The Ottawa Senators have made a pair of trades ahead of the 2024 American Hockey (AHL) League Trade Deadline, acquiring Wyatt Bongiovanni from the Winnipeg Jets for future considerations and Jamieson Rees from the Carolina Hurricanes for a 2024 sixth-round draft pick.
While they are ineligible to play in the NHL for the remainder of the season, acquiring them was a signal of the Belleville Senators bulking up and getting ready for the playoffs.
Bongiovanni Adds AHL Depth
Bongiovanni was signed by the Jets after playing four seasons in the NCAA. In his four seasons, he managed to score 90 points and posted a career-high of 34 points in 42 games in his final season. Through 93 AHL games, Bongiovanni has posted 33 points. While an NHL future isn’t a certainty for him, he is capable of scoring goals as a depth option in the lineup.
Related: Senators Prospect Report: Ostapchuk, Crookshank, Nikitin, & More
For the Senators, acquiring him for future considerations is a no-brainer. He immediately adds depth to the Belleville roster, and even if he isn’t an AHL regular, he is certainly an option.
Rees Still Has NHL Potential
It has been a very underwhelming season for Rees so far, and that is no secret. In 30 AHL games this season, he has only managed to score four points, all being assists. After the departures of three prospects in the Jake Guentzel trade, it was arguable that Rees has entered the top ten in a strong Hurricanes prospect pipeline.
This season has certainly dropped his stock. Yes, nearly two years can change a ton (Senators fans know this well), but in the summer of 2022, Rees was the fifth-ranked prospect the Hurricanes had, above others like Ryan Suzuki, Noel Gunler, and Alexander Nikishin.
The lack of an AHL team for the Hurricanes is what has hurt him the most. Rees went from consistent top-six minutes with the Chicago Wolves last season to under 10 minutes per game between the Springfield Thunderbirds and Charlotte Checkers. He has proven that he can do it at the AHL level, scoring 42 points in 65 games last season with the Wolves as a 21-year-old.
Rees has displayed a strong skillset at times in his AHL career. He isn’t a big player at only 5-foot-11, but he plays like one. He isn’t afraid to go into any battles and can stir things up in front of the net, but he also has the ability to play a strong offensive game and can stickhandle and shoot well. Dare I say he is a prototype of Ridly Greig?
Hopefully, this is a turnaround for Rees and his career. For a sixth-round pick, you can’t go wrong on this bet. There is certainly a chance he can have an impact in the NHL someday.
