Welcome back.

It’s time to kick off Daily Faceoff’s second annual NHL Prospect Pool Breakdown, looking at the best all 32 teams have to offer. We’re highlighting the top 10 prospects for every franchise, their biggest strengths and weaknesses and so much more.

The criteria for being labeled a “prospect” are simple: players generally have to have played in 50 or fewer NHL games or spent more time outside of the NHL than in it last year. Skaters over 23 years old are not included, with goaltenders needing to be 25 or under.

Today, we’re looking at the Ottawa Senators.

Does it feel like Groundhog Day yet?

A year ago, the Ottawa Senators emerged as one of the most interesting teams following a busy offseason. After years of trying to get the right core together, they were hoping to make a serious push for the playoffs. But, yet again, they came short, leaving Sens fans to wonder just what could have been.

Has new GM Steve Staios done enough this summer to restore faith? Linus Ullmark was a tremendous add, and David Perron and Nick Jensen will give the team some nice depth. But beyond that, most of their deals have been to address depth concerns, so it’s hard to feel truly confident in a playoff push in 2024-25.

Down in the farm system, the Senators have one of the weaker pools in the NHL. There isn’t much high-end talent to get excited about, and it’s not like that’s surprising to Sens fans. There’s a legit chance that at least 5-6 of these players will earn some NHL time over the next two years, but how many will be long-term contributors?

Biggest Strengths

The Senators have a surprising amount of defensive depth, and it goes further than what you see in the top 10. Carter Yakemchuk is the team’s big star prospect right now, merging size and skill in a big 6-foot-3 frame. Tyler Kleven, Gabriel Eliasson and Jorian Donovan all have their strengths, and I wouldn’t completely write off Donovan Sebrango, Tomas Hamara or Hoyt Stanley, among others. There’s more depth options than actual future impact NHLers, but that type of depth is nice to have.

Biggest Weakness

There just isn’t a ton of high-end skill to choose from. Yakemchuk is good, but has some glaring flaws that prevented him from being ranked higher in most public draft lists. I still think he’ll be an NHLer, but we’ll see what he ends up developing into. Beyond that, there are just a bunch of players who could factor into role positions deeper in the lineup, but there are not many surefire bets. Simply put, Ottawa’s pipeline is lacking.

Fast Facts:
NHL GM: Steve Staios
AHL Affiliate: Belleville Senators
ECHL Affiliate: Allen Americans

*Carter Yakemchuk (Steven Ellis/Daily Faceoff)*

TOP 10 PROSPECTS

1. Carter Yakemchuk, RHD, 18 (Calgary, WHL)

Acquired: Drafted seventh overall, first round in 2024

With 30 goals, 71 points and 120 penalty minutes in 66 games, Yakemchuk was one of the most intriguing defensemen from the 2024 NHL Draft. At the NHL Draft combine, many players still considered him to be the most underrated player in this draft class. He’s such a pain for players to deal with because he’s nearly the entire package – offense, size and skating, mainly. Defensively, though, I still need to see more improvement. His decision-making under pressure leaves a bit to be desired, but the potential is high here. With some seasoning, Yakemchuk could be a high-output defender in the NHL who might be a second-pair blueliner, but he could become someone you can throw on the power play and get results.

2. Mads Søgaard, G, 23 (Belleville, AHL)

Acquired: Drafted 37th overall, second round in 2019

I really want to see Søgaard succeed – at 6-foot-7, he’s a menacing figure in the crease. But at some point, the Sens need to figure out what to do with him. He has played 27 NHL games over the past three years, helping fill a gap whenever there’s been an injury in Ottawa’s crease. But with Linus Ullmark and Anton Forsberg manning the pipes in 2024-25, there doesn’t seem to be a clear spot for the Danish keeper, and Meriläinen is going to want more starts in the AHL, too. Søgaard is no longer waiver-exempt, so it feels like he’s bound for a trade at some point, but there’s still some significant NHL upside here. A good training camp will be vital for the 23-year-old.

3. Zack Ostapchuk, LW, 21 (Belleville, AHL)

Acquired: Drafted 39th overall, second round in 2021

*Zack Ostapchuk (Steven Ellis/Daily Faceoff)*

Ostapchuk made quite the splash as a rookie pro player, scoring 17 goals in 69 games while also getting into seven NHL games. While nobody is projecting Ostapchuk to be a top-six scoring threat in the big leagues, scouts love his confidence and commitment to being a two-way center. He’s been viewed highly in the prospect scene for a long time, including serving as captain of the WHL’s Vancouver Giants and again at the Buffalo Prospects Showcase tournament with Ottawa last year. If he can put up 30 points a year in the NHL, that’ll be nice, given how detail-oriented he is in other elements of the game.

4. Leevi Meriläinen, G, 21 (Belleville, AHL)

Acquired: Drafted 71st overall, third round in 2020

Meriläinen has looked great in many of my viewings, although that’s not a massive sample by any means. But I’m very happy with his development path so far, earning opportunities to shine in both the AHL and ECHL last year. Meriläinen was able to help fill gaps with Belleville when needed and even looked good in his one playoff appearance, too. Meriläinen should push for more starts this year, which is good considering he has proven he can be a workhorse with other teams before joining the Senators. He also stands tall at 6-foot-3, which doesn’t hurt.

5. Stephen Halliday, C, 22 (Belleville, AHL)

Acquired: Drafted 104th overall, second round in 2022

If you haven’t followed Halliday’s career, it’s been an interesting one. He was one of the top prospects ahead of the 2018 OHL Draft, but elected to go the USHL route. Despite putting up decent numbers, he wasn’t selected in his draft year, and instead taken in his final year of eligibility in 2022 after a monster campaign with the Dubuque Fighting Saints. He followed that up with two fantastic years at Ohio State before turning pro at the end of his junior season. Halliday made a big impression immediately with Belleville, registering five assists in 10 regular season games before the club with nine points in seven postseason games. He’ll be counted on in a big way with Belleville in 2024-25 before making a run at an NHL spot the following year, and I feel confident in saying he’ll find a way to make a solid impact. I’m a big believer in Halliday’s future.

6. Tyler Kleven, LHD, 22 (Belleville, AHL)

Acquired: Drafted 44th overall, second round in 2020

*Tyler Kleven (Steven Ellis/Daily Faceoff)*

After getting an eight-game test with the big club in 2022-23, Kleven became a full-time pro in 2023-24 and impressed. The 6-foot-4 defender had 21 points in 53 games with Belleville and had an assist in nine NHL games as he brought the team a physical presence. Kleven is suited to be more of a bottom-pairing defenseman who is a pain in the rear end to get around, but he also showed some good passing chops over the past two years. I’d like to see him add a bit more urgency in his playmaking and an uptick in offense to really solidify himself as a long-term NHLer.

7. Xavier Bourgault, C, 21 (Belleville, AHL)

Acquired: Traded by Edmonton Oilers in 2024

A first-round pick by Edmonton back in 2021, it simply never worked out for Bourgault with that organization. He had two difficult seasons in Bakersfield, resulting in the high-octane winger falling out of favor with the club. A new home, and a chance to play a leading role with Belleville, could help revive his career. Bourgault will be 21 when the season kicks off, so it’s not like he’s past his best before date, either. I’m not convinced Bourgault is more than just a replacement-level player at this point, but this will be an excellent opportunity for the center to figure things out and get back on the right track.

8. Gabriel Eliasson, LHD, 17 (HV71, SHL)

Acquired: Drafted 39th overall, second round in 2024

Let me be clear: I fully think taking Eliasson as early as Ottawa did was a total mistake. He takes too many costly penalties for my liking – and I mean TOO many – and his U-18 World Championship appearance didn’t help. That being said, few players bring the violence like Eliasson does, and if he can calm his game down, there are some notable things to like. He’s a massive presence at 6-foot-7 and he makes sure to throw his body around as much as possible. Whether it be big hits along the boards, simple pushes to regain puck possession, or massive, open-ice blows, Eliasson doesn’t want you to have the puck. In 36 games with HV71’s U-20 team, he finished with 103 penalty minutes and upped the ante with 10 minor penalties in seven U-18 World Championship games with Sweden, too. The University of Michigan commit needs to keep his game in check to see if he’s going to make it work, but he’s a mobile defender with size, and that is intriguing. Eliasson was drafted to both the USHL and OHL this year, so it’ll be interesting to see what path he officially ends up taking.

9. Jorian Donovan, LHD, 20 (Belleville, AHL)

Acquired: Drafted 136th overall, fifth round in 2022

*Jorian Donovan (Steven Ellis/Daily Faceoff)*

Donovan split the season with Brantford and Saginaw of the OHL, winning the Memorial Cup with the Spirit. It wasn’t an overly productive season, but he showed value as a mobile, hard-hitting defender who has a good understanding of when to join in on the rush. Donovan is a good skater who loves to have the puck on his stick and keeps things simple, but that can get him in trouble. And, unfortunately, he still struggles defensively, often making the wrong read in front of his own net. With an abundance of options for the Sens to choose from on the back end, Donovan needs to hit the ground running in the AHL.

10. Tyler Boucher, RW, 21 (Belleville, AHL)

Acquired: Drafted 10th overall, first round in 2021

The fact the Sens took Boucher as high as they did in 2021 will always confuse me. But that’s not why he’s so low. Unfortunately, injuries have limited him to just 48 games played in the past two years between the OHL, World Juniors, and AHL, with his five points and 34 PIM with Belleville marking a difficult start to his pro career. Boucher spent part of his Draft+1 season with Boston University before leaving school to spend parts of two years with the Ottawa 67’s, where he was just fine. Boucher is a human wrecking ball out there, but that can get him into trouble quite often. I still see him potentially carving out a job as a role player, potentially as a speedy, hard-hitting forechecker on the fourth line, but he needs a big bounce-back year with good health first.

Other prospects: Jake Chiasson, C (21), Oskar Pettersson, RW (20), Philippe Daoust, LW (22), Jamieson Rees, C (23), Jan Jenik, C (23), Blake Montgomery, LW (19), Javon Moore, LW (18), Blake Montgomery, LW (19), Owen Beckner, C (19) Nicholas Vantassell, RW (20), Tyson Dyck, C (20), Cameron O’Neill, RW (20), Oliver Johansson, C (21), Eerik Wallenius, LHD (18), Hoyt Stanley, RHD (19), Filip Nordberg, LHD (20), Theo Wallberg, LHD (20), Donovan Sebrango, LHD (22), Djibril Toure, RHD (21), Tomas Hamara, LHD (20), Maxence Guenette, RHD (23), Vladimir Nikitin, G (19), Kevin Reidler, G (19)