The Ottawa Senators continued adding to their prospect pool in the third round of the 2026 NHL Draft, making two selections with the No. 87 and No. 91 picks. The two prospects play completely different games, and it’s pretty easy to see what Steve Staios liked about both.
Senators select Holmertz with Pick #87
At No. 87, Ottawa stayed in Europe and selected Swedish center Oskar Holmertz from Linköping HC.
Holmertz put together a strong season, finishing with 36 points in 34 games in Sweden’s junior league while also getting 11 games in the SHL. He’s one of those players who leans heavily on his hockey sense. He sees things early, slows the game down when he needs to, and uses his skating to open up space rather than force plays.
The one number that stands out is his penalty total. Just one minor all season across every level he played at. It’s a small detail, but it says something about how he manages the game. The question will be whether he needs to add a bit more bite as things get faster and more physical, but the foundation is clearly there.
Senators select Bourque with Pick #91
Four picks later, Ottawa went in a very different direction. With the No. 91 pick, the Senators selected Louis-Félix Bourque from the Drummondville Voltigeurs.
Bourque is listed at 6-foot-2 and 216 pounds, and he already plays like a player who uses every bit of that frame. He finished his rookie QMJHL season with 24 goals and 49 points in 54 games, and a lot of it came from simple, direct hockey. He goes to the net, finishes checks, and makes shifts uncomfortable for defenders.
Even with that style, he only picked up 16 penalty minutes, which probably stands out just as much as the production. It’s a physical game, but not an undisciplined one.
Holmertz and Bourque don’t really resemble each other at all, and that’s kind of the point. One brings pace and puck management; the other brings size and pressure. Ottawa is trying to round out the system with players who project into specific roles rather than one style of prospect.
Add us as a preferred source on Google