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Ottawa Senators’ Prospects Lindberg, Paul And Harpur Excelling In OHL

By Jack Leiper

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The 2013 4th round could end up being fruitful for the Ottawa Senators.

They are all Ottawa Senators prospects, they all play in the OHL, they are all at least 6′ 3″, they are all 2013 4th round NHL picks, and all having solid seasons at the OHL level.

Nick Paul, Tobias Lindberg, and Ben Harpur have all seen the success Ottawa has looked for this season. Paul, Lindberg, and Harpur all look to take the next step as early as next season, with a potential move to Binghamton.

Tobias Lindberg

After being selected 46th overall as an 18-year-old in last season’s CHL import draft, Lindberg has stepped in and has become an impact player for the Oshawa Generals.

Lindberg highlights a roster including 5th overall draft choice Michael Dal Colle and Canuck’s draft choice, Cole Cassels. With a 38-7-2 record, no one in the OHL has been better and despite some high end additions from teams like Sault Ste Marie, Oshawa continues to be a favourite to go far this season.

Lindberg has been a big part of Oshawa’s success

Specifically, Lindberg has been a big part of Oshawa’s success.

A piece from Brian McNair of Metroland Media from November discusses Lindberg as being the “most productive OHL’er from 2014 CHL import draft”

Lindberg brings size and skill to his game. At 6′ 3″ and 215 lbs, the only piece Ottawa has left to show from the Ben Bishop trade has promise to surprise in the future. Despite not yet having an Entry Level Contract, look for that to be a priority for Ottawa as they’d like to hold Lindberg’s rights.

Lindberg is coming and could be Bingo-bound as early as next season.

Ben Harpur

Harpur has had an interesting season. After and Injury that kept him out for a few weeks early in the year, Harpur was left off of team Canada’s short-list for the World Junior championship.

Harpur, a big body at 6′ 6″, 210 lbs has been a solid OHL defender over the past few seasons. He saw success in Guelph last season as Guelph made a playoff push that led to a memorial cup final birth and OHL championship.

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This season, things have been different for Harpur and the Storm. Guelph has been an upper end middle-of-the-road squad, and after dealing with an Injury, Harpur was dealt as Guelph decided to go the futures route.

After moving to Barrie he has found a spot on a solid team in Barrie that has cooled off of late. Harpur’s stat-line may not be so impressive after having recorded a near point-per-game pace in Guelph.

With a 6′ 6″ stature, the big Ben has been signed to an ELC by Ottawa. Harpur could be more than a few years away from getting a sniff at the NHL but could be come a good piece on Binghamton’s blue-line relatively soon.

Nick Paul

Paul may be the most hyped of the group. Of course, this being due to the fact he was a big piece in the Jason Spezza trade. And when I say “big” piece, I’m talking figuratively and literally.

Paul is a big man who saw a huge growth spurt during his Bantam draft year. After initially being passed upon in the OHL draft, the (Brampton) Battalion took a risk on Paul with a 5th round OHL selection.

Since then, Paul has seen some big growth in terms of his hockey career. He was selected a year later by the Dallas Stars in the 4th round of the NHL draft and has represented Canada at the World Junior championship.

Paul’s season has gone well, as the Battalion have been an upper echelon team this year. Nick Paul continues to lead the Battalion in goals and has 42 points in 36 games played this year.

All three of these guys came out of the 2013 4th round. Where in these 3 picks, Ottawa has three legitimate prospects who could see time in the AHL relatively soon. The odds of returning for over age seasons are likely, yet you have to like the position Ottawa has on these three.

Photo Credit:  Valerie Wutti | Blitzen Photography

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