The World Junior Championship remains a yearly tradition that showcases the world’s best U-20 talent. This year, hosted in Gothenburg, Sweden, there’ll once again be a decent showing from Ottawa Senators prospects. Last year, the team had four players participate: Tyler Boucher, Tomas Hamara, Zack Ostapchuk, Oskar Pettersson.
Two of those players will once again suit up for their home countries.
It was announced yesterday that Jorian Donovan was cut from Team Canada. In his two games against U SPORTS all stars, the defenseman didn’t stand out as much as some would have hoped.
Jorian Donovan:
The Senators should be proud of Donovan’s progress, who was drafted in the 5th round in 2022. Son of Senators development coach, Shean Donovan, Jorian has been Brantford’s (formerly Hamilton) best defenseman since they began their retool after their Memorial Cup defeat in 2022. Brantford has lost several players who have aged out of the OHL in recent years, so younger players such as Donovan have had to rise to the occasion.
The Ottawa native had 45 points in 55 games last year, leading the team in defensive scoring. He was already a well-rounded defenseman to begin with, so an offensive boost in production was a boon to his prospect rankings. This season, Donovan has made it clear that last year was no fluke. His 22 points in 29 games leads the team in defensive scoring once again.
Tomas Hamara: Team Czechia
Hamara has slid down prospect rankings over the past 18 months but has picked it up as of late. After making the transition to the OHL last fall, the Czechia native struggled to put up numbers- despite his offense being his best trait. In 74 games with the Kitchener Rangers, he scored 20 points and was pushed down the lineup. Funny enough, a recent trade to Brantford has seen a bump in production- and confidence. He mustered 8 points in 14 games, while playing on a pair with Jorian Donovan. It’s a good time for Hamara to be playing with confidence, as this will be his last eligible World Junior Championship.
In the past two tournaments, Hamara has played a limited role for Czechia. Across both tournaments, he collected 1 point in 7 games. Last year, team Czechia was built on the backend with an older defense core, leaving Hamara on the third pair as an 18-year-old. 5 of the 6 defensemen aged out, so Hamara will be counted on to be a key player for Czechia this time around. I would expect him to man one of the power plays and see 1st or 2nd pair minutes.
Kevin Reidler: Team Sweden
In an up and down year, the 5th round pick from 2022 has found his way into the crease for the home team this tournament. Reidler holds a .899 save percentage this year for the Dubuque Fighting Saints of the USHL, one of the better teams in the league. While the save percentage isn’t stellar, Reidler has a good chance to earn the starter’s role for Sweden. Hugo Havelid remains the oldest netminder but is struggling in the AllSvenskan and Melker Thelin is a year younger than Reidler.
Reidler may not boast the most impressive resume when it comes to his statistics, but the 19-year-old still remains an intriguing prospect. He was 11 days away from the 2023 draft, meaning he was one of the youngest drafted in the 2022 draft class. His 6-foot 6 frame is built for the professional game, and reminds scouts of a young Ben Bishop. The Senators will take their time with this netminder, as they’ll have until June of 2026 to offer him a professional contract.
Oskar Pettersson: Team Sweden
After an impressive 2022-23 season, it was expected that Pettersson was going to graduate to a complimentary role as a 19-year-old in the SHL. After all, the 3rd round pick was too good for the J-20 league, where he had 23 goals in 24 games. Fast forward to this year, and the winger has struggled to establish himself as an SHL player.
Through 21 contests for Rogle, Pettersson has accumulated 1 assist. However, this tournament could serve as a good time for Pettersson to reset while playing against opponents in the same age category. Pettersson is the Sens other returnee from last year, after making Sweden’s squad as a bottom six forward. He had a solid tournament with 4 points in 7 games and a +7 rating. I would expect him to play in the middle six and play on both special teams, as he’s a trustworthy player for coaches to throw out there.
Pettersson’s final ceiling is still to be determined, as his limited playing time in the SHL has stagnated his progress. As of today, Pettersson wouldn’t be considered a forward that can carry his own line. He’s more of a complimentary player than can play up and down the lineup. He has the makings of an NHL player though with his well-rounded skill set. He possesses a goal scoring touch, can play an energy role, and is slowly filling out his 6-foot 2 frame.
-Damian Smith
Twitter: @Damian__Smith
Photo: Kremlin.ru. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.