The first half of the college calendar is over. All but two NCAA programs wrapped up their semesters on Dec. 14, with only Omaha and Augustana scheduled to play on Dec. 19 and 20 before going on their holiday break until Dec. 27.
The Ottawa Senators have prioritized the college route in recent years. Half of their selections over the last four years have gone on to play in the NCAA, and this season, the team has 12 prospects playing in Division 1 college programs, more than double the number of prospects playing in all other leagues except the American Hockey League (AHL).
After looking at the AHL and 2025 Draft class at the quarter-season mark, let’s take a look at all the players in college programs and how they’ve performed over the first half of the 2025-26 season.
Logan Hensler, RD, Wisconsin
Logan Hensler is arguably the team’s top prospect in the NCAA. Selected 23rd overall at the 2025 Draft, he’s been one of the University of Wisconsin’s best defencemen, scoring eight points in 15 games. He’ll be the only Senators’ prospect at the World Junior Championship, rejoining Team USA for his second tournament, and could be a big factor in the team’s medal hopes.
Bruno Idzan, LW, Wisconsin
We previously checked in on Bruno Idzan with the 2025 Draft class report, where he was having some growing pains adjusting to the rigours of college hockey. Those struggles continued throughout the next month, and Idzan only managed to play in two more games before the break.
While both were big wins for the Wisconsin Badgers, he only managed three shots across the two contests and finished with a minus-two. He still has a ton of upside, but will need time to gain more strength and consistency.
Blake Montgomery, LW, Wisconsin
Anyone who watched Blake Montgomery last season with the London Knights knew he was going to do great things in the NCAA, even if it took a little time to get there. He went pointless in his first five games, finally registering his first college goal on Oct. 25 against the University of Alaska-Fairbanks.
Since then, he’s been nearly unstoppable. Over the next four games, he tallied four more goals, and in the last four games before the break, he put up three goals and six points, earning him the second star of the week on Nov. 25. He now sits tied for second on the team with eight goals and seventh among all freshmen in goals scored.
Tyson Dyck, C, Wisconsin
The final Senators’ prospect at Wisconsin is also the oldest, having joined the team in 2023-24 after transferring from UMass. While not a high-end producer, the Senators’ seventh-round pick in 2022 has become a savvy veteran for the Badgers, registering two goals and six points in eight games so far this season. The biggest issue for him has been injuries, but he returned for the weekend before the break, where he put up four assists and a goal in two games against Notre Dame.
Owen Beckner, C, Colorado College
Owen Beckner has become one of the more intriguing Senators’ prospects in recent years. Selected in the seventh round, 204th overall, in 2023, he’s been excellent in his two seasons with Colorado College. In 2024-25, he led the team with 27 points in 37 games and was well on his way to repeating as the team’s leading scorer, totalling 16 points in 16 games, which led to a call to join the U.S. Collegiate Selects at the Spengler Cup in Switzerland.
For a player never on Canada’s radar for the World Juniors, it was recognition for all he’d done in his young career. “For it to come true has been really rewarding,” he said after the invite. “It motivates me to keep improving as the year goes on.”
Unfortunately, a significant injury on Nov. 29 forced the Collegiate team to replace him on the Spengler Cup lineup, and Beckner hasn’t returned to Colorado’s lineup since. Hopefully, the break helps him get back to full health.
Javon Moore, LW, Minnesota
Like Montgomery, Javon Moore struggled out of the gate. He had just one goal and one assist in his first 11 games with the University of Minnesota. But in his last eight games before the break, he’s scored three goals and 10 points, four of which came against top-10 programs. He also earned a Big 10 Star of the Week after scoring the overtime winner to upset the University of Denver, one of the best teams in the NCAA this season.
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With 12 points in 19 games, Moore sits fifth on Minnesota and is on pace to hit 25 points by the end of the season, a very solid total for a freshman. But if he keeps up his recent 1.25 points per game, he could end up with 38 points, eclipsing Oliver Moore’s impressive first-year totals. While that’s a tall order for the 2024 fourth-round pick, he’s shown that he can put up big numbers when given the chance.
Nicholas VanTassell, C, UMass
In his third season with UMass, Nicholas VanTassell is starting to emerge as a solid two-way contributor similar to Cole Reinhardt, who used his size and reach to establish himself as a reliable depth defensive forward. VanTassell still has a ways to go before that, but the 6-foot-4 centre has already shattered his previous career highs with 10 points in 18 games and was recently promoted to UMass’ top line. If he can stick there, he could have a great second half.
Cameron O’Neill, RW, UMass
Although his three points in 14 games aren’t inspiring, Cameron O’Neill has continued to develop into a defensively responsible forward on UMass’ fourth line. An injury took him out of the lineup at the end of November, which has hindered his progress in his junior year, but there’s still hope that the Senators’ 2022 fifth-round pick can recapture his big-game reputation and emerge as a capable NHL player.
Hoyt Stanley, RD, Cornell
The Senators’ top pick from the 2023 Draft has flown under the radar for most of his time with the organization. Hoyt Stanley plays a mobile, defensive game, which doesn’t often show up on the scoresheet. After 11 games, he has just two assists, the first of which didn’t come until Nov. 10 (although Cornell didn’t start their season until Oct. 30). However, he’s on the top pairing with New York Islanders’ prospect Xavier Veilleux, who’s leading The Big Red’s blue line with seven points. Tough to do that without an excellent defensive partner.
Theo Wallberg, LD, Western Michigan
After a rough 2024-25 season, we might be seeing Theo Wallberg return to the player he looked like as a freshman. He has six points in his last 10 games with Western Michigan University, putting the 6-foot-5 power play specialist on track to hit 17 points in 40 games. He’s still not overly physical, but he’s been more engaged this year off the puck and is regularly one of the most impactful players on the ice for Western Michigan, despite playing on the third pairing.
Filip Nordberg, LD, Merrimack College
Filip Nordberg’s first season in the NCAA has been relatively unremarkable so far. In 16 games with Merrimack College, he has just four assists, two of which came in his first three games, although he does lead the team with 42 penalty minutes. He has shown that he can be a hard-nosed, physical, two-way defenceman with high-end mobility, which is why the Senators selected the 6-foot-5 defender in the second round in 2022, but the bounces just aren’t going in his favour.
Kevin Reidler, G, Penn State
Although Kevin Reidler had a good season with the University of Nebraska-Omaha, he wasn’t getting the starts he wanted, so he jumped to Penn State to fill in for departing junior Arsenii Sergeev. It’s worked out well so far, with the 6-foot-6 goaltender standing at a .902 save percentage (SV%), a 3.02 goals against average (GAA), and a 6-3-0 record. As one of the Senators’ top prospects, seeing him make more meaningful starts is a great sign for his development.
The only problem is Josh Fleming, a freshman who joined Penn State from the Quebec Maritime Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) this season. He proved he could steal games in junior, and he’s kept it up in college, finishing the semester with a .926 SV%, a 2.30 GAA, and a shutout over seven games and limiting Reidler to nine. While that’s great for Penn State, it’s less than ideal for Reidler, who’s found himself in a goaltending battle again. He’ll just need to be that much better when they return to the ice in January.
