Ottawa Senators 2024 Top 25 Under 25, #8: Angus Crookshank

Last Year: 13th

Reader Rank: 10th

Seniority on this list is one thing, but even across the Ottawa Senators organization, Angus Crookshank has been one of its longest-tenured members. A 5'11" left winger drafted in the 5th round of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, he began to gain recognition as one of the organization's most noteworthy prospects after his junior season with the University of New Hampshire, in which he tallied 18 points in 20 games before joining the Belleville Senators for the conclusion of the 2021 season.

He stepped into the top-six straight away and contributed 16 points in 19 games. That's pretty impressive D+3 production indicative of a future NHLer, albeit a tier below the likes of Josh Norris and Drake Batherson in previous seasons. Unfortunately, his full sprint towards an NHL career saw him run straight into a brick wall in the form of injuries. A knee injury sidelined him in 2022, he re-injured it in the following season, and this past season (in the NHL, at least) was ended prematurely due to yet another lower-body injury.

This past season, he led the B-Sens in points-per-game with 46 in 50, while contributing 2 points in 7 playoff games. Alongside Maxence Guenette, he represented Belleville as an AHL All-Star. Since he's turning 25 in October, it's unlikely that there's a huge offensive ceiling based on his production, but his skillset is valuable for a winger nonetheless. Scouted as a strong skater with a net-focused mentality, he's routinely led his teammates in shots per game, both in his final season with New Hampshire and this past season with Belleville, the latter of which he's posted shooting percentages of 10.2%, 13.8%, and 14.7% in his three seasons.

He can be dangerous on the rush and can bust out the occasional one-timer, but I suspect that most of his goals will be those greasy ones, those high-danger chances at the net which at the NHL level aren't going to be up for grabs without a cross check or two, which he's most definitely willing to endure. A good playmaking center will appreciate what he brings to the table, even if Crookshank will likely top out as a bottom-six player in the NHL.

He also has a pesky, "in-your-face" element to his game which, while not nearly as obnoxious as Ridly Greig's, will wear down opponents mentally and draw the occasional penalty here and there. Wonder what he said or did to Hayden Shaw to warrant this response?

His first NHL goal, which came against a deleted franchise on December 19th, isn't just an example of good hand-eye co-ordination, but also shows decent awareness in the offensive zone. He loves a good tussle in front of the net, in which he engages immediately, but he steps out of his office into a spot of open ice up high, unchallenged, to deflect an Artem Zub point shot into the back of the net.

According to B-Sens head coach David Bell, he's taken strides in his two-way game, improving on his play away from puck since the second half of the 2022-23 season. Having impressed the brass enough to finally receive a callup this past season, on which he played 13 games and scored 2 goals and an assist, he's being penciled into the fourth line for good reason. I don't see him playing another AHL game but he's still waiver-exempt thanks to that full missed season in 2021-22. To me, the bigger question for Crookshank will be regarding which center he'll be playing with, and to what degree he'll be able to elevate Ottawa's fourth line.