The Ottawa Senators will be sending four prospects to the upcoming World Juniors in Halifax and Moncton. These players will represent one country each, all looking to capture the gold medal at the annual holiday event.
Oskar Pettersson (RW): Team Sweden
Pettersson has certainly been the most noticeable player from the recent 2022 NHL draft. While it initially seemed to be a reach to pick him at #74, the winger will look to be a good net front presence for Sweden at this year’s tournament.
His jump in prospect rankings is mostly linked to his dominance in the J20 league. Through 19 games for Rogle BK J20, he has 25 points (including 15 goals). His solid play has earned him a call up to SHL, where he has recorded 2 points in 10 GP with limited playing time. Because he’s 18 years of age, I wouldn’t expect him to play a huge role this year for the men’s club. Look for him to get stints in the top nine, and on the second power play unit.
Zack Ostapchuk (LW/C): Team Canada
While not the flashiest prospect in the Senators’ organization, I would expect Ostapchuk to be a fixture in the bottom six for team Canada. Canada (like always) will be loaded with offensive talent, so having a player in Ostapchuk to carry some defensive load will be key to keeping pucks out of the net.
He is a returnee from last year’s tournament as well, with the potential to be a part of the leadership group. In his final season with Vancouver in the WHL, he has 29 points in 21 games. Ostapchuk was picked at #39 by the Senators in the 2021 NHL draft.
Tomas Hamara (LD): Team Czechia
Hamara will be another WJC returnee as well, despite still being 18 years old. The defenseman made his transition to the OHL from Finland this year and has had his struggles to start off. He’s not a dynamic offensive defenseman, but his 11 points in 24 games has been a lower point production than many thought.
His -13 is also currently the team worst. While he played on the 3rd pair this past summer for Czechia, I would expect him to be on the second pair with a chance of powerplay and penalty kill this time around. This may be a nice reset for him mentally as well. A good tournament could give him confidence before he heads back to Kitchener.
Tyler Boucher (RW/LW): Team USA
This has to be a relief for both Boucher and Sens fans. The scrutiny from fans, scouts, and media alike after the organization took Boucher at #10 in the NHL draft has been a lot for a teenager.
Boucher had a nice training camp with the Senators this fall, but it was clear he needed more time in the OHL. In his final season of junior, he has 15 points in 17 games for the Ottawa 67’s. While it’s better production than last season, some are still waiting for his breakout stretch. I’d expect Boucher to be a fixture in the bottom six, with time on the 2nd powerplay. His consistency has been questioned at times, especially with penalty troubles. But in a tournament where he will be one of the oldest players, keep an eye out on his discipline.
While this year won’t be headlined by names like Tim Stutzle and Jake Sanderson, it will be a year to look out for future depth players as they will support the Senators core.
For Ostapchuk and Boucher, it will be their last go around at the World Junior as they turn 20 years of age in 2023. But for Tomas Hamara and Oskar Pettersson, you can expect them to be back for the 2024 World Junior Championship in Sweden. While Boucher will be the lone prospect in Group B, the other three will face off against each other at various points throughout the tournament:
December 26th, 6:30 PM (EST): Ostapchuk (Canada) vs Hamara (Czechia)
December 29th, 1:30 PM (EST): Hamara (Czechia) vs Pettersson (Sweden)
December 31st, 6:30 PM (EST): Pettersson (Sweden) vs Ostapchuk (Canada)
-Damian Smith
Twitter: @Damian__Smith
Photo: Dave Olson. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.