Ottawa Senators Prospect Update - February 6th

Forwards

Owen Beckner

This 7th-rounder from the recent draft finds his way into the prospect piece once again, and is stronger than ever. In his last 4 games, Beckner added one goal and six assists to his new total of 34 points in 39 games for the Tri-City Storm. Did I already mention he's playing for Colorado College next season? Uh...there's another NHL prospect named Owen Beck. That's interesting, right?

Oliver Johansson

It's always a big deal when someone scores at a point-per-game clip in Sweden. Johansson's two points (which bring him to 8 points in 40 games) over the past week included this highlight-reel goal. Don't watch the following clip if you're Olaf Kolzig, Martin Biron, or the goalie in said clip whose name I'm too lazy to look up.

Ottawa's other Swedish prospect, Oskar Pettersson, recently transferred to Belleville after receiving limited ice time in 26 SHL games, and we could see Johansson follow suit after the 2024-25 season.

Angus Crookshank

Angus Crookshank scored in both of Belleville's wins against Syracuse this weekend, helping lead the team to an important four points in the hunt for a playoff spot. He also appeared in his first AHL All Star game, scoring a couple goals including this beauty.

Defencemen

Tomas Hamara

Hamara's been a much better Bulldog than Ranger in his OHL career, and he had his most productive week yet with 5 assists in 3 games, and has 17 points in 25 games with Brantford.

Michael Andonovski

The gritty blueliner doesn't get featured as often as others in this update. He's not a flashy player, doesn't pile up the points and, as we don't watch each and every Kitchener Rangers games (I may be the only one who watches some regularly, given my proximity to the club), we don't talk about him much. That being said, here's a great read from Josh Brown at The Record on the throwback defender, his style, and why he might be one of the most valuable players the Rangers have in their lineup right now.

Goaltending

Mads Sogaard

Despite a rough stint in Ottawa, Sogaard continued his strong AHL play with back-to-back victories, in which he posted a .940 save percentage on 67 shots. The 2019 2nd-round pick is currently sporting a .922 and 10-5-2 record, with another full year in the minors being a possibility before he becomes waiver-eligible.

Belleville Update

How many times have we started this section with something along the lines of "the rollercoaster continues in Belleville"?

Well, folks, they're at it again.

After a six game losing streak, the BSens went into Syracuse this weekend and pulled off four points against the top team in the North Division. On Friday night, Mads Søgaard made his return to the AHL after sticking around Ottawa during Anton Forsberg's injury. Thanks to the NHL All Star break, the Danish netminder was able to come home and put up a big performance, stopping all but one of the shots he faced in a 3-1 victory over the Crunch. Crookshank, Lassi Thomson and Matthew Highmore were your goalscorers.

Saturday's contest was a bigger challenge, as the Crunch struck first, just three minutes into the opening frame. Fortunately, Belleville doesn't buckle under pressure and they kept with it, eventually heading into the first intermission knotted at two apiece. Outside of Søgaard, who got the crease in back-to-back games, Saturday's hero was Jiri Smejkal who potted a pair of goals, including this rocket.

In case you didn't watch this replay 17 times like I did, Smejkal's shot beats Hugo Alnefelt clean with what looks like no screen in front. He found the inside of the post and fired it home. The Czech winger had two goals and an assist in Belleville's 4-3 overtime win.

Belleville returns to CAA Arena for a four game homestand this weekend, starting with a back-to-back with the Utica Comets. The Comets currently occupy the North Division's basement, however they're only one win behind Belleville who sits fifth. Yet another important pair of games for the BSens.

Stats