(UPDATE 2:53 PM)- With the 37th pick, the Senators moved up to draft goaltender Mads Sogaard. The 6’8 goalie spent last year with Medicine Hat in the WHL. He is considered by many to be the second best goalie prospect in this year’s draft.
(UPDATE 1:22 PM)- With the 32nd overall pick, the Senators went with American-born centre Shane Pinto. Pinto seems like a bit of a reach at 32nd but it feels like there has been a lot of that in this year’s draft. Pinto is committed to North Dakota next season.
(UPDATE)- With their first round selection (19th overall), the Ottawa Senators selected right-shot defenceman Lassi Thomson from the Kelowna Rockets of the Western Hockey League. While the selection seemed to catch just about everyone off guard, that was the case for a lot of guys picked in last night’s first round. It really was as unpredictable as everyone thought it might be.
Thomson is a skilled defenceman that by all accounts, has a good chance to be an NHL hockey player. But still has plenty of development required. Exceptional skater, high hockey sense, heavy shot are just some of the comments made about Thomson leading up to the Draft. You can read more about him here.
The Draft resumes today at 1:00 PM eastern and the Senators are up first with the 32nd overall choice. They’ll pick again at 44th overall.
It really is one of the most important decisions an NHL team makes over the course of a year.
When the General Manager and scouts step up to the podium, the name they call out has the potential to change the course of the franchise. It’s that important.
And while the selections are always second-guessed and the real impact of the player can take five or more years to be felt, front offices really are setting the direction of their teams for years to come.
The importance of the NHL Entry Draft is obviously magnified for the Ottawa Senators. Astute drafting and player development is the name of the game in the Nation’s Capital now and for the foreseeable future.
Pierre Dorion and his staff have stockpiled and absurd number of draft picks over the next three years, positioning the Senators for a run of dare I say it, unparalleled success.
But only if they can execute.
And when you have many picks as the Sens do, executing is about more than calling out the right name on draft day.
It’s definitely about hitting on some picks but it’s also about using them as assets. Moving up if the chance is there, moving back to accumulate more picks or even using those picks in a deal for a more established player.
Those are just a few of the scenarios that will be running through Dorion’s head this weekend in Vancouver.
He also has negotiations with RFAs on his plate along with a key role in what could be one of the most hectic weekends for NHL GMs in recent memory. The Senators have picks , they have cap space, they have plenty of spots available on the roster and they have a General Manager who has proven he’s not afraid to make a splash.
I guess what I’m saying is buckle the hell up because it could be a wacky weekend.
As things currently stand, the Sens will select 19th overall.
Victor Soderstrom, Moritz Seider and Ryan Suzuki have been mentioned as possibilities in various mock draft scenarios and we now know they had Mississauga defenceman Thomas Harley in for a visit last week. So he is certainly someone that’s on their radar.
It really is a guessing game at this point though.
There is so much unpredictability in the picks leading up to Ottawa’s that it really could be anyone.
And that’s what makes draft weekend so fun.
Updates will be provided to this post and in the comment section below throughout the day. If you’ve followed along on previous drafts, we often get the names of potential picks ahead of time so keep an eye out.
And because I’m a fan of maximum chaos, today seems like a good day to ask the SensChirp lurkers (yes, YOU) to join the madness in the comment section.
Enjoy the Draft folks!
