SenShot Presents: Ottawa’s Top 40 Prospects (21 – 24)

Over the next ten days, SenShot will release our Top 40 Ottawa Senators Prospects.

Today, we will bring to you another four of Ottawa’s prospects in their system. In our Top 40 Prospects ranking, these four prospects are ranked 21st to 24th.

21. Chris Wideman

Position: Defenceman

Shoots: Right

Ht: 5’10”  Wt: 177 lbs

Date of Birth: January 07, 1990 (Age 21)

Birthplace: St. Louis, MO, USA

Contract: Unsigned

Drafted: 2009 (4/100) by OTT

Last Yrs Stats: GP ~ 39  Goals ~ 3  Assists ~ 20  Total Points ~ 23

Potential: Top four puck-moving defenceman with an offensive upside

2011-2012 Team: Miami University (Ohio) (CCHA)

How Far Away From The NHL: 3 – 4 yrs

• Wideman is a smooth skating, puck moving defenseman that can put up points. With a great shot, Wideman is a good playmaker from the back end and is able to carry the puck up the ice. With great vision on the ice, Wideman helps transition the game quickly and is also patient with the puck. Despite his size, Wideman uses effective body positioning and crafty stick work to defend his zone.
• Even though he lacks the ideal stature for a defenseman, Wideman can generate points from the blue line and move the puck well. Ottawa sees Wideman as a potential offensive puck moving D-man that can complement a more defensive minded D-man. Wideman is still a long-term prospect that will be given all the time to develop fully. But he will be in tough to crack the team as a defenseman as Ottawa has many defensive prospects ahead of him.
• Get to know Wideman better with this video interview of him.

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22. Mark Stone 

Position: Right Winger

Shoots: Right

Ht: 6’2″  Wt: 198 lbs

Date of Birth: May 13, 1992 (Age 19)

Birthplace: Winnipeg, Man, Canada

Contract: Unsigned

Drafted: 2010 (6/178) by OTT

Last Yrs Stats: GP ~ 71 Goals ~ 37  Assists ~ 69  Total Points ~ 106

Potential: Power forward who can put up points

2011-2012 Team: Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)

How Far Away From The NHL: 3 – 4 yrs

• Probably the Sens fastest rising prospect, Stone may turn out to be a late-round gem for Ottawa. Increasing his point total by 78 points last season, Stone was a beast in the WHL. With his imposing frame, Stone uses his body to muscle his way to the front of the net to score goals. With a strong hockey IQ, Stone sees the ice well and anticipates the play. Not only can he put the puck in the net, Stone is a good playmaker and isn’t afraid to drop the gloves once in awhile.
• The only knock on Stone has been his skating. He has been working on his skating and if he can develop a smoother stride, he could become a real force on the ice.
• Ottawa hopes Stone can develop into a scoring power forward who can complement elite players by bringing skill and grit to the line. Stone will play his last year of junior this season, and hopefully suit up for Canada at the World Juniors. With another big year, Stone may rise into the top ten of Sens prospects and be a future player that can be counted on to produce at the NHL. This year will be very telling to see if Stone is the real deal or just another great junior player.
• Check out SenShot’s Prospect Profile of Mark Stone.
• Check this video of Stone’s work.

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23. Pat Cannone

Position: Right Winger

Shoots: Right

Ht: 5’11”  Wt: 192 lbs

Date of Birth: August 09, 1986 (Age 25)

Birthplace: Bayport, NY, USA

Contract: $600,000 (RFA in 2012-2013)

Drafted: Signed as a Free Agent in 2011 by OTT

Last Yrs Stats: GP ~ 39  Goals ~ 14  Assists ~ 23  Total Points ~ 37

Potential: Bottom six depth forward

2011-2012 Team: Binghamton Senators (AHL)

How Far Away From The NHL: 2 – 3 yrs

• Signed as a NCAA free at the end of the 2010-11 season, Cannone is a good playmaking winger who uses his speed and body to put up points. In a 166 games at Miami, Cannone put up 45 goals and 133 points. Never missing a game in four seasons at Miami, Cannone plays a solid two-way game.
• Ottawa hopes that Cannone can work out like a few of their other college free agent signings and that they have found a late bloomer. Expected to play the year with the B-Sens, Cannone will need to make an impact early if he plans to establish himself as a legitimate prospect in the Sens system. Already 25 years old, Cannone may have a leg up on younger prospects, but that also means his window to make the NHL is small and he may only have this year to make an impression.
• Check out SenShot’s Prospect Profile of Pat Cannone

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24. Shane Prince

Position: Center

Shoots: Left

Ht: 5’10”  Wt: 181 lbs

Date of Birth: November 16, 1992 (Age 18)

Birthplace: Rochester, NY, USA

Contract: Unsigned

Drafted: 2011 (2/61) by OTT

Last Yrs Stats: GP ~ 59  Goals ~ 25  Assists ~ 63  Total Points ~ 88

Potential: Speedy playmaking center

2011-2012 Team: Ottawa 67’s (OHL)

How Far Away From The NHL: 3 – 4 yrs

• Prince’s greatest asset is his tremendous speed that usually makes him the fastest player on the ice in most games. With great vision, Prince sees the ice very well and is a very good playmaker. With his breakthrough campaign where he netted 88 points in 59 games after only getting 30 points the previous season, his only blemish was when he suffered a concussion near regular season’s end that limited him to only three playoff games.
• With his competitive nature and drive to beat the odds as a smaller player, Ottawa drafted Prince based on his talents and the belief that he can make it to the next level. To be able to make the NHL, Prince will need to build strength and possible add about 10 to 15 lbs to survive the NHL game. Still a few years away, this season in the OHL will be a big year for Prince as it is expected that he will dominant the league and put up bigger points than last season.
• Check out this video of Prince’s work.

All four of these prospects bring a strong offensive game to the table. With Stone being the most intriguing prospect due to his massive jump in points last season, he will be watched a little more closely this season. Prince will go back to the OHL and hopefully join Stone as both suit up this winter for their respective countries in the World Juniors. Wideman is a potential dynamo from the back end but he needs to build strength, to be effective in the NHL. We are starting to get into the more plausible prospects that will probably play for Ottawa in the future. The names only get bigger from here and so does the competition. As this year kicks off, it’ll be interesting to watch which prospects ranked 21 to 40 will make an impact and move up our rankings.

You can check out our 25th to 28th, 29th to 32nd, 33rd to 36th and 37th to 40th ranked prospects here.

Check back tomorrow when we get into the Top 20 Prospects and release our 17th to 20th ranked Ottawa Senators Prospects.

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