With an incredible eight points in just three games, Blake Montgomery is the Ottawa Senators’ Prospect of the Week for Nov. 26-Dec. 1. Not only did his efforts earn him the Ontario Hockey League’s (OHL) Player of the Week honours but he now sits at a point-per-game average in his first 10 games in the league since leaving the Lincoln Stars in the United States Hockey League (USHL) earlier this season. With size, speed, and a fantastic nose for the net, he’s emerging as a solid addition for the Senators and could have a bright future ahead of him.
Montgomery Making Up for a Slow OHL Start
Montgomery was always an intriguing draft pick when Ottawa selected him in the fourth round of the 2024 NHL Draft last summer. His combination of speed, offensive skill, and physicality was a rarity in his draft class, and because of that, some analysts saw him as having the second-highest potential in the Senators’ draft class behind Carter Yakemchuk. However, others saw his 22-goal rookie season in the USHL as more of a result of his 6-foot-4 frame and being bigger than his competition instead of a natural offensive ability, and due to his age – he had already gone through one NHL draft – he ended up falling outside of the top 100.
Like many USHL players, Montgomery planned on going the NCAA route, committing to the University of Wisconsin for the 2025-26 season. In the meantime, he returned to the Stars where he put up a promising three goals and 10 points in his first 10 games. But when the NCAA reversed their ban on junior players in the Canadian Hockey League (CHL), he was quick to jump to the more physical Canadian league, signing with the Knights on Nov. 11, just 10 days after the historic deal was reached, and was just the second player to join the OHL with a prior university commitment.
Related: Ottawa Senators Prospect of the Week – Tomas Hamara
Although the Senators may have encouraged Montgomery to move to the OHL, as the franchise has preferred the CHL’s development model in recent years, it’s also possible he wanted to follow in his brother Bryce’s footsteps, who played with the Knights in 2019-23. During his time, the big defenceman put up just two goals and eight points in 84 games but developed a strong physical edge to his game that helped him get drafted by the Carolina Hurricanes in 2021. Blake saw his experience first-hand and was quick to follow suit when the opportunity presented itself.
Initially, it was a tough transition. Montgomery had just one goal and three points in his first seven games, a far cry from what he was putting up in the USHL. However, he clearly was comfortable in the new league, and on Nov. 28, everything finally clicked into place for the big forward. In a road game against the Peterborough Petes, he scored a goal, recorded a primary assist, and took home the game’s third star as the Knights stormed to a dominant 6-0 victory. While his goal was good, his assist to Sam O’Reilly was a thing of beauty, showcasing both his incredible agility and ability to see openings where few others can.
Monty threads the needle to Sam 😮💨#LetsGoOilers | #GoSensGo pic.twitter.com/TqybyIOvPz
— London Knights (@LondonKnights) November 29, 2024
The next night, London took on the Kingston Frontenacs, where Montgomery put up two goals and added a secondary assist to earn the first star of the game and help the Knights continue their win streak with a 5-4 victory. Then, on Dec. 1, he scored yet again, putting up a goal on a penalty shot and two primary assists as the Knights rolled over the Ottawa 67s 10-3. Few players in the OHL have put up so many points in a short time this season, and if Montgomery can keep it up, he’s well on his way to becoming one of the hidden gems of the 2024 Draft.
Senators Prospects Honourable Mentions & Check-Ins
Had this been another week, Tomas Hamara would likely have retained his crown as the Prospect of the Week. After putting up three points in three games two weeks ago, he put on a show, scoring a goal and adding four assists in just two games with the Brantford Bulldogs. He has looked fantastic after he returned from the American Hockey League (AHL) after an injury kept him out of the first couple of weeks and has shown no signs of slowing down.
Stephen Halliday, the Prospect of the Week for the beginning of November, bounced back last week, scoring three points in three games. His first full AHL season hasn’t gone as smoothly as his incredible playoff performance last season would have suggested, but he’s been able to string together a few strong weeks as he works through adding consistency and strength to his game. He still remains one of the Senators’ most interesting prospects. His teammate, Cole Reinhardt, has continued his surprising season by earning yet another call-up to the Senators and finally scoring his first NHL goal on Nov. 25 against the Calgary Flames.
Yakemchuk continues to put up points for the Calgary Hitmen, adding another three in three games last week and giving him 23 points on the season so far. His nine goals sit second in the Western Hockey League (WHL) among defencemen and he ranks 10th among defenders in points. However, it wasn’t enough to convince Hockey Canada to give him a shot, as he was left off of Canada’s World Junior Camp roster released on Dec. 2.
Tune in next week to see who stood above the rest.
