Ottawa Senators Prospect Update: March 23th to 29th
Some prospect playoff updates and gushing over Wolanin in this week’s prospect update
As Colin updated us on last week, there are a bunch of Sens prospects in playoff action. The Swedes are done, as are the college kids, but the CHLers keep rolling on.
Stats Sheet
(Click to enlarge)
Biggest Standouts
Alex Formenton
After recording 0 points in 14 games in a fourth line role for the Knights last year, Formenton scored all of London’s goals in Games 1 (2 PPG) and 2 of their playoff series against Owen Sound, which you can see below:
WATCH THIS: @GoLondonKnights GM 2 offence provided by @88Forms ⚔️
— OntarioHockeyLeague (@OHLHockey) March 25, 2018
Nobody catching the @Senators prospect who uses speed to deliver first 🎩🎩🎩 of #OHLPlayoffs #OSvsLDN. pic.twitter.com/hxa78JBA3q
Formenton’s five goals is one behind Boris Katchouk for the league-lead, and his six points are tied for fourth. He also has 14 (!) shots in 3 games — a rate that’s much higher than his 3.65 shots per game in the regular season. Despite Formenton’s heroics, London is down 3-0 to Owen Sound and are likely headed for a first-round exit. It’ll be interesting to see if Formenton can join Ottawa or Belleville to wrap-up his year, even if it’s just for practices.
Christian Wolanin
He doesn’t have any points, but wowee has Wolanin stepped in and looked good this past week.
From Guy Boucher (via Murray Pam):
“Really smart, good with the puck. He’s not phased by pressure. There’s less time. The guys are bigger, faster. It’s very impressive how he handles himself with the puck. Without the puck, his stick on puck is much better. He understands there’s bigger boys in this league. He knows he has to get bigger. He’s very smart...He’s dedicated to improve defensively.”
Some broadcast highlights and commentary from Christian Wolanin's NHL debut, including his 1st career shift with the #Sens pic.twitter.com/wRxhgm4gVv
— Sens Prospects (@SensProspects) March 23, 2018
Logan Brown
One-upping Formenton (as he has been all season), Kitchener’s Logan Brown ranks second in playoff scoring with 8 points in 4 games, and has helped the Rangers to a current 2-2 stalemate against the Guelph Storm.
Logan Brown (#19) has 3A through Kitchener's first 2 #OHL playoff games 🍎
— Sens Prospects (@SensProspects) March 26, 2018
Kitchener leads Guelph 2-0 in their 1st round matchup. pic.twitter.com/GiNqgnad52
Brown is also shooting more, with 18 shots in 4 games, and has looked promising as Kitchener’s number one centre. The Rangers won their division and are expected to go on a deep run; let’s hope they pull through.
Silver Linings
- Not to be forgotten, Aaron Luchuk has 7 points in 3 games (2G, 5A) as Barrie is down 2-1 against Mississauga.
- Filip Gustavsson suited up for his first AHL start and was excellent: stopping 37 of 39 shots. I won’t go too much into it because Spencer has a nice write-up here, but I will pass along some rumours that the Sens may use their final call-up to get Gustavsson an NHL game at the end of the year as a ‘bonus’. I wonder how Marcus Hogberg feels about all of this..
- In other Swedish prospect news, a report surfaced that the Senators have been in contact with Filip Ahl and would like him to play in Belleville next year. Ahl currently isn’t signed to his entry-level deal with Ottawa, nor is he signed for another year in Sweden.
- Drake Batherson’s Blainville-Boisbriand Armada are through to the second round after their first-round sweep. Batherson is tied for fifth in QMJHL playoff scoring with five points in four games (2G, 3A). The Hockey News did a re-draft of 2017, and selected Batherson 26th overall.
- Jordan Hollett was in net for Medicine Hat’s Game 1 win over Brandon. The series is currently tied at two a piece. Parker Kelly’s Prince Albert Raiders are down 3-1 to the league-leading Moose Jaw Warriors. Kelly has no points in four games.
- In NCAA action, Kelly Summers’ Clarkson Golden Knights were eliminated in round one. I’m kind of surprised that he hasn’t joined the Senators yet on an ATO to finish off the year in Belleville.. /