Draft Day: Ottawa Senators Full Seven-Round Mock Draft
By Daniel Bruce
73rd Overall
The Pick: Ethan Cardwell (C), Surahammars IF (HockeyEttan)
2020-21 Stats: 18GP, 9G-18A-27P
Cardwell was one of the players impacted by the OHL season’s cancellation and made the move over to Sweden to play in their third-tier men’s league. Despite only being 18 on a team filled with grown men, Cardwell immediately became the team’s best player, scoring at well over a point-per-game pace.
The Oshawa, Ontario native also enjoyed a stellar 2019-20 season, producing 23 goals and 47 points in 63 games split between the Saginaw Spirit and the Barrie Colts, but it wasn’t enough for the talented forward to be selected in the 2020 NHL Draft. Senators’ staff has shown an affinity in the past for selecting overagers in the NHL Draft with recent notable picks like Egor Sokolov, Drake Batherson, and Mark Kastelic among others. Cardwell showed off some serious skill while he dominated in Sweden, the powerplay tended to run through the 2021 draft-eligible:
The fun thing about Cardwell is his game doesn’t stop in the offensive zone, he’s tenacious on the puck and his motor rarely stops. Ranked 159th by Central Scouting among North American skaters, this would seem to be a reach at 73, but Trent Mann and staff are notorious for “reaching” in the draft, but then they somehow leave the draft with a steal. The Hockey Writers raved about Cardwell’s coachability and consistent motor.
“Cardwell is a player who every coach loves to have on their team. He is always moving his feet and is relentless on the forecheck”
The case could be the same for Cardwell. The Barrie colt product is an extremely effective forechecker who usually finds himself in the coach’s good graces with his great work ethic. Whenever you turn on the Cardwell’s tape it’s easy to notice him whenever he touches the ice, especially while in Sweden, teammates were looking to him to drive offense. At this point in the draft, and with all of the depth the Senators have in their organization, not all of these players can be expected to become NHL regulars. We as fans have to let Trent Mann work his magic #inTrentweTrust.