Training Camp Begins in Ottawa

There has been a predictable calm since the Ottawa Senators wrapped up their domination of the Rookie Showcase with an OT win over the hapless prospects from the Winnipeg Jets on Monday night.

There were some interesting interviews (including Dorion’s annual fight with the “What do you like about your team question?”), an eye-catching tweet from the team’s official Twitter account that briefly had me thinking they had reached a multi-year partnership with a hockey player rather than an auto-dealer and the firestorm that was Drake Batherson’s number change but other than that, it’s been pretty quiet.

But with Training Camp officially opening in Ottawa today, business is about to pick up.

This morning, the Senators announced their alternate captains for this season.

No surprises there.

DJ Smith’s early comments about Ron Hainsey made it clear that he’s viewed as a key part of the team’s leadership group. And while he ends up being one of three alternates, his placement in this particular photograph suggests he’s the captain of the alternate captains.

And now this.

Players will report to the Canadian Tire Centre for medicals and fitness testing today before hitting the ice for their first on-ice session on Friday.

They are back on the ice the following day in sessions that will be open to fans as part of the team’s annual Fan Fest.

Earlier this week, we learned the names of the 63 players that will attend this year’s Training Camp. And once again, I have been left off the list.

The roster includes seven goalies, 19 defenceman and 37 forwards.

It will become pretty clear early on which players have a legitimate shot at cracking the roster in a few weeks time.

New Head Coach DJ Smith plans to split the camp into three teams right off the bat, each with 12 forwards, six defencemen and two goalies.

Pierre Dorion mentioned that there are probably three forward spots and two defensive openings up for grabs. With an all new coaching staff in place, even the more established guys will be set on making a good first impression.

Here’s a look at the 63 players that will attend this year’s Camp, by position and ranked from most likely to make the final roster to the least likely.

We’ll call them the OFFICIAL SensChirp Training Camp Power Rankings, to be updated occasionally throughout camp.

Disclaimer- I don’t know who A LOT of these guys are.

Another disclaimer- it is very unlikely I remember to update the SensChirp Training Camp Power Rankings