Ottawa Senators Bet on Upside with 2026 NHL Draft First Round Picks

After the Ottawa Senators traded Brady Tkachuk to the Florida Panthers and used the newly acquired ninth-overall selection to acquire William Eklund and Kasper Halttunen from the San Jose Sharks, the team had two first-round picks heading into the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft. With them, they selected two forwards in Jonas Hagerberg Hoen and Jaxon Cover.

Opinions were mixed on the picks. Neither player was expected to be a first-round selection, which raised concerns about the talent that the Senators passed up. So, with round one wrapped up, let’s check in on the two newest members of the Ottawa Senators.

25th – Jonas Lagerberg Hoen

Arguably the most surprising pick of the first round, the Senators grabbed Jonas Lagerberg Hoen with their first pick of the day. Ranked 31st by Central Scouting among international skaters, he was generally projected to be a third-round pick. Elite Prospects listed him 77th, McKeen’s placed him 89th, and Daily Faceoff and SMAHT Scouting ranked him 75th. That’s not a good sign for a team in desperate need of top-tier talent in their farm system.

However, not everyone was so conservative with their rankings. The Hockey Writers’ Peter Baracchini placed him 45th on his final ranking, writing in his draft profile, “Lagerberg Hoen definitely fits the bill of a high-scoring, power forward winger. If he can add more strength and continue to use that to his advantage, he can definitely be a solid middle-six contributor on any team. He has the goal-scoring sense and shot that makes him a threat at five-on-five and on the power play. Even if the goals don’t come as much as they did at the junior level, he can still be an impactful player overall.”

Dobber Prospects were even more enamoured with the Swede, ranking him 33rd, with scout Ryan Ma writing, “The 6-2 Leksands forward stands out for his pace, power, and straight-line rush game, using strong strides to attack wide lanes, protect the puck, and generate chances off the rush, including end-to-end sequences and goal-scoring plays.”

The problem was that he missed most of the season with an ACL injury, managing just 11 games between the U20 Nationell and the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) before he was shut down for the season. In that brief span, Lagerberg Hoen put up nine goals, 16 points, and 33 penalty minutes. Hockey Prospect scout Jérôme Bérubé compared him to 2025 first-rounder Justin Carbonneau because of the way he just keeps scoring goals. Last season at the U20 level, he scored 27 goals in 38 games while putting up just three assists.

Lagerberg Hoen presents a very interesting profile. His lack of playing time makes him incredibly risky, but he has the skills to be a top-six sniper in the NHL, which is exactly what the Senators need. It’s a bold pick, but with the Senators pushing for playoff results, he’ll have plenty of time to develop at his own pace.

32nd – Jaxon Cover

The Senators’ second pick was used to select Jaxon Cover, who was one of the best stories coming into the 2026 Draft. Born in the Cayman Islands, he was introduced to roller hockey as a child and didn’t hit the ice until he moved to Canada at the age of 12. By 14, he was already earning opportunities with the St. Andrew’s College U18 team, and he led the U16 team at 15 years old with 41 points in 17 games, nearly doubling second place. That incredible performance earned him a fourth-round selection by the London Knights in the 2024 Ontario Hockey League (OHL) Priority Draft, and as a rookie in 2025-26, he finished with 20 goals and 51 points, the second-highest scoring total on the team.

For a player who has been on the ice for just five years, Cover’s growth has been incredible. He was the Knights’ best player in the OHL Playoffs, where he was the hardest worker every time he stopped onto the ice. He was considered a fringe first-round pick by most scouting sources, climbing as high as 23rd and as low as 63rd, with Sportsnet’s Jason Bukala the most cautious, writing, “There’s some risk in drafting Cover…but there’s no doubt he has offensive upside. He needs to round out the rest of his detail as he matures.” 

The biggest reason for the large difference in opinion was how raw he still is. Cover brings a lot of energy to the ice, but he still needs to improve his skating, decision-making, and the physical side of his game. But, with his game still growing exponentially, he has time to put all the pieces together. Like with Lagerberg Hoen, the Senators can afford to wait and let him develop slowly while they push deeper into the playoffs.

Senators Could Have the Steals of the Draft

Neither Lagerberg Hoen nor Cover will make the jump to the NHL any time soon. Both are long-term prospects who will need significant work to round out their games. There’s a chance that both become solid top-six players who can bring a lot of energy and offence to the team, and that upside was too good to pass on with their late first-round picks.

The Senators are in a good position in the 2026 Draft. They don’t need to add prospects that will make the jump to the NHL in the next couple of seasons; they have almost everything they need right now. Lagerberg Hoen and Cover are the start of the next wave of prospects who can potentially propel the Senators to greater heights after their core begins to fade. It’s like Ottawa is playing with house money, and they made sure to make as big a bet as they could afford. Because if it works, the Senators might have just found two of the best players in the 2026 NHL Draft.