Top 25 Under 25, No. 23: Chris Wideman
After making a name for himself at Miami University, Chris Wideman is slowly building his reputation in Binghamton.
Chris Wideman may not be the most talked about Senators prospect, but he has quietly built an impressive resume. Drafted 100th overall in 2009, the defenceman spent four years playing for Miami University. During his time as a Miami RedHawk, he led the team in scoring among D-men three out of four years. After a brief stint in the ECHL, he played the previous two seasons in Binghamton.
While his first year with Binghamtom was nothing special (18 points in 60 games), he had an impressive 2013-14 campaign with 51 points in 73 games. This made him fourth overall in scoring for the team, and first among defence. He has been labelled an intelligent, puck-moving defenceman who makes smart decisions with the puck. He's a good skater, but his size and lack of strength make it difficult for him to contain bigger forwards. He makes up for this with his positioning, which he uses to take away shooting and passing lanes very well.
So why haven't we seen him in Ottawa yet? For starters, the competition on the team is a little higher for defencemen. He also signed an entry level contract in 2012, and has therefore only been available to call up for two years.
At the age of 24, it would be easy to say that if he hasn't played in Ottawa yet, there is little chance that he will. However other players have gone the college route and wound up playing with the big club full time. Players like Colin Greening and Erik Condra didn't play their first games until around the age of 24. So there is still hope for Wideman.
Depending on the look of the blue line this season, it's not out of the question to see Wideman get called up for at least a cup of coffee. As of right now, he just has a little more competition than most.
