The 2026 NHL Draft had the makings of an unmitigated disaster. The Ottawa Senators stared at the specter of going without a first-round pick, while potentially having Brady Tkachuk looming over them all summer.
Instead, GM Steve Staios turned Tkachuk into two first-round picks in last weekend’s draft. Those two picks were on top of the 32nd-overall selection, one that the organization was able to claw back from the NHL.
In the end, the ninth-overall pick essentially became William Eklund, with two more first-rounders, albeit later picks.
And so, the Senators transformed their outlook by landing Jonas Lagerberg Hoen with the 25th pick and Jaxon Cover, one of the best feel-good stories of this year’s draft, with the 32nd selection.
The remainder of the picks featured a balance of forwards, blueliners, and one goaltender. Yes, the later-round picks, especially, may not find it easy to land in the NHL. In fact, plenty of them don’t ever make it.
But that doesn’t mean the Senators can’t try their best to land pieces that could help at some point down the line.
Overall, the Sens’ organizational depth and prospect pipeline are much better than leading up to the draft. It will just be a matter of seeing when some of these prospects could reach the NHL.
Senators fans shouldn’t expect to see 2026 draft class in NHL soon
As for the ETA on this year’s draft class, that’s another story altogether.
Let’s start with the first-rounders. Lagerberg Hoen should remain in Sweden next season. He’s committed to the Leksands IF of the Swedish Hockey Allsvenskan. He should also see some time in the U20 Swedish league.
Since he’s only 18, he can’t technically play in the AHL next season. And if the Senators tried to get him into the NHL, that would be a long shot at best. So, the best thing for Lagerberg Hoen is to remain in Sweden for one more year. The organization can decide what to do about him next summer.
As for Cover, he’s committed to Penn State in the NCAA. The experience should be a good one and will likely determine his future in the NHL. If he continues to thrive on the ice, the NCAA should provide him with a good opportunity to show he can take the next step.
If he can’t, the Senators will still try to see if they have anything in him. But that’s another story for another day. Cover could very well play three seasons in college before turning pro. Unless he somehow has a sensational season at Penn State, the chances of him jumping to the AHL at least are a bit slim.
As for the rest of the Senators’ draft class, perhaps Adam Nemec might have the quickest path to the NHL. He’ll likely return to the Sudbury Wolves for one more season as an overager. Thereafter, the Senators might want to bring him into the fold.
While there’s always the chance that he could pull a tour of duty in Europe, chances are fans could see Nemec in training camp sooner rather than later.
The good news is that the Senators don’t need any of their newest prospects to jump to the NHL immediately. There should be plenty of time for them to develop before the team actually expects to see them hit NHL ice.
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