The Ottawa Senators are a team with few openings in their lineup. However, as the 2017 rookie tournament begins there will be players pushing for a roster spot.
The rookie tournament between the prospects of the Ottawa Senators, Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs begins today, September 8th. Although the Sens won’t be playing today the team is together getting ready. Today the Leafs and Canadiens will play. Tomorrow the Sens will play their first game against the Canadiens followed by a game on the 10th against Toronto.
Going into the tournament there are some names that are more notable than others. Specifically there are four names that jump off the page: Thomas Chabot, Colin White, Logan Brown, and Andreas Englund.
Englund
Englund, a 21 year old defenceman out of Sweden will look to make an impression during the tournament. As a second round pick in 2014 he has made good progress towards making the NHL. He played five games with the Sens last season and will look to build on that this year. However, with the left side of the Sens’ defence flooded with depth it could be difficult.
Brown
Logan Brown was the Sens first round pick in 2016 and has an outside shot of making the roster this year. It will be difficult with the Sens maintain most of their roster from last season. However, with a strong tournament and training camp he might be kept with the team on a trial basis.
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Chabot And White
The two players that are most likely to make a good enough impression to make the team are Thomas Chabot and Colin White. Both have proved to be grade A prospects. White is looking to develop into an elite two-way centre for the Ottawa Senators. Chabot is among the top five prospects in the entire league and should get a shot to prove himself in the NHL this season.