This time next week, the Ottawa Senators will be getting ready to play an actual hockey game.
Sure it’s the Rookie Tournament and of course the result means nothing but a group of guys in Sens jerseys will be going head to head against a group of guys in Habs jerseys. Good enough!
Yes indeed. Hockey is back. Well, next week it is.
Yesterday, the Senators announced the 27 players that will represent the team in this year’s Rookie Tournament in Laval, Quebec. Rookies from the Leafs and Canadiens will be there too but who cares about them.
You can see the full 27 man roster here but here are five players to watch in this year’s three game tournament.
Filip Gustavsson
Acquired in a trade deadline deal that sent Derick Brassard to the Pittsburgh Penguins, Gustavsson is the future in goal. They don’t call him Filly Franchise for nothing. Okay maybe they don’t actually call him that. Not yet anyway. Gustavsson is expected to make the jump to full-time professional hockey this year and it’s no secret that the transition can be a tough one for European players. He’s likely only going to end up playing a part of a couple games but a good start at Rookie Tournament would set the tone heading into Training Camp.
Aaron Luchuk
If you didn’t know Aaron Luchuk was already 21 years old, a quick glance at his numbers from last season might lead you to believe he’s one of the top prospects in the organization. Luchuk put up an incredible 115 points in 68 OHL games split between Barrie and Windsor and he was without a doubt one of the most dynamic offensive players in that league. Of course, he was an overage player but it will be really interesting to see how his game translates at the pro level. He has a chance to be an impact player in Belleville this year and he should be able to dominate in a tournament like this.
Brady Tkachuk
Up until this point, most of what we know about the Senators first round pick in the 2018 Entry Draft is limited to YouTube videos and his dominant showing at the World Juniors. He attended rookie camp last month and you could see flashes of what makes him such an intriguing NHL prospect. He has such a rare skill-set, a combination of skill and power, and if he hits his potential as a player, he’ll become an instant fan favourite in this city. Tkachuk is a proud guy so you know he’ll want to make a good first impression. Also, he has a real shot of making the NHL roster out of Camp and needs a strong showing right out of the gate.
Christian Wolanin
Wolanin got into some NHL game’s down the stretch last year and certainly didn’t look out of place. This year, he has a legitimate chance to make the team out of Camp. Wolanin is like five years older than some of the other guys in this tournament and is part of a group that includes the likes of Colin White, Filip Chlapik, Christian Jaros, Alex Formenton and Logan Brown that will be expected to control the pace in a tournament like this. In the case of Wolanin, my expectations of his NHL potential were elevated after watching him play and now I’m expecting to carry it over into a new season.
Drake Batherson
Not sure what it is about Drake Batherson but he seems to be forgotten at times in the Sens prospect pool. Maybe it’s because he’s a bit of a late bloomer and as a 4th round pick, expectations remain pretty low. Batherson is a legitimate prospect though and you know that because it sounds like he’ll be showing up for Camp in the BEST SHAPE OF HIS LIFE. Batherson has packed on 12 pounds of muscle in the last couple months and spent some of that time training with the likes of Sidney Crosby. Batherson’s game has taken huge strides over the last year and a bit and it will be fascinating to see where he’s at in his development.
Who are you excited to see in this year’s tournament?
