Ottawa Senators 2024 Top 25 Under 25: Near Misses

Before we draw back the curtain on the obvious #1 pick in Nick VanTassell, let's take a look at a few Ottawa Senators prospects who were the closest to making the cut for our Top 25 Under 25.

Gabriel Eliasson

• Staff Rank: 30th
• Reader Rank: 22nd
• Last Year: N/A

I'd be lying if I said I watched that highlight pack and didn't smile all the way through. As far as raw physical tools are concerned, it's exciting to think about Eliasson's potential as a punishing defender, but that's just one of a large range of outcomes. The pick is a big risk, and the Senators don't have a good record of drafting defensemen in the second round, Tyler Kleven being the only seemingly successful pick since Patrick Wiercioch in 2008. That said, assuming he's headed to the USHL, I'm happy he's taking the college route, which is the best path for a raw prospect like him.

Tyler Boucher

• Staff Rank: 29th
• Reader Rank: 19th
• Last Year: 23rd

It bears repeating that while he was never a Top-10 talent in any serious hockey person's mind, Boucher was still rated as a late-1st/early-2nd round pick by the consensus, and that's still a player with some valuable attributes, particularly his shot and physicality. That said, his Pascal Leclarian injury history at a young age means it's going to be tough for him to bring much value to the Belleville Senators going forward, let alone the Ottawa Senators. There were at least a couple of times last season when I clicked on a tweet from the B-Sens celebrating a Boucher goal, only for me to find out it was ECHL superstar Matthew Boucher instead.

Theo Wallberg

• Staff Rank: 28th
• Reader Rank: 31st
• Last Year: NR

At the start of the series we touched upon Blake Montgomery increasing his production from prep school to the USHL this past season. On a similar note, this left-shot defenceman went from 0.37 points-per-game in the USHL, to 0.55 in the Big-10 hockey conference, on an Ohio State squad that was lacking in offensive talent outside of Stephen Halliday, Davis Burnside, and Scooter Brickey, the only three players who had more points than Wallberg – in his freshman season. With the graduation of Brickey, expect Wallberg to serve as Ohio State's number-one defenseman, with Halliday's departure being made up for by the addition of Philadelphia Flyers 2024 5th-rounder Noah Powell and Nashville Predators 2024 7th-rounder Gunnarwolfe Fontaine.

Hoyt Stanley

• Staff Rank: 27th
• Reader Rank: 26th
• Last Year: NR

Ottawa's top draft pick in 2023 – a fourth-rounder (wow, that must mean they made the playoffs that year, right? ...Right?), was an intriguing pickup as a right-handed defenseman with a combination of size and mobility. After leading BCHL draft-eligible defenders in scoring in 2022-23, he began his college career with Cornell of the ECAC conference, scoring 2 goals and 8 assists in 35 games, tied for second on the blueline as a freshman. With most of Cornell's key contributors sticking around for next season, and a year older as well, look for Stanley to potentially enter a top-pairing role as a sophomore and put up somewhere around a half a point per game.

Philippe Daoust

• Staff Rank: 26th
• Reader Rank: 24th
• Last Year: 25th

Like Boucher, Daoust has dealt with multiple long-term injuries that have jeopardized his chances of a fruitful hockey career. That said, the upside is still there – he was a productive forward in his D+1 and D+2 seasons with the Moncton Wildcats, starred on the Memorial Cup-winning Saint John Cha Bots, and has 9 points in 13 AHL games since the conclusion of his junior career. To think he's still probably the most valuable asset Pierre Dorion got in the Mike Hoffman trade. On top of staying healthy, a challenge for Daoust will be fighting through the steep competition for AHL playing time. He's in that awkward territory of not having any trade value while still being a prospect worth keeping an eye on.