After starting the month on a high note with eight points in three games, Blake Montgomery returned to the top with another big week, scoring twice and adding three assists in just two appearances with the London Knights before the Ontario Hockey League’s (OHL) Christmas break. Ever since his breakout at the end of November, he’s been one of the best offensive players in the Ottawa Senators’ system and has shown no signs of slowing down. He is your Senators Prospect of the Week for Dec. 16-22.
Montgomery’s Season Keeps Getting Better
Although several players came over from Junior A to play in the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) after the NCAA’s announcement, no one has adapted better to the more free-flowing game than Montgomery. In 17 contests since his arrival from the United States Hockey League (USHL), he’s scored 10 goals and 19 points. Although he only ranks ninth in points on the Knights, he sits fifth in goals and fourth in points per game.
With five points last week, Montgomery was London’s highest-scoring player, surpassing newcomer Cam Allen, who finished with four points in two games and taking over for the absent Easton Cowan, who is gearing up to represent Canada at the World Juniors alongside teammate Sam Dickinson. It all started against the Erie Otters on Dec. 18, when the visiting Knights silenced the home team 6-1. Montgomery assisted on Allen’s goal early in the second period, then added a goal in the dying minutes of the third, catching a great pass from Denver Barkey and using a quick change in direction to hammer the final nail in the coffin.
Two days later, on Dec. 20, the Knights hosted the Sarnia Sting, who didn’t have a great chance against the Western Conference leaders, but even so, they were powerless to stop the surge. Montgomery scored London’s second goal of the game, which eventually became the game-winner. But his playmaking was much more impressive. Early in the second period, he received a stretch pass from Allen, then carried it deep into the Sting’s zone, drawing two attackers to him who likely assumed, as he has done so many times before, that he was going to shoot. Instead, he skirted the puck underneath them to Barkey, who had a wide-open net for the Knights’ third goal of the night.
Blake Montgomery is DANCIN'#GoSensGo pic.twitter.com/5dKDgOIvjM
— London Knights (@LondonKnights) December 21, 2024
Montgomery added one more assist against the Sting to help London take it away with another 6-1 victory, earning the game’s first star and recording his first game-winning goal of the season. He’s also on a four-game goal streak heading into the break and has scored 10 goals in his last 12 games, and those two games were also his fourth and fifth multi-point nights in 2024-25. He is making the most of his only junior season before heading off to college in September and will give the Knights a shot at returning to the Memorial Cup in the spring.
Senators Prospects Honourable Mentions & Check-Ins
Several prospects had strong outings before the break. Tomas Hamara continued to rack up points with the Brantford Bulldogs, adding four assists in two games, giving him 25 points in 24 games this season and a wide margin as the second-highest-scoring defender on the team. Lucas Ellinas also added to his impressive goal total with an empty-netter against the Ottawa 67’s. His 15 goals give him sole ownership of second on the team behind 20-year-old Adrian Misaljevic.
Related: Ottawa Senators Prospect of the Week – Carter Yakemchuk
Leevi Merilainen made his NHL season debut last week, starting twice for the Senators and recording one win and one loss as he replaced backup Anton Forsberg. While he had some shaky moments in his two appearances, he turned away 21 of 25 shots against the Vancouver Canucks and was solid if relief for Linus Ullmark against the Edmonton Oilers after the Senators starter went down with an upper-body injury.
Vladimir Nikitin had a strong start to his World Junior Championships, playing twice in pre-tournament action and turning away 53 of 58 shots. He was instrumental in Kazakhstan’s tournament last year, which earned them a promotion to the top group in Ottawa in 2025. The small nation will have a tough time sticking around in the top division, but with Nikitin between the pipes, they can potentially steal a game or two to prevent them from facing relegation.
Tune in after the New Year to see which prospect stood out.
