Honestly, nothing says start of a new NHL season like getting unreasonably excited for the start of the Annual Rookie Tournament.
And while it’s not quite as good as the real thing, this weekend’s tournament is our first real indication that the new season is almost here. Rookies this weekend, the Main Camp next week and then preseason games starting the week after. Almost there, folks!
The Ottawa Senators will hold their first practice this afternoon at 2:00 PM ahead of this weekend’s brief two game tournament. They’ll practice again tomorrow morning before heading to Toronto later in the afternoon. Their tournament begins on Saturday night against the rookies from the Montreal Canadiens and will wrap up with a Sunday afternoon game (4:00 PM start) against the Maple Leafs.
So as we get set for this weekend, a few story-lines to keep an eye on.
-Heading into this weekend, everyone is talking about him and with good reason. Thomas Chabot will be looking to make a good first impression as he sets his sights on a spot with the big team this year. Chabot dominated the QMJHL in his 52 games with the Saint John Sea Dogs and he’ll be expected to do the same this weekend. Senators Management has been raving about Chabot’s progress over the last calendar year and this will be our first real chance to see where he’s at this season. With yesterday’s news that Erik Karlsson may not be able to suit up until later in October, there’s a desperate need for another puck mover on Ottawa’s blueline. Chabot can be that guy and it starts with a strong showing this weekend.
-And same goes for Colin White. Derick Brassard is still recovering from his off-season surgery and while he hinted that he may be a little bit ahead of schedule, he still hasn’t met with team doctors or been officially cleared for contact. If he’s on the shelf to start the season, there may be an opening for Colin White at the centre position. White got a taste of pro hockey in the AHL last year and the organization saw enough from him there to give him a few NHL games including a few shifts in the playoffs. In a tournament like this, you expect certain prospects to clearly stand out above the rest and both White and Chabot fit in that category.
-There are only two games this weekend but it will give Management an opportunity to get a closer look at a handful of guys on professional or amateur tryouts. Kevin Baile, Bobby Dow, Matteo Gennaro, Parker Kelly and Jordan Topping are all on ATOs while Charles-David Beaudoin, Jordan Murray, Jack Rodewald and Pius Suter all come to camp on PTOs. Of that group, Pius Suter might be the most intriguing name. He played well during his draft year but was overlooked in 2015. He’s been pretty impressive in Switzerland the last two years and has a chance to earn a pro contract.
-Safe to say Logan Brown is probably Ottawa’s 3rd best prospect at this point (behind Chabot and White) but there’s no sugar-coating it- last year was a disappointing year from the 11th overall pick in the 2016 Draft. Injuries were a big part of that obviously and he’ll be looking to get his season off to a better start this weekend. A 6’6 centre with high-end offensive awareness and the hands to go along with it doesn’t come along very often so there’s reason to be excited about Brown’s potential. He’s one of the prospects expected to get an extended look this Training Camp and pre-season.
-Marcus Hogberg rose quickly up the team’s prospect ranking last year and comes into this season as a candidate for one of the jobs in Belleville this season. KHL veteran Danny Taylor is expected to get one spot while Hogberg and Chris Driedger battle it out for the other. Also Andrew Hammond is still a thing. Hogberg was spectacular in Sweden last year but his three games in the American Hockey League were less than impressive. Granted that Binghamton team was a complete disaster (sorry Tim!). Hogberg’s emergence as a legitimate prospect was a pleasant surprise last year and now the organization is banking on him taking another step forward.
Full roster and player bios are available here.
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