Ottawa Senators Prospect Update - January 10th

Forwards:

Stephen Halliday

One of college hockey's top playmakers last season returned to form this past week, as Halliday tallied 5 assists in 2 games to help Ohio State to back-to-back victories. The 2022 4th-rounder now has a team-leading 19 points in 20 games.

Owen Beckner

A recent 7th-rounder from the 2023 draft, Beckner had a point-per-game week with the Tri-City Storm of the USHL, adding two points to his new total of 22 points in 29 games.

Zack Ostapchuk

Zack Ostapchuk got back in the goal column this week with a timely tip to extend Belleville's win streak to six games. The rookie forward has been a solid piece of Belleville's group up front, playing top nine minutes and being trusted in situations usually left to the veterans. His 11 points in 31 games doesn't scream offensive dynamo, but he's got the makings of a great future third liner for Ottawa if he continues to play the way he does away from the puck.

Defensemen:

Theo Wallberg:

The second half of the Ohio State Sens, and one of four left-shot blueliners from Ottawa's 2022 draft class also had a productive week, with three assists bringing him up to 13 points in 20 games — solid freshman production, even for a player who's a year older than most in his year.

Jorian Donovan:

After his stint at the World Juniors, in which participating at all should be considered an accomplishment considering the competition, Donovan returned to the Brantmilton Bulldogs, notching a goal and assist in 3 games, for a total of 28 points in 34 games.

Goaltending:

Belleville Goalies

This prospect update has a wonderful problem to solve. Which Belleville goalie do we pick? Do you talk about the one who only allowed one goal on Friday night? Or maybe the one who only allowed one goal on Saturday night? The netminder with the .938 SV%? Or the .950 SV%? The Belleville Senators are on a six game win streak and both Mads Søgaard and Kevin Mandolese can absolutely be thanked for their efforts in this run.

Belleville Update

In Belleville, Ontario, the proverbial sun is shining and the birds are chirping as the BSens are in the midst of a six game winning streak that has seen them jump from 7th (last) to 3rd in the division since their Boxing Day win in Toronto.

Through this streak, there are a ton of players to highlight. As mentioned above, both Søgaard and Mandolese have been absolutely dialled in on this run. This pair now sports save percentages of .912 and .915 on the season, making them one of the leagues strongest combined tandems.

While we can thank the goaltenders, the whole team has appeared to step things up over the past few weeks. I'm not sure what Santa brought them on the 25th, but since they kicked off their post-Christmas hockey, it's been nothing but solid performances. One thing that stands out is the ability of this Belleville squad to play to the final buzzer. This is evidenced by the team scoring a late game winning goal to take a 2-1 victory in game six of the streak. Instead of waiting for overtime and hoping, Belleville worked hard, drew a penalty, and capitalized on the man advantage in the final two minutes of the game. The Belleville Senators of October likely would've played it safe and defended the tie to grab the extra point, but this team put their foot on the gas and crossed the finish line.

Belleville welcomes Manitoba to CAA Arena for their third straight game against the Moose tonight before a weekend back-to-back with the Marlies.

Stats: