Ottawa Senators: Mike Hoffman 2017-2018 Season Preview

Mike Hoffman has become a star player for the Ottawa Senators over the past three seasons. He’s continued to improve each season including this year where he posted his best numbers thus far.

Mike Hoffman is a player who exploded onto the scene for the Ottawa Senators. As a fifth round draft pick in 2009, he never had huge expectations around him. However, since his draft year he has taken huge steps each year to become the player he is today. He finished out his junior career before turning pro and spent time in the AHL. While playing for Binghamton he began to show that he could be a top tier player professionally. He even helped lead the team to a Calder Cup.

After a few successful years in the AHL it was time for Hoffman’s NHL career to truly begin. In 2014-2015 Hoffman became a full-time NHLer and performed remarkably. He posted 27 goals and 48 points as a rookie.

Since his rookie season, Hoffman has improved his scoring in each season. This past year he had his best offensive total by scoring 26 goals and 61 points in just 74 games. However, despite continuing to improve offensively he has become much more reliable defensively.

This past season Hoffman finished up his first year under his new contract. There was concern that after signing his first big contract he would drop off significantly. However, the opposite was true as he had his best season in his career. Now there is no concern that Hoffman will fail. In fact there is the expectation that he will continue to improve and become an even higher tier scorer than he already is.

Next: Ottawa Senators: Mark Stone 2017-2018 Season Preview

Going into next season Hoffman will play on the first line of the Ottawa Senators along with Turris and Stone. If the past few years have been any indication, 30 goals and 70 points are a possibility.