The Ottawa Senators had a strong opening round of the 2026 NHL Draft, taking two forwards with seeming untapped potential.
As Day 2 got underway, the Senators made use of their three third-round picks to target forward depth. Their three other picks looked to focus on the defensive side of the equation.
So, let’s take a closer look.
3rd Round picks 72, 87, 91
In the third round, the Sens focused on forward depth. The organization landed Adam Nemec, brother of Simon Nemec, at No. 72. The pick originally belonged to the Florida Panthers and came to Ottawa in the 2024 Vladimir Tarasenko trade.
Nemec had a very good season with the Sudbury Wolves of the AHL and should be a solid piece. He’s got decent size and could turn into a serviceable NHL forward. He doesn’t scream top-six center, but could end up becoming a good, two-way NHL center.
At No. 87, the Senators took Oscar Holmertz. The club targeted another center, this time out of the Swedish league. His numbers in the Swedish U20 league look good. However, he did not register any points in 11 games in the Swedish pro league.
That doesn’t matter. He’s only 18 and should continue to develop at the pro level. Like Nemec, the idea of taking a center here is to bolster organizational depth. After all, teams can never have too many centers.
Holmertz doesn’t look like he could pan out to be more than a bottom-six forward. But then again, the name of the game is player development.
The final pick of the third round, 91st, went to Louis-Felix Bourque out of the QMJHL. Bourque scored 24 goals and 49 points in 54 games as a 17-year-old. That could mean this season, Bourque could really light it up.
While the QMJHL is known as a high-scoring league, the talent there is tantalizing. The Senators could really use a scoring winger, especially with Bourque’s size. The 6’2”, 216-pound winger screams power forward.
If he hits that ceiling, the Senators could have a menace to unleash on the opposition.
4th Round pick 110
With the 110th pick, the Senators selected goalie Elliot Lennon out of the USHS prep league. In 26 games in said league, Lennon sported a 1.84 GAA and a .936 SV%.
Those are fantastic numbers. The only question here will be if his performance can translate to the NCAA. He’ll be suiting up for Brown next season. But you have to think that his size, 6’6”, 201 pounds, is precisely what teams are looking for in NHL-caliber goalies.
A guy like Lennon just has to be positionally sound to allow his size to do most of the heavy lifting.
Don’t look now, but Lennon could be a factor for the Senators in about three years.
5th Round pick 151
The 151st went to Harris Pangretitsch from the SOO Greyhounds. The numbers of the 18-year-old right-shot defender don’t paint an encouraging picture. Pangretitsch scored two goals and 14 points in 67 games.
What the Senators are targeting here is size. At 6’4” and 218 pounds, Pangretitsch has the makeup of a shutdown defenseman. If he can morph into that mold, the Sens might just have a third-pairing guy who can pound the opposition.
6th Round pick 183
The Senators used their final pick in the 2026 NHL Draft on a defenseman. This time, it was Russian blueliner Alexander Grunin.
Like the previous pick, the Sens are targeting size here. At 6’4” and 185 pounds, the 18-year-old blueliner could be a solid defensive defenseman. He only notched 15 points in 44 games in the Russian junior league.
So, we know offense won’t be his main weapon. But the potential here is tantalizing for the Senators.
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