The Ottawa Senators officially clinched a playoff spot last week, punching their ticket to the postseason for the first time since 2017. Although they’ll have difficulty getting past the first round, it’s still a big step forward for the organization and shows the growth of their top young players and the impact of well-timed moves. Things are good in Ottawa.
However, things aren’t quite as good three hours south. With three games remaining, the Belleville Senators sit four points behind the Toronto Marlies for the last playoff spot in the American Hockey League’s (AHL) North Division. This season has been a struggle for Ottawa’s affiliate, and while there have been some bright moments, it hasn’t been enough to make them a team to watch out for. If they’re going to make the playoffs, they’ll need all hands on deck to get there.
Thankfully, Belleville has seen some strong performances recently, winning two of their last three games against difficult opponents. One of the best has been defenceman Donovan Sebrango, who put up two goals and four points in the Senators’ two wins last week, making him your Senators Prospect of the Week for April 7-13, 2025.
Sebrango’s Growing Role with the Senators
When Sebrango arrived in Ottawa, he was little more than a footnote in a disappointing return for Alex DeBrincat. Most of the attention was given to the late first-round draft pick and Dominik Kubalik, who had the potential to replace some of DeBrincat’s offence, which the Senators desperately needed. As for Sebrango, Matt Larkin of Daily Faceoff wrote, “He wasn’t considered a top-10 asset in Detroit’s system. He’s a physical blueliner who split this past season between the AHL and ECHL. He’s not going to make an impact with Ottawa anytime soon and isn’t a guaranteed NHLer by any means.”
That’s about how things looked in his first season. Sebrango played 35 games with Belleville, putting up seven assists and no goals, and played another four games with the ECHL’s Allen Americans, where he had a goal and an assist. It wasn’t until the playoffs that he started to change the narrative, scoring two goals and three points in seven games as Belleville fell to the Marlies in the Division Semifinals.
This season, Sebrango has emerged as one of Belleville’s best defencemen. In 47 games, he has a career-high seven goals and 20 points, surpassing his previous total by six goals and 13 points. He’s been a new player, and a lot of that is thanks to his new role on the team as a reliable two-way player. Instead of being used primarily as a shutdown defender, he’s been paired with more defensive partners, such as Filip Roos, Djibril Toure, and Nikolas Matinpalo. This has allowed him to flex his strong offensive instincts, and he’s been more than happy to show off what made him a third-round pick in 2020.
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Last week was Sebrango’s best showing this season. On April 9, he scored a goal against the Rochester Americans off the rush, catching a centring pass from captain Garrett Pilon, beating goalie Devon Levi cleanly. Sebrango’s goal got the Senators within one, then Pilon tied it up on the power play seven minutes later. With the game winding down, Sebrango fired a big shot from the hash marks, which Stephen Halliday tipped in to give Belleville the lead for the first time. An empty-netter from Keean Washkaruk sealed the deal at a score of 4-2.
In Belleville’s next game against the Springfield Thunderbirds, Sebrango was once again crucial in their win. Late in the first, he found himself wide open on the left side of the offensive zone. Seeing the opportunity, he called for the pass before any of the Thunderbirds realized their mistake, giving him plenty of time to line up a blistering shot. He also chipped in on Tristen Robins’ first goal as a Senator, which put Belleville up 2-1. They remained in control the rest of the game, finishing with another big 4-2 win.
A Sebrangoal gets things started for the #Sens ???? https://t.co/HEFD642T0u pic.twitter.com/24zK4FZNqq
— Belleville Senators (@BellevilleSens) April 11, 2025
The Senators couldn’t overcome the Providence Bruins on Sunday, as many were dealing with the flu and not up to full strength, but Sebrango has proven that he is a prospect worth keeping an eye on. He’s already played two NHL games this season and will likely get more opportunities in the future. Better yet, he’s a high-character guy, exemplified by his nomination for the AHL’s Man of the Year Award for his work with youth hockey programs in Belleville and helping out around the community of the Bay of Quinte. Three games remain, all against the top North team, the Laval Rocket. Getting two or more points will be a challenge, but Sebrango will be working hard to get the Senators back into the playoffs.
Senators Prospect Check-In
The United States Hockey League (USHL) season ended on April 12, and in their final two games, Javon Moore and Filip Nordberg both finished with two points as the Sioux Falls Stampede split the home-and-home series with a win and a loss against the Fargo Force. The season finale was a good precursor for the playoffs, as the Stampede will take on the Force in a best-of-three preliminary round. Nordberg will especially be worth watching, as he’s on a three-game point streak in which he has six points.
Over in the Western Hockey League (WHL), Carter Yakemchuk’s Calgary Hitmen lost their first two games against the Lethbridge Hurricanes after sweeping the Saskatoon Blades. The second-best team in the Eastern Conference seems to have met their match against the Hurricanes, who have taken no quarter so far in the series. However, the Hitmen have plenty of experience and talent to draw on, and with Yakemchuk playing more of a shutdown role, they won’t go down without a fight.
Heading east, Tomas Hamara and the Brantford Bulldogs remain fully in control against the Oshawa Generals in the second round of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) Playoffs, with the 20-year-old defenceman adding another two assists to his point total. Hamara now has four assists in seven games, which isn’t quite as dominant as his regular-season numbers, but he remains a pivotal player in the team’s playoff run. Similarly, Blake Montgomery and Gabriel Eliasson haven’t made too much noise yet, but their teams look primed to advance to the Semifinals. Montgomery finally scored his first playoff goal with the London Knights in Game 2 against the Erie Otters, while Eliasson remains pointless. As for Matthew Andonovski and Lucas Ellinas, they sit on the brink of elimination against the Windsor Spitfires. Neither put up any points last week.
Tune in next week to see which prospect stood above the rest.
