Welcome back to Top Shelf Prospects, the column that brings you the next crop of professional hockey players. As we go through the summer of 2024, each day our LWOS Prospects Writers will bring you a look at one NHL team’s top prospects or other topical articles. Be sure to bookmark the site, follow Ben Kerr and Frederik Frandson on Twitter, and spread the word for the site that will bring you analytical and critical profiles and scouting reports! You can find all the articles here as well as our extensive NHL Draft preview. Today, we look at the 2024 Ottawa Senators Top Prospects.
For those wondering, the cut-off for what is or isn’t a prospect is typically about 50 NHL games played (including playoff games) or is 25 years old. These are not hard or fast rules though, and we may make some exceptions depending on the circumstances.
2024 Ottawa Senators Top Prospects
1.) Carter Yakemchuk
Carter Yakemchuk is one of the newest additions to join the Ottawa Senators and immediately goes into the number one spot in the prospect pool. A spot that with Ridly Greig graduating wasn’t a contest. Yakemchuk is a clear number-one prospect for the Senators and with good reason. Last season the 2024 seventh overall pick had 71 points in 66 games in the WHL and was overall one of the best players playing defencemen in the WHL.
The reason for this production and what makes Yakemchuk such a dominant player is his excellent offensive flair from the backend. He has a wicked shot, with a quick and powerful release and isn’t scared to use it. His hands and edges are smooth, which makes his puckhandling on the blueline a thing of beauty. The same goes for his playmaking and hockey IQ, as he can dish the puck with pinpoint accuracy.
However, there are still areas to improve. For one, his first step is choppy and it means his skating isn’t quite there yet. Overall it’s fine, but it needs fine-tuning. The same goes with the defensive game, where he is physical, yet also undisciplined and can be overly aggressive which leaves gaps behind him. If all that can be fixed, he has all the makings of a new number-one defenceman in Ottawa.
2.) Zack Ostapchuk
Zack Ostapchuk had a respectable first season in the AHL. After having been a decent point producer in the WHL for a few seasons, he finally moved on and managed to find his grove as the season went on. In 69 games he put up 28 points. Not bad and he was able to mature a lot in terms of his game overall. However, it also isn’t exactly numbers that stand out. Especially for a player with a lot of talent offensively, but is looking more and more like a future third-liner at best.
However, let’s start with the positives. The talent and speed are still there for Ostapchuk. His hands are fast and his speed and skating allow him to be a catalyst for the offence.
These skills are not as noticeable as they were at the junior level. However, Ostapchuk has been able to develop these skills in the AHL, despite not quite living up to expectations. That is a promising sign for his translation to the pro game.
The same can be said about his leadership and two-way game, which is still noticeable. He works hard all over the ice, and that became clear during the small NHL stint he had this season. In particular, was the play he intercepted a pass in overtime to set up a game-winner. If that is the future, Ostapchuk could be a solid option in the middle six. Watch for Ostapchuk to a concerted push to make the team this fall.
3.) Tyler Kleven
Another player who had his first full season in the pros and primarily in the AHL last season was Tyler Kleven. The 22-year-old defencemen had a couple of stints in the NHL last season but were mostly found in the AHL. For Ottawa Senators top 2024 prospects, last year was a bit of a disappointment, since many had hoped to see Kleven make the cut out of training camp. However, the season in the AHL wasn’t terrible for Kleven. In 53 games he had 21 points and got to his first pro season under his belt.
This season the discourse around Kleven is much the same. His going into training camp with a good chance to make the team and then it will be about staying in the NHL. The tools are there to be a solid defenceman for the Senators, as Kleven has most you could want from a two-way defenceman. Size, power, and speed is all present with Kleven. However, his decisions and timings still need work as he matures. He also needs to be be better defensively, as he can look lost in his own zone. However, with more games and a bit more time to refine himself, the physical defenceman could be in for a strong future with the Senators.
4.) The Top Goalie of the 2024 Ottawa Senators Top NHL Prospects Mads Søgaard
The Danish netminder is another prospect who had an okay season last year. In the NHL he struggled, but that was the case for every goalie playing in Ottawa last season. In the AHL, he won the starting job and had a very respectable .916 save percentage in 32 games. He also had a .910 SV% in the playoff. This was enough to stay in contention for the future starting job in the net for the Senators. While goalies have a longer development cycle, Søgaard will soon need to break through in the NHL if he wants to be the next great Danish netminder in the NHL.
One of the areas that Søgaard has been improving in has been his positioning. It’s far more square to the shooter and he allows for him to move more calmly in the crease. For a big guy, he has had a habit of being a bit chaotic, but as he has matured, it has become less frequent. He also moves better overall and that makes his 6-foot-7 frame more impactful. That being said, even with those changes Søgaard is still far too inconsistent as a goalie. That’s still his biggest issue and what needs to change for him to be a future starter. The potential and ability are there for Søgaard and he is trending in the right way, but Søgaard still is a raw goalie, who needs a year or two.
5.) Stephen Halliday
Two seasons Stephen Halliday was one of the prospects in the Senators system turned heads in the NCAA. He had a wonderful season, and this year was more of the same. In 38 games he had 36 goalies for Ohio State University. While it’s not quite as much as two seasons ago, it’s still enough to stay excited about what Halliday can bring to the Senators organization as he prepares for his first pro season.
What really is interesting about Halliday is his patience and calmness with the puck. His amazing balance and puck control mean he can extend plays and wait for the right moment to pass the puck. He is a very gifted playmaker, with great offensive awareness and passing. However, he is still quite one-dimensional as a player and lacks the shot and speed to truly be an impact player. His skating, while slightly improved, still isn’t good enough for Halliday to have a high offensive potential. Without that, he will struggle to thrive in the top six, but he might be a strong candidate to become a third or fourth-liner with decent size and playmaking, in a few years.
6.) Jorian Donovan
It’s been a rollercoaster year for Jorian Donovan, who had a bright season in many ways but also had a lot of changes. For starters, he had another decent year in the OHL. For both the Brantford Bulldogs and the Saginaw Spirit he had 46 points in 66 games. A respectable year for the defenceman who has seen his stock rise over the past few seasons.
When Jorian Donavan is on the ice, one of the things that stand out is the skating. It’s incredibly smooth and he plays a modern game where he will move the puck up ice and scan the zone for openings. His vision is decent and he is able to walk the blueline at a high level. This skills allow him to create both passing and shooting lanes. His defensive game does need time and development, however, given his trajectory, there is a chance this will be one of the bigger steals of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft.
7.) Leevi Meriläinen
It wasn’t more than a year ago that Leevi Meriläinen looked to be a potential starter for the Senators in the future. He had been doing well in Finland, and had a solid small stint in Belleville and Ottawa. Overall things looked good for the Finnish goalie. However, this season reality hit. Instead of alternating between the AHL and NHL, it was between the AHL and ECHL. In the AHL he was decent, but ultimately lost the battle for the starting job to Søgaard. He did play 24 games with a .906 SV%.
In the ECHL, he was far more successful with .926 SV% and was able to showcase his athleticism properly. He looked sharp and his positioning and ability to read the game was better. All areas that have always been a huge strength for Meriläinen. In terms of his weaknesses, he still has tendencies he needs to break. He still drops into the butterfly too early, which allows for shots to beat him up high and his overall reflexes need work. He is now behind Søgaard and will have to raise his game to be a challenge to the Dane next season.
8.) Xavier Bourgault
Xavier Bourgault’s time within the Edmonton Oilers organization arguably couldn’t have gone any worse. From the start, the pressure was put on him, due to the manner in which he was selected. This pressure didn’t seem to phase him in his first year after the draft, but as soon as he had to translate to the pro game things turned sour. His speed and skill looked ordinary and his dazzling stickhandling from the QMJHL vanished. He looked like a different player in the AHL with the Bakersfield Condors.
This offseason he was traded to the Senators and this has to be a fresh start for the 21-year-old. The label of first-round bust is hovering above him like a vulture in the middle of the desert. It’s now up to Bourgault to prove people wrong, and the only way to do it is to regain his swagger, speed, and confidence. When he is having that, he can be electric and a player with top-six potential. And that is the player the Senators are hoping to get. Otherwise, this might be the last stop in the AHL for Bourgault before he goes across the pond to play in Europe.
9.) Angus Crookshank
Last season Angus Crookshank was our honourable mention for the Ottawa Senators top prospects and for 2024 he has made the top ten. Once again he performed extremely well in the AHL with 46 points in 50 games. This was more than enough to get him a few games in the NHL. 13 to be precise, where he had three points.
His speed and the relentless pace he plays the game continue to develop well. He works harder than most and always seems to play his shift like it’s his last. It’s full of bravery, energy and tenacity. His shot also took a big step forward, being far quicker and sharper in its release. However, despite all his heart and energy the defensive understanding and overall hockey sense is still a point of weakness for Crookshank. He sometimes needs to play smarter rather than harder, and that will be where his challenges lie. Next season will be a pivotal one as he will want to cement himself in the NHL or risk becoming a prospect stuck in between the AHL and NHL for the rest of his career.
10.) The Last of the Ottawa Senators Top Ten 2024 NHL Prospects Matthew Andonovski
We started the list with a defenceman and we are ending it with one. The last name to make the top ten is Matthew Andonovski, who has just been named the captain of the Kitchener Rangers. An announcement that shows Andonovski’s leadership qualities and work ethic. On top of that, he also had a great last season offensively in the OHL with 32 points in 65 games.
As a player, Andonovski is a two-way defenceman, who tends to pass the puck offensively. His shot is fine, but very underutilized, which can mean he overlooks high-scoring chances in favour of safe passing. The defensive game is fine and he is tough to play against due to the size and awareness he has. However, his skating is still very questionable and the high-end talent really isn’t there. Andonovski has a decent floor and could easily become a good third-pair guy with decent defensive awareness and size. However, expecting more might be a stretch.
Main Photo Credit: Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports
