Editor’s Note- The Ottawa Senators still have one more game to win er play in this year’s annual Rookie Showcase but through the first two games, it’s pretty clear that this year’s batch of prospects is ready to hit the ground running heading into the main camp. There have been a number of standout performances through the first two games and more of the same is expected tonight when they close out the tournament against the poor, poor Winnipeg Jets. And as we get set for tonight’s game, a reader stops by with his early impressions from the first two games. Take it away, Paul!
As I won’t be watching game 3, I wanted to offer my take on the player’s present at the 2019 Ottawa rookie showcase.
Group 1 can’t miss players. Batherson, Brannstrom, Brown, Formenton,
Gustavsson
I am not surprised this group made a solid showing. In fact expecting them to dominate, I expected nothing less.
Batherson-Although it may seem as though he didn’t play his best, Batherson played fine in this tournament. Perhaps due to the pressure of training with GOAT’s all summer (crazy Nova Scotians), or being an AHL all-star MVP, he didn’t quite blow our socks off as expected. Despite this, Batherson took on other team’s best lines and set up numerous scoring opportunities, including the opening goal and empty netter for game 2. I liked the fact that he took advantage of his extra 10 pounds and played physical, despite the resulting penalty time. Batherson was a leader on the ice and deserved the A he wore for the tourney.
Brannstrom- I can’t lie, I have never been quite as high on Brannstrom as many others. Perhaps due to his stature, or my nagging suspicion he may be house Slytherin, I probably look for warts in his game more then other players. Despite this, I could find nothing not to like as Brannstrom played physical, controlled the puck, and displayed his ability to get points shots to the net through traffic. This resulted in multiple goals and poof, Abracadabramov™, this muggle is starting to believe in magic.
Brown-How can you not have high hopes for this beast? One year ago, a few henny-penny’s might have said Logan Brown was injury prone, worried of him being soft or slow, or not having enough compete. Fast forward to today and we see exactly what kind of ceiling Logan Brown has. Wearing the C and being the most visible presence on the ice every shift, he used those horse-lip hands to pot 2 goals and add an assist in the first game. Logan Brown made a lot of this look effortless as his size and reach give a false impression, that he is slow. Really he is just trolling by making us wonder just how good he will be when he cranks it up another gear this fall.
Formenton- What can I say, I never had a doubt in my mind about this guy. I really tuned into Formenton his first Ottawa Senators training camp. Despite knowing he was going back to the OHL, he was kept up for multiple looks and solidified his place in my mind as a “can’t miss” prospect. I can insert all the clichés here, but it is evident to all how fast this league is getting. Formenton is one of the fastest so combine this with size. physicality, strength on the PK, ability to put up points and you have a very exciting prospect. All of this was on display as Formenton was given first star in Friday night’s shellacking. Formentons few critics point out to a lack of finish, but I say given that he gets 5 breakaways a game, there are plenty of opportunities to figure it out. If Formenton’s hands ever do catch up to his feet, he’s a shoe-in for 2nd line winger.
Gustavsson-I gotta throw Goose in this group due to his pedigree. Considered a top goaltending prospect before having trouble after turning pro last season, Gustavsson needed a good showing amongst several other goaltending prospects nipping at his heels. The one goal he let in was the result of a break down by the Sens D, as he stopped the other 22 shots posting a .957 for the game. It will be an interesting battle between him and Okay! for the second spot in Belleville.
Group 2.
Expected/Exceeded expectations.
Abramov, Veronneau, Davidsson, Norris, Parker, Daccord
In this second group are several player’s familiar to us as fans of the organization. All were drafted at least one year ago and have seen varying levels of pro experience, with the exception being Norris. I expected all to display well, although this group exceeded these by providing plenty of secondary offense.
Abramov-Coming over from Columbus Vitaly reminds me of a young Dave Cameron. Physical features aside though this kid can skate. Although I don’t believe he is as fast as Alex Formenton, he combines his speed with edgework that reminds me of Matt Duchene. In fact, both he and Brannstrom have a style of using their edges to get around and even below larger player’s, and Abramov uses this unique ability to drive down the wing and to the front of the net. In addition to this, Abramov has been identified as a sniper with a great one-timer on the powerplay. This combination resulted in a game 2 hat trick with 4 goals total in both. Despite my girlfriend saying she thought he was unattractive when the camera panned to him (superficial I know, I think this kid is a reeeeeeal beauty.
Veronneau-And who says nobody wants to play for Ottawa? Veronneau signed with Ottawa as an undrafted/unrestricted free agent, and as a result I wasn’t quite sure what to think. Despite this Max played fairly well for Ottawa at the end of last season. In this tournament so far, as one of a quartet of speedy player’s, Veronneau had a good showing racking up points. He displayed good chemistry with Abramov, including a beauty 2 on 1 in game 2. I went to the same high school as this guy, and even if he was a first ave. Glebe boy, this door 9 slacker is willing to forgive and forget if Max continues with his solid play.
Norris-Josh Norris was a bit of an unknown for me due to a shoulder injury that kept him out of the majority of play last year. A good looking highlight packs show him as a solid 2-way centerman with playmaking ability and offensive upside. His only showing this tournament in game one confirmed this as he did an admirable job centering the second line. One highlight was a beauty tic-tac-toe play in game one between Gruden, himself, and Davidsson. I think it was smart to limit his games due to his past shoulder injury and look forward to watching him own a line in Belleville for the year before jumping to the NHL.
Kelly- Another undrafted player Parker Kelly has fought tooth and claw to get where he is, an apt analogy because this guy may be another honey badger. Reminding me of a Brendan Gallagher 2.0, this 2-time Sens development camp hardest worker may end up being the pest who rivals Brady Tkachuk for pissing off the opponents. Speaking of hard work, stealing the puck and scoring from his stomach during the first game of the tournament doesn’t hurt his image either.
Daccord-This young goaltender drafted 199th overall is probably the player who was drafted the latest but has exceeded fan’s expectations the most. Playing for Arizona of all places in a very young program, Daccord got to be THE guy playing behind a porous Sun Devils defense. Although Daccord got to see one game with the Sens at the end of last season, this tournament provided a much better look at him as well as a great in-depth interview at the intermission. I noticed a few poster’s saying he made them nervous, and I think this is due to how active he is in net and how often he likes to play the puck. Although this frenzied activity resulted in a minor late game injury (he should be fine) it also enabled him to post a .941 average (am I doing this mat thing right?) Becoming calmer and more poised in the net can come with experience but Daccord’s IQ and skill has this self-professed pundit saying “Okay!”. I expect Joey (Joel?) to get a heavy workload in the ECHL, but he is one half filleted chicken breast from being in the AHL for realz.
Group 3- Sweet Surprises. Kastelic, McDonald, Guenette
Kastelic-I really liked this guy after he was selected #125 overall in this year’s draft and I saw his highlight pack. Although picked as an overager, this is the one player not considered a reach for general manager Pierre Dorion in 2019. As the captain of the Hitman last year he got a ridiculous (in my opinion) 47 goals in 66 games, while exceeding his teammates in shots, hits and PIMS by a fair margin. This guy is a bugger to play against. With good physicality he displayed this skillset during the tournament by shutting down the competition. Led by Kastelic and Parker Kelly the Ottawa penalty kill went 8 for 8, in addition to two assists in the first game. Are you hungry for apples?
McDonald-Young McDonald has a farm……. or possibly a new farm team contract that is. Although hard to nail down what his strengths are, Conner had a visibly positive presence during both games, providing good defense and second pairing offence from the point. Certainly, worth taking a flyer on for depth in the amateur leagues and who knows what may transpire. Never hurts to have a Conner McD on the team.
Guenette-I did not even really register Guenette on my radar until a couple days before the tourney. I saw the upcoming roster, blinked wide-eyed at the lack of recognizable defenseman and started googling. Low and behold I discovered a right-handed defenseman drafted in the seventh round and guess what? He was drafted by us! People always say if you don’t notice a defenseman on the ice that is a good thing, and I honestly can’t remember one play Guenette was a part of. The fact that he was able to do that while putting up 3 assists in the first game has me hoping for another late round gem.
So, there you have it. I could go on to talk about the Beaudin, Sturtz and Aspirot’s on the team but I have rambled on for long enough. It is safe to say they showed well, although a bit uninspiring, and will provide excellent depth for a Belleville team making their way to a Calder Cup. I won’t be watching Monday as I have a tournament of my own to kick ass in, but please keep an eye on some of the above standouts for me. Hopefully we will have even more proof for the pudding that is Ottawa rising over the next few years.
Thanks for reading!
