{"id":110381,"date":"2026-06-30T16:57:21","date_gmt":"2026-06-30T16:57:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/110381\/"},"modified":"2026-06-30T16:57:21","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T16:57:21","slug":"ottawa-senators-2026-draft-class-is-better-than-you-think-the-hockey-writers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/110381\/","title":{"rendered":"Ottawa Senators 2026 Draft Class Is Better Than You Think – The Hockey Writers –"},"content":{"rendered":"

Round 1 \u2013 Jonas Lagerberg Hoen and Jaxon Cover<\/a><\/p>\n

Round 3, 72nd Overall \u2013 Adam Nemec, LW, Sudbury Wolves (OHL)<\/a><\/p>\n

Round 3, 87th Overall \u2013 Oscar Holmertz, C, Link\u00f6ping HC (SHL)<\/a><\/p>\n

Round 3, 91st Overall \u2013 Louis-Felix Bourque, RW, Drummondville Voltigeurs (QMJHL)<\/a><\/p>\n

Round 4, 110th Overall \u2013 Elliot Lennon, G, Deerfield Academy (USHS-MA)<\/a><\/p>\n

Round 5, 151st Overall \u2013 Harris Pangretitsch, RD, Soo Greyhounds (OHL)<\/a><\/p>\n

Round 6, 183rd Overall \u2013 Alexander Grunin, LD, Novosibirsk (MHL)<\/a><\/p>\n

A Shift in Draft Philosophy<\/a><\/p>\n

The 2026 NHL Draft is all wrapped up, and the Ottawa Senators have added eight promising prospects to their organization. However, the reaction to the Senators\u2019 new draft class has been underwhelming. The Hockey Writers\u2019 Jordan Orth<\/a> gave the team a C, which tied for the lowest in the NHL, the same grade that Corey Pronman at The Athletic gave Ottawa, citing the huge risks with each of their picks. Stephen Ellis at Daily Faceoff<\/a> was the least impressed, giving the Senators a C-, writing, \u201cThe only reason I\u2019m not giving this a worse mark is because some scouts really believe in the upside of the first two picks.\u201d<\/p>\n

Not an especially glowing review. But the Senators weren\u2019t looking to play it safe on the draft floor. They intentionally took some big swings on players they felt had the upside to be impactful NHL players down the road while acknowledging that they still need to grow significantly. Following the first round, general manager Steve Staios said<\/a>, \u201cWe\u2019re excited about how we were able to build in this draft with players with great upside. I think we\u2019ve pushed that philosophy into this draft.\u201d<\/p>\n

After years of playing it safe under Pierre Dorion, it\u2019s nice to see the Senators take some calculated risks with their picks and bet on a player hitting their very high potential. However, that resulted in a draft class with several unfamiliar names for fans, so let\u2019s get to know the newest Senators.<\/p>\n

Round 1 \u2013 Jonas Lagerberg Hoen and Jaxon Cover<\/p>\n

With their two picks in the first round<\/a>, the Senators selected two wingers, Jonas Lagerberg Hoen 25th and Jaxon Cover 32nd overall. The latter generally drew praise from observers due to his incredible journey so far, but the former caught a lot of analysts off guard, as most had him ranked somewhere in the 80-100 range, but the Staios explained that a few NHL teams saw Lagerberg Hoen as a first-round pick, and if the Senators waited, he probably would have been gone by pick 32. <\/p>\n

\"JaxonJaxon Cover, Ottawa Senators (Amy Irvin<\/a> \/ The Hockey Writers)<\/p>\n

\u201cWe felt he was a top-15 talent and did not want to miss out on that opportunity,\u201d said Staios in his first-round press conference. \u201cJust going into the process of not only identifying, but even through the interview process, speaking to people and players who were close to Jonas, they all identified him as a top-end player in Sweden, which was a strong draft class for them, and we\u2019re excited about his upside. Checked out on all the medical, and he\u2019s going to be ready to go here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lagerberg Hoen missed most of the 2025-26 season with an ACL injury, which resulted in a much lower ranking than his skill level. But not everyone was sleeping on the talented Swede. Anders \u00d6stberg, the Senators\u2019 European scout, compared his skillset to Filip Forsberg<\/a>, while Will Scouch, who runs the website Scouching, placed Lagerberg Hoen at the tail end of his first round thanks to his \u201ccombination of size, speed, and efficiency.\u201d<\/p>\n

He was an absolute offensive machine on the puck through shooting and passing, and a constant individual threat with the puck at the U20 level. If he had stayed there all season, he may have come close to setting scoring records for a player his age, and I would\u2019ve loved to see him play at the Swdish Hockey League (SHL) level had he not been hurt. He\u2019s a tall, lanky and confident player with the ability to embarrass the opponent and while there isn\u2019t much of a physical game to speak of, but that\u2019s not really his job. He\u2019s an offensive winger with size, range and skill, and I was very surprised with how impressed I was when watching his tape back at the end of the year.<\/p>\n

Will Scouch, Scouching <\/a><\/p>\n

Cover lined up more with what people expected from a late first-round pick, but the Senators emphasized that they were still betting on upside here, too. \u201cI think the actual fact that five years ago he was playing roller hockey,\u201d said Senators Head Scout Don Boyd <\/a>about Cover\u2019s rapid development. \u201cIt\u2019s a great story, but we drafted him because we believe he\u2019s got ability, we believe he\u2019s got skill level, we believe he\u2019s got a chance to be an offensive guy. He plays in a good program (London Knights). We know he\u2019s going to get good coaching, we know he\u2019s going to be managed well. He\u2019s going to be held accountable for what he does and how he performs. That\u2019s all part of the package.\u201d<\/p>\n

Both players are risky. Lagerberg Hoen\u2019s injury will set him back in his development, and Cover has barely started his development path. That makes it incredibly difficult to know how these two will perform next season, but the Senators aren\u2019t concerned with the immediate results. These are long-term projects, and if given enough time, they could be home-run picks. <\/p>\n

Round 3, 72nd Overall \u2013 Adam Nemec, LW, Sudbury Wolves (OHL)<\/p>\n

In the third round, the Senators added yet another hard-working winger in Adam Nemec, a player most expected to be gone at this point in the draft. He began the season playing in Slovakia\u2019s top league, where he was the most productive teenager with 15 points in 28 games, but he was unsatisfied with his ice time. So, following the World Juniors, he joined the Sudbury Wolves in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), which was more than happy to have the two-way player. Since January, he was a point-per-game player since arriving in January and largely played with fellow Slovak and Los Angeles Kings\u2019 2025 pick Jan Chovan. <\/p>\n

\"AdamSlovakia forward Adam Nemec (Nick Wosika-Imagn Images)<\/p>\n

Nemec was criticized on his lack of a defining skill and looking more like a depth forward<\/a>, but a big transition in the middle of his draft season likely prevented him from showcasing his full skillset, as he was busy adjusting for a good chunk of it. But what was clear was his ability to handle anything his coaches threw at him. \u201cHe made people around him better,\u201d said Boyd.<\/a> \u201cHe\u2019s competitive, he can skate and he can handle the puck in traffic. There is some scoring there. He was able to perform. Not only did he make other people better, he got a lot of ice time and a lot of specialty teams and was able to perform, so he\u2019s going back there next year.\u201d<\/p>\n

A season of consistency will really help Nemec become more comfortable and, hopefully, take some massive steps in his development. He\u2019s a safer pick than the previous two, but there\u2019s still an untapped offensive side to his game. If everything goes well, an 80-100 point OHL season isn\u2019t out of the question.<\/p>\n

Round 3, 87th Overall \u2013 Oscar Holmertz, C, Link\u00f6ping HC (SHL)<\/p>\n

\u201cOscar Holmertz has first-round talent,\u201d wrote Owen Hillman in his prospect profile<\/a>, \u201cbut the flaws in his game could prevent him from being a first-round selection.\u201d That made him a perfect selection for the Senators. Like Nemec, Holmertz was generally regarded as a mid second-round pick, and the value he brought to the organization was too good to pass up with the 87th pick. While playing with Sweden\u2019s U20 league, he scored the 10th-most goals (13) and the ninth-most points (36) among U18 players. <\/p>\n

Yet it was his time in the SHL that impressed the Senators the most. Boyd praised Holmertz\u2019s 11 games with Link\u00f6ping\u2019s top team, saying, \u201cWhen the kids can go up there and get ice time, not even if they put up points, but they can actually get ice time, and they\u2019re trusted in the organization by the coaches \u2014 because it\u2019s no different, they have to win \u2014 he was trusted when he was called up.\u201d <\/p>\n

Holmertz didn\u2019t put up a single point in his time in the SHL, but he played nearly 10 minutes against F\u00e4rjestad BK and over five minutes against R\u00f6gle BK, two of the best teams in the league this season. He even managed to get a scoring chance in each game. He\u2019s a great skater with excellent offensive instincts, and if he can improve his consistency, the Senators may have just found another gem in the third round. <\/p>\n

Round 3, 91st Overall \u2013 Louis-Felix Bourque, RW, Drummondville Voltigeurs (QMJHL)<\/p>\n

The Senators went a little off the board with their final third-round selection, grabbing Louis-Felix Bourque from the Drummondville Voltigeurs in the Quebec Maritime Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). He began the season as a depth forward due to his 6-foot-2, 216-pound frame, but as he showed more offensive abilities, he was given more opportunities. By the end of the season, he was the team\u2019s second-best centre, had been named February\u2019s Rookie of the Month<\/a>, and had the 10th-most points of any rookie. He\u2019s got hockey sense and excellent strength, especially in his shot, and as long as he can smooth out his skating stride, he could be a very solid power forward. <\/p>\n

Round 4, 110th Overall \u2013 Elliot Lennon, G, Deerfield Academy (USHS-MA)<\/p>\n

Ottawa\u2019s first truly off-the-board pick came with their only fourth-round selection. Elliot Lennon is a 6-foot-6 goalie from Quebec who spent most of this season at Deerfield Academy, a prep school in Massachusetts, which has graduated the likes of Marty Reasoner, Alex Killorn, and Craig Janney. In 26 games, Lennon put up a .936 save percentage (SV%) and a 1.84 goals against average (GAA). <\/p>\n

Those stats are pretty good, but they\u2019re even better when considering that Lennon played all of Deerfield\u2019s games. He started every game for Deerfield last season, too, finishing with a .926 SV% and a 2.04 GAA, as well as a reputation as a big-game performer<\/a>. High school numbers are historically unreliable, but it\u2019s worth pointing out that he now sits with the third-highest average in program history and well ahead of the school\u2019s only NHL goaltender, Casey DeSmith<\/a>, who had a .918 SV% during his one season there. <\/p>\n

Lennon also went on to play two games in the United States Hockey League (USHL), which is where he\u2019ll return next season before carrying on to Brown University in 2027-28. He\u2019s a strong positional goalie who relies on quick reflexes and athleticism to make saves. He squares up to the shooter well, and his size and reach don\u2019t leave a lot of scoring chances. He\u2019s a project, but the skill is there. After all, Leevi Merilainen was an unknown when he was selected. <\/p>\n

Round 5, 151st Overall \u2013 Harris Pangretitsch, RD, Soo Greyhounds (OHL)<\/p>\n

After loading up on forwards, the Senators\u2019 fifth-round pick selected a defenceman, taking Soo Greyhounds\u2019 6-foot-4 blueliner Harris Pangretitsch. Known for his hard-hitting, defensive game, he showed some surprising finesse, putting up two goals and 14 points, most of which came while star defenceman Chase Reid was out of the lineup. That earned Pangretitsch the Greyhounds Most Improved Player<\/a> award, on top of achieving the Scholastic Award alongside Callum Croskery. He doesn\u2019t have a high offensive ceiling, but as a shutdown defenceman and can move the puck well, which sounds a bit like Senators defenceman Tyler Kleven. That\u2019s a good player to bet on. <\/p>\n

Round 6, 183rd Overall \u2013 Alexander Grunin, LD, Novosibirsk (MHL)<\/p>\n

The Senators\u2019 final pick took them back to Europe for 6-foot-4 left-shot defenceman Alexander Grunin. Like Pangretitsch, he hasn\u2019t shown a ton of offensive upside \u2013 he had 15 points in 44 games in the MHL this season \u2013 but the Senators were happy with his upside. \u201cHe\u2019s again, a long, tall, lean defenceman that is a puck mover,\u201d said Boyd. \u201cHe can move the puck through the neutral zone, he can move it out of the D-zone\u2026 there\u2019s probably a little bit more there than meets the eye.\u201d The pick is reminiscent of last year\u2019s fifth-round selection of Dmitri Isayev, who emerged as one of the MHL\u2019s top scorers this season. Might as well stick with what works. <\/p>\n

A Shift in Draft Philosophy<\/p>\n

Under Dorion, the Senators selected big, tough players with high floors and lower ceilings. Unfortunately, that left them with a very weak prospect pool<\/a> after their skill guys graduated. Tyler Boucher still hasn\u2019t played NHL games, and second-rounders Filip Nordberg and Ben Roger haven\u2019t worked out, with the latter never earning an entry-level deal. <\/p>\n

But since Staios took over, the team has looked at players who have a lot of room left to grow. \u201cOur scouts have done a great job bringing in talent,\u201d he said in his post-draft press conference, \u201cbut I was stretching it with them to push them on upside. I think it\u2019s easier when you\u2019re scouting and you\u2019re going to the draft, to feel more comfortable to pick a player who\u2019s a little bit further along, a little bit stronger, a little bit more mature, and we had lots of conversations about that, about upside and potential and how we could build off the talent.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even after the Brady Tkachuk trade, the Senators are a playoff team. They don\u2019t need prospects ready to come up and play with them next season \u2013 they have those players already. They need high skill who can potentially take over once the current core begin to take a step back. Staios has done an excellent job at looking at the teams like the Carolina Hurricanes who have succeeded and emulated their draft strategy. In just two years, that\u2019s given Ottawa players like Blake Montgomery, Javon Moore, and Lucas Beckman. This year\u2019s draft class is sure to have more players join that group of breakout stars, we just need to be patient. <\/p>\n

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