The Ottawa Senators will select 19th overall in the first round of the 2019 NHL Draft, with a number of interesting options potentially available.
With the Colorado Avalanche losing to the San Jose Sharks, the Senators remained with the 19th pick that they acquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets.
An Avalanche victory would have seen the Senators move up to 18th, the same position that star defenceman Thomas Chabot was selected in the 2015 Draft.
Per the team’s communications team on Twitter, the Senators have never selected 19th overall – though current prospect Josh Norris was chosen at that position by the San Jose Sharks in 2017.
More from Editorials
- Ottawa Senators: Something’s Got to Give
- Hot Pierre Summer 2.0? Let’s Talk About The Ottawa Senators Offseason So Far!
- EXCLUSIVE: Making Moments With Senators Forward Egor Sokolov
- Joonas Korpisalo: The Solution To The Senators’ Goaltending Problem
- Ottawa Senators: To Build Or Demolish? New Arena Discussion
This year’s draft class appears to have been difficult to rank by the various scouting organisations, with players sometimes finding themselves ranked in the top 15 by one while being ranked far lower by others.
Looking at five different organisations has produced five different players who have ranked 19th overall ahead of this year’s draft, showing how difficult it has been to truly pin down who could be available.
If the Senators look to bolster their blueline in the upcoming draft, a couple of promising players coming out of Europe could be available based on their current rankings.
Hockey Prospect have 6-foot-3, left-handed Swedish defenceman Philip Broberg, who spent most of the season playing for AIK in the Allsvenskan, ranked 19th overall.
In 41 regular season games, Broberg had two goals and nine total points – also representing the Swedish national team at both Under-18 and Under-20 level, winning a gold medal for his country at the Under-18s World Juniors.
Elite Prospects has Finnish blueliner Ville Heinola ranked as the 19th best player in this year’s draft, with the 5-foot-11 left-hander spending this season with Lukko of the Finnish Liiga – the top tier of the sport.
With two goals and 14 total points in 34 regular season games, Heinola also has seven playoff games under his belt – though has found his draft rankings range as high as 17th and as low as 43rd.
Future Considerations currently have Victoria Grizzlies’ Alex Newhook ranked 19th, after 38-goal, 102-point season playing in the BCHL.
Newhook is set to play for Boston College in the 2019/20 season and has also found his draft rankings sit as high as ninth overall and as low as 20th.
Another 102-point player, though this time at the OHL level, Arthur Kaliyev is ranked 19th overall by McKeen’s Hockey – with his 51-goal season for the Hamilton Bulldogs sure to interest the Senators – with the American also ranked as low as 28th by two other organisations.
Philip Tomasino of the OHL’s Niagra IceDogs is another player that has ranked 19th overall, this time by ISS Hockey.
With 34 goals and 72 total points in 67 regular season games, the 17-year-old has also seen his draft rankings spread across the board but could be an intriguing player if he is available when the Ottawa Senators pick.
No matter which route the Ottawa Senators decide to go down, there could be a number of hugely promising players that the team could pick, helping to carry the team’s rebuild forward.
What do you think though Sens fans? Who would you like the team to pick with the 19th overall selection in the draft? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!