Ottawa Senators: Philippe Daoust Starts Strong in Moncton

QUEBEC CITY, QC - NOVEMBER 20: Aleksei Sergeev #76 of the Quebec Remparts skates with the puck against the Moncton Wildcats during their QMJHL hockey game at the Videotron Center on November 20, 2018 in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Mathieu Belanger/Getty Images)
QUEBEC CITY, QC - NOVEMBER 20: Aleksei Sergeev #76 of the Quebec Remparts skates with the puck against the Moncton Wildcats during their QMJHL hockey game at the Videotron Center on November 20, 2018 in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Mathieu Belanger/Getty Images)

Like many of the Senators recent draft picks, Daoust has come out firing

With the Senators’ second last selection of the NHL Draft, they selected Philippe Daoust, a late-bloomer who was expected to carry his momentum from his rookie season in the CHL into this year, and he’s done exactly that.

Coming off of a 29 point season in 58 contests last year with Moncton, pundits expected a big rise in production for Daoust following his draft year and he’s impressed so far. The Senators’ sixth-round selection has 13 points in 13 games so far on the season and has got better and better every game. Held pointless in his first 3 games, Daoust broke out in the following 4 contests registering 10 points over his next 6 games, including 4 goals.

Scoring just 7 goals all of last season, Daoust is quickly approaching that total already, now just 3 back in approximately a quarter of the games. A player that loves the puck on his stick, Daoust has been making a habit of end-to-end rushes during his hot start to the season, primarily a playmaker he loves to set up his teammates.

Daoust currently sits second on the Wildcats in points, trailing Los Angeles Kings defensive prospect Jordan Spence, the Senators pick is likely the squads top forward.

While we may have to temper our expectations for the remainder of the year as Daoust doesn’t have an extensive history of great production, the signs are very positive and it’s likely he explodes past his scoring totals from the season prior.