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The Ottawa Senators Great Success With Late-Bloomers

By Daniel Bruce

TORONTO, ON - FEBRUARY 17: Drake Batherson #19 of the Ottawa Senators waits for play to resume against the Toronto Maple Leafs during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on February 17, 2021 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Maple Leafs defeated the Senators 2-1. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - FEBRUARY 17: Drake Batherson #19 of the Ottawa Senators waits for play to resume against the Toronto Maple Leafs during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on February 17, 2021 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Maple Leafs defeated the Senators 2-1. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) /
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Alex Formenton #59 of the Ottawa Senators (Photo by Chris Tanouye/Getty Images)
Alex Formenton #59 of the Ottawa Senators (Photo by Chris Tanouye/Getty Images) /

Alex Formenton

2nd Round (47th Overall) in 2017

Another late-bloomer from the 2017 draft, Formenton had transferable tools at the time he was drafted and has now developed an all-around game that will carry him in the league for years. But it wasn’t like this was a simple process, just one year before the 2017 draft, the Senators speedster was producing at under a 0.5 point/game pace in junior A, finishing with 26 points in 54 games with the Aurora Tigers of the OJHL (Ontario Junior Hockey League). Formenton, like Batherson, was severely undersized heading into his OHL draft year and that’s why he fell to the 11th round:

"“He was an 11th round OHL pick. It’s not that he didn’t stand out. He did. As the smallest, smart guy out there. He had speed and skill and hockey IQ, but when you aren’t much north of 5-5 and your listed weight is 120 pounds”"

He had the tools but Formenton’s size severely limited him in what he could do and thanks to his growth spurt he became a regular in the London Knight’s lineup during the 2016-17 season. The King City, Ontario native was finally able to come into his own for his draft year and while his production was mediocre (34 points in 65 games) the improvement from the previous season was evident. Obviously the Senators took notice of the talented but raw forward who was now standing at 6’2″, a completely different player than the one that played with Aurora the season prior.

The Senators saw Formenton’s development curve starting to take shape and the major improvements that the 21-year-old winger has made on a year-to-year basis have been phenomenal, even making the NHL as an 18-year-old at the beginning of the 2017-18 season. While he was sent back to junior and underwent the same process the following season, the growth Formenton still shows to this day is a testament to his hard work and the Senators’ ability to ooze potential out of their prospects.

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