In 2025, the Ottawa Senators finally broke though by making the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2017. Despite being eliminated by the Toronto Maple Leafs in six games of the first round, the Senators are on the rise.
Captain Brady Tkachuk delivered big for the Senators in 2025. Tkachuk led the Senators with seven points and four goals during the playoffs. Sens fans' love and appreciation for Tkachuk have never been higher.
Even with Tkachuk on the team, the Senators have solid veteran presence on the roster with Thomas Chabot and Linus Ullmark. However, it's young talent that got deserved recognition in a recent article.
Five young Senators land on impressive list
On July 26, Andre Leal of The Hockey news wrote an article titled "Top Six Under-25 Core Players In The NHL." The Senators were one of the six teams Leal named, and the players named consisted of Tim Stutzle, Jake Sanderson, Ridly Greig, Dylan Cozens and Leevi Merilainen.
The young core of the Senators roster hasn't gone without notice. With the five players named by Leal, it's another reason of why the Senators can win now into the future after making the 2025 playoffs.
"There is no shortage of quality in their young core as they hold some of the best U-25 players in the entire league," Leal said.
At 23 years old, Stutzle has already turned into a solid player in the NHL. Stutzle's 326 career points are the most among any player from the 2020 draft class. In the 2024-25 season, Stutzle led the Senators with 79 points and 55 assists. After Stutzle was drafted third overall, the Senators hit on their next selection in the same class two selections later.
That was when the Senators took Sanderson fifth overall. In 2024-25, Sanderson broke out with a 57-point season. Just like Stutzle, Sanderson is 23 years old and destined to grow his game even more. Sanderson finished 10th for the 2025 Norris Trophy.
The Senators had one more first-round selection in the 2020 draft after selecting both Stutzle and Sanderson. That was Greig with the 28th overall pick.
In 2024-25 at 22 years old, Greig delivered the best season of his career with recording career highs with 34 points and 21 assists. Greig turned into a solid special teams player on both the powerplay and penalty kill.
Just like Stutzle, Sanderson and Greig, Merilainen was also a member of the 2020 class. The only difference is that Merilainen was a third-round draft pick selection. Even with being a third-round draft pick, Merilainen can be capable of being a core member of the Senators for years at 22 years old.
Merilainen recorded an impressive 1.99 goals against average and a .925 save percentage in 12 NHL games in 2024-25. Three of Merilainen's eight wins were shutout wins. Had Merilainen not have his solid 12-game surge, the chances the Senators would've made the playoffs would've been in question when both Anton Forsberg and Ullmark were injured in the Winter.
Cozens is the only player on Leal's list that wasn't a homegrown Senator. The Senators traded for Cozens from the Buffalo Sabres this past March at the trade deadline. When Cozens played, his presence was made in Ottawa.
In 21 games after being traded to Ottawa, Cozens recorded 16 points. With Cozens in the lineup, the Senators won 14 games. At 24 years old and now being familiar with the Senators system, expectations for Cozens will be higher in 2025-26 in his first full season as a Senator.
With having five solid young players under 25 years old, it helps put the Senators in a position to win for years to come. With losing to the hated Maple Leafs in the playoffs, it can be used as fuel for 2026. The Senators will begin their 2025-26 season in Tampa against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Oct. 9.