With the Ottawa Senators sitting in a fairly comfortable position in the Eastern Conference playoff picture, fans in the Nation's Capital have their focus directed towards the possibility of a return to the NHL playoffs this Spring.
And while the team has had some tremendous success at the NHL level, the deep prospect pool continues to shine both here in North America and in Europe. In this blog we take a look at the breakout seasons being enjoyed by three prospects in particular- Mark Stone, Shane Prince and Jakob Silfverberg.
While names like Zibanejad and Lehner often steal the headlines, you really see the depth of the prospect pool when you look beyond those names and see the huge offensive numbers being put up by Sens prospects.
With Cory Clouston as his coach, Mark Stone of the Brandon Wheat Kings has had a dominant season in the WHL. After a standout performance at the World Juniors, Stone has picked up right where he left off back in Brandon. Stone currently sits fourth in league scoring with 108 points in just 60 games. The knock on Stone has always been his skating but some of the people I talk to suggest he has already shown tremendous improvement in this aspect of his game.
As far as prospects go, Stone is the model for the rest of the organization. A late draft pick, Stone has shown exactly what is possible with hard work and dedication. He will push for a spot with the big club next year.
A second round pick last year, Shane Prince has been putting up huge numbers right here in the Nation's Capital with the Ottawa 67's. While Prince started the year a little slower than he would have liked, he has been on fire lately, including a recently snapped 20 game point scoring streak where he has racked up an absurd 21 goals and 17 assists. Great thing about Prince is he's playing right in our own backyard.
As far as prospects go, I really feel like Jakob Silfverberg has the opportunity to best player in the Sens system right now. Labeled as “NHL ready” at the start of this season, Silfverberg opted to spend another year in the Swedish Elite League and has made the most of it. With 52 points in 48 games, Silfverberg leads his team in scoring and sits second in the entire league. A strong skater with a wicked release, Silfverberg could make an impact at the NHL level as soon as next season.
While this post shines a light on three bright prospects, they are only part of the terrific organizational depth the Sens have built. Matt Puempel has 33 points in 30 games, Stefan Noesen has come on of late and now has 73 points in 58 games and Jean Gabriel Pageau has 63 points in just 43 games.
While the current season has been a pleasant surprise for the Ottawa Senators organization, it's pretty clear there are many good years to come.
Click here to see the latest version of the Sens prospect report.
