Only two months remain in the NHL season, and the Ottawa Senators are starting to shift their focus from the playoffs to evaluating their prospects. Last month, Max Guenette made his highly-anticipated Senators debut, and already in March, Ottawa has recalled Jiri Smejkal, Rourke Chartier, Matthew Highmore, and Zack MacEwen from the American Hockey League (AHL).
While external circumstances – namely a two-game suspension to Parker Kelly and Josh Norris being placed on long-term injury reserve – prompted the recalls, it seems too convenient that all of these players are on one-year deals that expire at the end of 2023-24. The Senators seem to be closely evaluating their depth to see if any are worth bringing back next season. It won’t be easy to secure a spot, either; several prospects have seen continued success in the junior and college ranks, meaning every spot will be hard-fought. Here are the prospects that have stuck out in February and the first week of March.
Ostapchuk (Finally) Makes his NHL Debut
Since Tyler Kleven’s debut at the end of last season, there was arguably no more anticipated prospect than Zack Ostapchuk. The 2021 second-round pick became one of Ottawa’s top prospects after he helped Canada win a gold medal at the 2023 World Juniors, and he played a big part in the Winnipeg Ice’s pursuit of the Western Hockey League (WHL) Championship. He was never going to be an All-Star, but his gritty, passionate play earned him more than a few fans in Ottawa.
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Ostapchuk made his professional debut with the AHL’s Belleville Senators this season, and despite being a rookie, he became one of the team’s best players. In 56 games, he put up 13 goals and 22 points, good for fourth and sixth on the team, respectively. However, he never got the call to take the three-hour trip to Ottawa, with the Senators choosing to let him continue to develop in the minors. That all changed on March 12, when he finally got his chance to suit up for an NHL game.
It was a special moment for Ostapchuk – not only did he make his debut on home ice, but he got to do so in front of his mom, who flew in from Vancouver for the occasion – that was made all the sweeter by his strong performance. He earned 12:44 minutes of ice time in the game, recorded two shots, and impressed coach Jacques Martin enough to be chosen to go out for the three-on-three overtime, where he was instrumental in the game-winning goal scored by Drake Batherson. Given how well it went, expect to see him on the opening-night roster in 2024-25.
Crookshank is February’s AHL Player of the Month
Angus Crookshank has been in a similar boat. Despite plenty of AHL success, he hasn’t received many call-ups. After making his pro debut at the end of the 2020-21 season, he finally got a call-up in December 2023, with the Senators’ 2018 fifth-round pick getting a seven-game trial before returning to Belleville. That brief call-up seems to have lit a fire under the winger; since his re-assignment, he’s scored 20 points in 21 games. However, his best performance came just last month with a run of eight goals and 14 points in 12 games, making him one of the most productive players in the AHL.
This season, Crookshank has been Belleville’s best player. He leads the team with 22 goals and 43 points in 47 games, which earned him a spot at the 2024 AHL All-Star Game in early February. However, his NHL opportunities have been few and far between. There’s little else he can prove in the AHL, and given that he needs a contract for next season, expect to see his name on the Senators’ roster in the next couple of months.
Halliday Nominated for the Hobey Baker
Stephen Halliday has shown up on the monthly prospect report several times already, and for good reason – the 6-foot-3 center has followed up his impressive NCAA rookie season with an equally solid sophomore campaign. In 37 games with Ohio State University, the Senators’ 2022 fourth-round pick leads the team with 36 points and sits second with 10 goals. So, it’s no surprise that, when the nominations for the Hobey Baker Award were announced, his name was among the dozens recognized as some of the best players across all college hockey programs.
Halliday is admittedly a longshot to win the award, especially considering he’s up against Macklin Celebrini, the projected first overall pick in 2024, defensive phenom Lane Hutson, and leading scorer Will Smith. But that doesn’t change the fact that Halliday is surpassing all expectations from when Ottawa drafted him as an overage prospect. He could emerge as a solid third-line center soon, especially if he decides to leave his college program early and sign an NHL deal.
Pettersson Makes AHL Debut
It can often be tough to analyze European prospects accurately. Even if they are with the men’s squad, they might be playing just a few minutes a game, greatly impacting their ability to score and make a name for themselves. It was no different with Oskar Pettersson, the Senators’ third-round pick in 2022. Despite playing in two World Junior tournaments, he struggled to find consistent playing time with Rögle BK of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). So, he worked out a deal that released him from his contract early, allowing him to come to North America and try his hand in Belleville. So far, the move has worked out wonderfully. In 11 games last month, he put up four points, including his first goal, quadrupling his production in Sweden this season.
While Pettersson doesn’t have the highest ceiling, he’s a workhorse, which greatly increases his chances of making the NHL. He’s physical, blocks shots, and has a good breakout pass, making him the ideal complementary winger. Depending on how his first AHL season goes, he could be in the Senators’ bottom six as early as next season.
Nikitin Keeps Winning
Last month, I wrote that Vladimir Nikitin hadn’t lost a game in regulation in three months. Somehow, he’s extended that to four while also playing more than he has in his career in the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL). He turned away 137 of 147 shots in six games, including an 18-save shutout, giving him a .932 save percentage. The Kazakh continued his streak into the beginning of March, adding two more wins while allowing just one goal on 32 shots. But his most impressive feat was scoring a shorthanded goal, made even sweeter after the Chilliwack Chiefs shared the video his dad sent in after he couldn’t make it to the Parents Weekend.
Nikitin has become one of the Senators’ most interesting prospects this season, getting better with each performance. He hasn’t allowed more than three goals in a single game since Oct. 28, 2023, and has only allowed more than two twice since then. His long-term potential is still up in the air, but given his impressive size and record this season, it’s hard not to wonder if he could emerge as the team’s future starter.
Senators Prospects to Watch
- NCAA rookie Hoyt Stanley just put up his most productive month yet, scoring a goal and two assists in eight games in February. The Senators’ top pick from 2023 was always going to be a project, but he’s showing promising signs as the college season winds down.
- While Nikitin has stolen the spotlight, Kevin Riedler is also undefeated in his past five games. His .872 save percentage during that stretch isn’t fantastic, but he’s proving he can be a clutch player when needed, which is a fantastic trait to have in a goalie.
- Jiri Smejkal had a bounce-back month in February, scoring three goals and eight points in nine games with Belleville, which earned him another stint in the NHL on Mar 7. He doesn’t have an NHL goal yet, but with Vladimir Tarasenko gone and injuries plaguing the bottom six, it might finally be his time.
- Zack Ostapchuk had a five-game stretch in February when he scored three goals and four points. The AHL rookie hasn’t had the easiest transition to the professional ranks, but now and then, he shows what made him a gold medalist with Team Canada at the World Juniors. Hopefully, he will start to find that a bit more consistently.
- Tomas Hamara started the month on fire, scoring five assists in four games, but then went down with a lower-body injury and has been considered week-to-week since then. Hopefully, he returns soon, as he’ll be a big part of any playoff hopes for the Brantford Bulldogs.
That’s it for another edition of the Senators’ Prospect Report. More call-ups are surely coming, and it will be interesting to see who gets more than a few games down the stretch. Like Ostapchuk, there could be some hidden gems in the Senators’ prospect pool just waiting for their opportunity to shine.
