(UPDATE 5:47 PM)- Another Senators pick on the board as they take Philippe Daoust, a centre playing with Moncton in the QMJHL. You can read a little bit about him here.
(UPDATE 5:40 PM)- The draft is still happening?! In the 5th round, with the 155th overall pick, the Ottawa Senators select Eric Engstrand, a 6’4 winger playing in Malmo, Sweden. He’s an overage prospect (turned 20 in May).
(UPDATE 2:18 PM)- At 71st overall, the Senators went with a goalie, taking Finnish netminder Leevi Merilainen. He’s already started his season in Kärpät and is off to a strong start, posting a 1.67 GAA and a .935 sv% through the first three games of the season. This seems like a bit of an off-the-board pick at a position that seems pretty deep already. Will be interesting to hear Trent Mann talk through some of these selections when the draft wraps sometimes in the next couple weeks.
(UPDATE 1:51 PM)- With the 61st overall pick in the Draft, the Senators took a 6’4 forward in Egor Sokolov of the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles. He scored 46 goals and 92 points in just 52 games last year. He was in his third season at Cape Breton but he certainly has some intriguing skills that could translate at the NHL level. It also turns out he’s just a damn good person.
(UPDATE 12:40 PM)- Pierre Dorion is in a dealing mood today, trading up to the 44th overall spot and sending picks 59 and 64 to the Toronto Maple Leafs to get it done. And then with the 44th overall pick, the Ottawa Senators selected UND defenceman Tyler Kleven. He’s a 6’4 defenceman that was ranked 36th on Bob McKenzie’s list heading into the draft.
(UPDATE 11:55 AM )- With the dust still settling on an early-day blockbuster, the Senators made their first pick of the day taking Finnish left winger Roby Jarventie at 33rd overall. He’s seen as a power forward with good hands and apparently, one of the best shots in the draft. He was ranked 52nd on Bob McKenzie’s list.
(UPDATE 11:33 AM)- We have a trade to announce! Sounds like Pierre Dorion has made a splash early in Day 2, acquiring RFA goalie Matt Murray from the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Senators are sending the 52nd overall pick the other way along with prospect Jonathan Gruden. That’s all it took to acquire a 26-year old two-time Stanley Cup winning goalie. Wow.
What. A. Night.
When you count down to something for months, it can be pretty easy for the moment to fall short of expectations. But that was the beauty of this night. It’s not like a big game where you’re partly filled with feelings of dread.
Because of the capital Pierre Dorion collected, the NHL Entry Draft was always going to be a celebration of a bright future in Ottawa. It was going to be pretty difficult for the Senators to get it wrong but almost all everyone agrees that in Round 1 anyway, Ottawa nailed it.
At 3rd overall, they did what they promised. They let the Rangers take Alexis Lafreniere. They let the Kings take Quinton Byfield. And then they stepped up and took the most electric player in the Draft.
Or Alex Trebek stepped up and took the most electric player in the Draft.
In our wildest dreams, it would be hard to come up with something as legendary as that moment.
In Tim Stützle, the Senators are getting one of the most skilled players in the Draft. A dazzling combination of speed, skill, work ethic and hockey sense, Stützle has a real opportunity to step into the NHL as early as next year.
Whether it’s at centre or on the wing, the Sens are confident they are getting a top line player. And looking back on his highlights from the World Juniors, it’s pretty easy to see why.
In a normal year, Pierre Dorion and Trent Mann could have patted themselves on the back and called it a job well done. Except this anything but a normal year. Just ten minutes later, Dorion stepped up to the microphone and went ahead and drafted the best defenceman in the Draft.
Word is the Senators had Jake Sanderson at four on their list so there was never a doubt. You’ll hear a lot of talk about Ottawa missing out on an opportunity to trade back but with the Ducks set on taking a defenceman behind them, it was never an option.
Sanderson is a player with elite skating ability and hockey sense that according to people that watch him regularly, has basically never been beat one on one. A late birthday, Sanderson was one of those players that rose rapidly up almost everyone’s list in the lead up to Draft Day.
The son of NHLer Geoff Sanderson, Jake is headed to UND next year where he’ll join two of Ottawa’s top prospects in Jacob Bernard-Docker and Shane Pinto. Maybe.
While the Senators took plenty of calls on that 28th overall pick, they ended up using it to take Ridly Greig, a centre that put up 60 points in 56 games with Brandon of the WHL last year. Dorion says they tried to move up in the first round but that it would have been to take Greig anyway.
He’s a two-way centre that plays with an edge. His style has been compared to Brad Marchand although in his words- “not a greasy”.
I hate/love him already.
Three key pieces added to an already ridiculous prospect pool. It was always going to be a big night for the Senators but most of the Draft experts agree that Ottawa was one of the big winners in Round 1.
And they’re just getting started.
The Senators are scheduled to pick four more times in Round 2 although according to Dorion, he already has a couple offers on that 33rd overall pick. Four 2nd round picks. Two in the 3rd round. Nine in total on Day 2.
Sounds like it could be another wild day folks.
The action gets started at 11:30 AM.
