Mock Draft: Predicting the draft for the Ottawa Senators
By Daniel Bruce
2nd Overall, Quinton Byfield (C), Sudbury (OHL)
The Ottawa Senators miss out on Lafreniere but they get the next big player with the big centre from Sudbury. Quinton Byfield had a tremendous start to the 2019-2020 season, dominating his opponents up to the Christmas break when he partook in the World Juniors. Being the second-youngest player on Team Canada, Byfield struggled to stand out, finishing with only 1 assist in 7 games. Byfield wrapped up his season with 45 games played with 32 goals and 82 points in an impressive 17-year-old season.
The skilled center immediately steps in as the Ottawa Senators’ best prospect and their future at the center position for years to come. At 6-foot-4 and over 200 pounds, the prospect of having Brady Tkachuk playing with a big-bodied, smooth-skating center should make the Senators salivate. Byfield should step in next year and play for Ottawa, if not another year in junior wouldn’t be the worst idea.
4th Overall, Jamie Drysdale (RD), Erie (OHL)
If things remain status quo and Tim Stutzle goes third overall, Ottawa hops at the opportunity to set their right side on defence for the future with Jamie Drysdale. A steady presence on the back-end for Erie, Drysdale used his high end skating to be a force in both ends of the ice. The Erie Otters defenceman finished the season with 9 goals and 47 points in 49 games, great numbers for any defenceman in their draft year. Participating alongside Byfield in the World Juniors, Drysdale had a strong showing with 3 points in 7 games.
The smooth-skating defenceman is a bit undersized at 5-foot-11 and 170 pounds but that shouldn’t worry teams, the fits the mold of the new age defenceman which is something Pierre Dorion usually preaches. Ideally, Drysdale fits on a future first pairing with Thomas Chabot and could also slide in with Brannstrom to fill out their top 4. With Chabot, Brannstrom, Drysdale, Bernard-Docker and Lassi Thomson, the Ottawa’s defence should be a strength for many years to come.
21st Overall, Seth Jarvis (RW), Portland (WHL)
With Jarvis falling to 21, and the Ottawa Senators in the hunt for an offensively gifted winger this seemed like a good match. The small skilled winger was the driving force of a great Portland Winterhawks team, he finished the season with 42 goals and 98 points in just 58 games. He led his team in goals by 13 and was almost 30 points ahead of the next best player in terms of points, Jarvis did most of the heavy lifting on the Winterhawks and all he did was produce. Scott Wheeler described how Jarvis stood out amongst his teammates in production:
"By the end of the year, he was one of the best players in junior hockey and an unstoppable force who played — and produced — above and beyond his linemates."
The Ottawa Senators gets a great hockey player here, who has a history of producing at every level he’s played at. Being listed in the mid-teens by most scouting services, Jarvis fits as a great value pick with great offensive upside.