While Alex DeBrincat’s name headlined most of the week for the Senators, that didn’t mean Pierre Dorion and the Sens front office weren’t still hard at work. While this wasn’t a draft in which the Senators accumulated multiple high draft picks, as was the case in 2020, the organization still made 5 selections at the annual event. The club featured 1 pick in the 4th round, 1 in the 5th round, and 3 in the 7th round pick. Here are the 5 newest members of the Senators organization.
Hoyt Stanley (RD): Round 4, pick #104
This was a nice bit of work by the Sens scouting department as their opener in the draft. While Stanley stands 6 foot 2, and is a coveted right shot defenseman, that’s not all he has to offer. The BC native is a well-rounded blueliner that has all the tools to one day become an NHL caliber defenseman. He has solid skating mechanics, good defensive instincts and can provide some offense to boot.
His upside is questioned because he is still a very raw prospect. I could see him being anything between a second pair defenseman to a mid-level AHL player.
His 2022-23 season saw him put up 38 points in 53 games for the Victoria Grizzlies of the BCHL. While this league is Junior A hockey, those are still some solid numbers for an 18-year-old defender. Stanley is committed to Cornell University of the NCAA this fall, where the quality of play will jump and will test the freshman right out of the gate.
Matthew Adonovski (LD): Round 5, pick #140
In the 2022 draft, it felt like the Senators didn’t take a shot at a rugged defensive defenseman. Well, they definitely got one in Andonovski, who checks off multiple boxes in that regard. With Tyler Kleven potentially graduating to the NHL, it only makes sense for the Senators to replenish their defensive prospects with some physicality.
He’s not going to put up a ton of offense. In fact, he hasn’t even scored his first OHL goal yet through 110 games. But this year he played a significant role for the Kitchener Rangers in the team’s top four recording a +25 rating on a struggling team.
I don’t see him cracking a top four one day in the NHL, but he has the ability to become a reliable #6 or 7 defenseman, one that can add some much-needed physicality come playoff time.
Owen Beckner (Center): Round 7, pick #204
Despite being a 7th round pick, it will be intriguing to see where he lands one day. He has the offensive and defensive skills of an NHLer, but it’s all about consistency with Beckner. There are some nights where he looks like the best player on the ice, but then some where his motivation gets questioned. A good amount of his production came with the man advantage, so his 5v5 production is also a question mark moving forward as well.
His 50 points in 53 BCHL games shows that he finds ways to contribute offensively.. While the odds aren’t in his favour to make the NHL as a 7th round pick, there’s still a chance he could become a bottom six contributor one day. He could have a big draft +1 year and could look like a steal, but there’s still a long way to go. Beckner will return to Salmon Arm for one more season and start his NCAA career in 2024-25.
Vladimir Nikitin (G): Round 7, pick #207
I absolutely love this pick, because this is the epitome of low risk, high reward. It’s also awesome that they picked a player out of the U-20 league in Kazakhstan.
His .921 save percentage through 24 games was third best in the league as an 18-year-old. With goaltenders, it’s a shot in the dark and they’re getting one of these in Nikitin. He also recorded a .936 save percentage through 5 games in the Division 1 version of the U18s this spring. While he remains somewhat of a mystery, I trust that the Sens scouting have some sort of intel that the public may not be privy to. Think of Leevi Merilainen from the 2020 draft.
Nikitin will join the Chilliwack Chiefs this fall in the BCHL to get used to the North American game and lifestyle.
Nicholas Van Tassell (RW): Round 7, pick #215
Despite being a 19-year-old, Van Tassell is still seen as a long-term project. This is a player with a good offensive skill set and could improve on his 37 points in 62 games in the USHL this past year. He’s described as a winger with a good shot and above average hands. He’s a smooth skater in transition and despite being a bigger build at 6 foot 4, doesn’t have an awkward gait to his stride like some taller players have.
However, he does have subpar defensive results in a league that he’s spent extra time in. His good offensive toolkit can at least get him some AHL games in the future, but he’s going to have to improve his defensive game if he wants to earn an NHL spot one day (especially in the bottom six).
He will be going to the University of Massachusetts this fall, so let’s see where he can go from there.
-Damian Smith
Twitter: @Damian__Smith
Photo: Greymouser. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.