization five years ago.

Tim Stützle: Selected Third Overall

The 23-year-old from Viersen, Germany has certainly lived up to his billing as a top-five pick and is on track to remain the Senators’ franchise centre for years to come. Stützle has recorded 326 points in 367 games, including a 90-point campaign in 2022-23 where he scored a career-high 39 goals. His combination of speed and skill has turned the Senators’ top line into one of the league’s most dynamic, and Stützle is poised to be the perfect running mate for captain Brady Tkachuk for many years to come.

As the Senators continue to improve, so does Stützle. He has played in 75-plus games every season except his rookie campaign, and was a major contributor to the Senators’ first playoff appearance since 2017. Stützle scored three goals and five points in six games against the Toronto Maple Leafs, showing he’s built for the playoff stage and will be a key part of the Senators’ championship aspirations for years to come.

Jake Sanderson: Selected Fifth Overall

After playing two seasons at the University of North Dakota, Sanderson joined the Senators in 2022-23 and has blossomed into a franchise pillar and one of the top defencemen in the NHL. His offensive numbers have increased in each of his first three seasons, including last season when he recorded a career-high 57 points in 80 games. Overall, he has 127 points in 236 games and just 47 penalty minutes in three seasons, showing his ability to remain disciplined while leading Ottawa’s back end.

Sanderson’s rapid improvement has given the Senators the ability to focus on other roster needs while knowing their franchise defenceman box is checked off for the next decade. He has always been sound defensively, but Sanderson’s offensive prowess is some both the Senators and Team USA have been pleasantly surprised with. He was a part of Team USA’s 4 Nations squad and will certainly be at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy. He also contributed to the Senators’ postseason success, scoring the Game 4 overtime winner to help his team avoid being swept and push the Maple Leafs to a six-game first-round series.

Sanderson has exceeded his expectations so far, and the top-five pick is poised to remain amongst the game’s top defencemen for the foreseeable future.

Ridly Greig: Selected 28th Overall

The third first-round pick of this draft class has developed into a solid third-line presence for the Senators, and at just 22 years of age, he’s beginning to show the potential to eventually jump into Ottawa’s top six as a reliable two-way winger. Greig has scored double-digit goals in his first two full seasons while throwing 266 hits in the last two seasons combined.

Greig has recorded 69 points in 170 games, and after increasing his career high from 26 to 34 points last season, it’s easy to project the 22-year-old’s offensive output will continue to increase, as will Ottawa’s depth scoring. He has a gritty edge to him that makes it hard to play against the Lethbridge, Alberta native, but that has been a double-edged sword for the Senators. He’s spent over 60 minutes in the penalty box in each of the last two seasons, but if the Senators want to be a tough team to match up with come playoff time, they’ll have to live with Greig spending some time in the sin bin.

Greig has also shown the ability to be a pest in the postseason. He racked up eight penalty minutes and threw 11 hits in six games against the Maple Leafs. While he only scored one goal, his willingness to play on the edge and lay the body has earned him a steady role with Ottawa and made him a player they should want around for many years to come.

Tyler Kleven: Selected 44th Overall

After appearing in just 17 games from 2022-2024, Kleven established himself on Ottawa’s back end last season as he played 79 games and showed signs of a future every-day shutdown defenceman. He recorded 97 blocked shots, along with 10 points, showing his ability to lay his body on the line for the Senators.

The Senators rewarded Kleven with a two-year contract extension this offseason, showing their belief in the Fargo, North Dakota native’s potential. He’s even talked about how he feels he can elevate his role with the Senators, and it appears they will give the second-round pick every opportunity to earn a permanent role on the blue line going forward.

Leevi Merilainen: Selected 71st Overall

Merilainen appeared in 12 games for the Senators last season, posting an 8-3-1 record, and showed signs that he could eventually be Ottawa’s starting goalie down the line. The Finnish netminder posted a 1.99 goals-against average (GAA) and .925 save percentage (SV%) last season and has a shot to make this season’s squad out of training camp.

Leevi Merilainen, Ottawa Senators (Photo by Richard A. Whittaker/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Merilainen has played 61 games in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Belleville Senators over the last two seasons, registering 28 wins and a SV% over .900 in both seasons combined. The Senators gave Merilainen a one-year, $1 million contract extension this offseason, which could be the perfect opportunity to find out if they see him as a future starter and if they want to make a long-term commitment following the 2025-26 season.

The Rest

Roby Jarventie (33rd overall) played just seven games for the Senators during the 2023-24 season and is now part of the Edmonton Oilers organization and playing for their AHL affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors. Egor Solokov (61st overall) played in 13 games with the Senators from 2021-2023, and is currently playing for CSKA Moscow of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). Both Eric Engstrad (155th overall) and Philippe Daoust (158th overall) have yet to play an NHL game, and Cole Reinhardt (181st overall) played 17 games with the Senators last season and is currently in the AHL with the Belleville Senators.

Summary

It’s fair to say the Senators’ 2020 draft class was a success. More than half of their picks are still with the organization and contributing mightily to Ottawa’s success. By drafting two stars in the top five, a key depth forward, and potentially future everyday players on defence and in goal, this could go down as the best overall draft class in Senators team history.