As the 2022-23 NHL has worn on, the Ottawa Senators have seen successful NHL debuts. The NHL debuts came about for a variety of reasons. Some players were ready from a development perspective. In contrast, some debuts were a result of needing to fill lineup holes caused by injuries. Further still, some players saw ice time to get a gauge of what the future has in store. This allows us to gain an understanding of what the team prospect pipeline has for depth.
Ottawa Senators Pipeline of Prospects Who Made NHL Debuts in 2022-23
In terms of the Ottawa Senators who made rookie NHL debuts this year, they had six players accomplish the feat. Listed in order of appearance: Jake Sanderson, Jake Lucchini, Ridly Greig, Kevin Mandolese, Tyler Kleven, and Leevi Merilainen. From a high level, Sanderson was given the opportunity to start with the club as he was ready developmentally. Kleven, Lucchini, and Greig’s appearances were more along the lines of necessary from an injury standpoint. Furthermore, Mandolese and Merilainen are a product of the goalie carousel. Ottawa has set a franchise record for seven goalies this season getting action. Talbot was a member of the team that set the record with most goalies used (8). This was done by the Philadelphia Flyers in 2018-19.
Some Notes on Ottawa Senators Top Rookies
Some other notable players had not played much before this year. However, they did not make their NHL debut this season. Young centre Shane Pinto only had 17 games before this season. His 20 goals are currently only two off the lead for rookies at 22 from Matty Beniers. Mark Kastelic is another rookie who has had an impact on the club. He had played 16 NHL games previous to this season. Thus far, he has played 61 games for the big club. In that time recording nine points, and has a very respectable 56.7 FOW% over 541 faceoffs. Finally, another important rookie is Mads Sogaard, who had two NHL appearances in 2021-22. He has compiled a 7-6-2 record in 16 games played, supporting a 3.37 GAA with an .887 SV%. Most importantly, with injuries to Cam Talbot and Anton Forsberg, Sogaard has played the effective role of starter.
Considering all the young players, in particular those who have made their NHL debut this year, four stand out. Those would be Jake Sanderson, Tyler Kleven, Ridly Greig, and Leevi Merilainen. Each of the four is a very highly touted prospect of the Ottawa Senators organization. In addition, all four of them came from a very promising 2020 draft class. The leader from the draft, Tim Stutzle, has skyrocketed this year. Coming into this year he had a career PPG of 0.659, whereas this season it is currently 1.14.
2020 NHL Entry Draft Career Stats
Round Pick Name(Position) GP G A Pts
1 #3 Tim Stützle (F) 207 71 100 171
1 #5 Jake Sanderson (D) 74 4 25 29
1 #28 Ridly Greig (F) 20 2 7 9
2 #44 Tyler Kleven (D) 5 0 2 2
3 #71 Leevi Meriläinen (G) 2 – – –
Jake Sanderson a Rookie Playing Beyond His Years
Let us start with the top in terms of performance and go with Jake Sanderson. Sanderson has been nothing short of terrific this season for the Ottawa Senators. For example, Sanderson has four goals, 25 assists, and 29 points through 74 games played this year. His average ice time is 21:40 a game. In the last game against the Carolina Hurricanes, he logged an astonishing 30:34. His calmness and maturity with the puck are years ahead of his time. In addition, he has earned specialty teams time, including some brief stints on the top power-play unit. Even though the opportunities have come about from injuries to Thomas Chabot and Jakob Chychrun, he has played admirably. His defensive point share (DPS) of 3.2 speaks to his effectiveness. In Sanderson, the Senators have certainty of a top two or three defenceman for years to come.
A Physical Presence on the Back-End Tyler Kleven
Another highly-touted defenceman prospect who made their NHL debut this year was Tyler Kleven. Kleven and Sanderson, as well as Shane Pinto and Jacob Bernard-Docker, were teammates at the University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks. The familiarity factor throughout the organization is very comforting. Speaking of Kleven’s game, he is a very physical player.
Thus far in his early work with the big club, Kleven has shown to go in and engage in puck battles along the boards. In four games, he has managed 15:41 in ice time and got his first two career points. His first career point, he passed the puck to Erik Brannstrom, who made a marvelous stretch pass to spring Claude Giroux. This was the game against the Philadelphia Flyers, and it was Giroux’s 29th goal of the season. Moreover, Kleven has shown poise with the puck when required. Although he likely needs some adjustment time with the speed of the game and to make more effective plays with the puck. He may require some seasoning in the AHL next fall, to catch up to the speed of the professional game.
The Surprise of the Ottawa Senators NHL Rookie Debuts Ridly Greig
The top forward prospect from the NHL debut subset would go to Ridly Greig. Make no mistake, Ridly Greig was well deserving of his promotion from the Belleville Senators. However, the reason he made his debut when he did was a result of injuries. Coach D.J. Smith needed a reliable forward to fill in. At the time of his call-up, Greig was playing the best hockey of those on the farm. Despite the somewhat surprise call-up, the diminutive Greig has done a great job with Ottawa. Greig has nine points through 20 games. He takes faceoffs and has played on the second power-play unit. Next fall, with some added strength and more comfort, look for him to be an impact bottom-six guy.
The Goaltender Wheel Keeps on Turning for Leevi Merilainen’s Benefit
The most recent player to debut is Leevi Merilainen. Given his remarkable statistics this season, he might have been the most anticipated, aside from Sanderson. One point that makes Merilainen’s numbers so noteworthy, was his dip in trajectory last season. For 2021-22, he had come over to North America to develop, suiting up for the Kingston Frontenacs. Despite his nice 31-16-5 record, the .891 SV% and 3.29 GAA were not where watchers would have liked. Fast forward to this season, Merilainen returned home to play with Karpat of Liiga in Finland. In 42 games, he amassed an incredible eight shutouts. This was supported by a .918 SV % and a 2.02 GAA. If that was not enough, his AHL debut resulted in a shutout against the Toronto Marlies. Unfortunately, the Carolina Hurricanes spoiled his NHL debut. Merilainen’s 34 saves were not enough, as they lost in overtime.
There is a lot of excitement surrounding the Ottawa Senators and it is thanks to their young players. This group of players making their NHL debut this year is enough, but their pipeline is deeper. For example, a healthy Josh Norris next year gives the club the two-way centre they needed this year. Furthermore, they have lots of options defensively and in the net. Whether we point to Sanderson or Kleven, but also trade deadline acquisition Jakob Chychrun. Finally, in net, the Senators have the veteran Anton Forsberg to lead the group. They also have outstanding prospects in Merilainen and Sogaard who can develop their game in Belleville or as a backup.
Main Photo: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports
