The best prospect performances from the Senators prospect tournament

Every year, most teams in the NHL participate in a rookie tournament that pits each team’s rookies against the others. This year, the Ottawa Senators were in a tournament hosted across the Ottawa River in Gatineau, QC, with the Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Winnipeg Jets. The Senators came away with an overtime win against the Leafs and a shootout loss against Montreal. The Senators are considered to have one of the weaker prospect pools around the league due to many of their young players graduating, bad asset management (for more info on that, check out the article below), and poor drafting. With that said, this tournament was a good opportunity for young players to showcase their skills to the big club, and many Ottawa prospects did so in spades. Here are the five prospects that stood out.

Jaxon Cover

The 32nd selection in the 2026 draft had many question marks regarding his game, but many agreed it’s hard to deny his raw potential. The first Grand Cayman NHL-affiliated player began playing ice hockey in 2021. Jaxon Cover scored 7 points in two games over the weekend, and he was the best player on the ice; some analysts considered him the best of the tournament. Cover’s game showed why the Senators picked him: lots of speed, finding open space, relentless puck pursuit coupled with high IQ.

Cover sees the ice really well and finds open space whenever he can. His puck pursuit and skating were able to help him dash by defenders and get chances on net, much like his OT winner. Not only was he good offensively, he also played a defensively responsible game with time on the penalty kill. He’s being given the chance to play centre in preseason games for the London Knights and lined up down the middle against Montreal. Cover showed many over the weekend that he may have already found that next gear that people have been talking about, and he likely has even more to give.

Hoyt Stanley

The 2023 4th rounder has been quiet in the Senators organization for the past few years, as he finished his NCAA career at Cornell University and turned pro this past season. For most Senators fans, Hoyt Stanley was an unknown. He was the first pick in the 2023 draft for the team, and after this weekend, you can see why. Stanley’s game is all about the details; he was efficient in his puck-moving abilities between the neutral and offensive zones, and his defensive-zone coverage was rock solid.

He’s a good skater who is very smart. He uses his stick and 6’3 frame to control the ice, and he showed that multiple times over the weekend. The 21 year old defenceman has a lot of very projectable skills on the ice that teams covet and he's a right shot to boot. Stanley, for a while, seemed as though he may be a middling player in the Senators organization, but with how things are going, his future may be better than that.

Kasper Halttunen

One of the prospects that was included in the William Eklund trade, many didn’t know much about Kasper Halttunen and quickly learned that he wasn’t exactly a throw-in. Halttunen had a full season of pro last year and had 35 points in 69 games, and his career in London was excellent as well: 53 goals in 95 games, 32 goals and 47 points in 35 playoff games, and a playoff MVP. His shot and physical play are what make him such an interesting prospect for the Senators, as they haven’t had a player with his skill set in some time.

Over the weekend, he showed those two exact skills: his knack for scoring goals and strong physical play. The biggest knock on his game is his skating, and luckily, Ottawa is home to one of the best skating coaches, Shelley Kettles who can help him improve. Halttunen was one of the better players in the tournament for Ottawa, and he was noticeable every shift. Keep an eye on him this season, as he will likely be one of the more relied-on players in Belleville.

Eskild Bakke Olsen

Eskild Bakke Olsen was the oldest player in the tournament by a wide margin, and he’s the most experienced in that same regard as well. Bakke Olsen won a bronze medal against a stacked Team Canada at the IIHF World Championships this past May, the first medal for Norway in ice hockey.

The 24-year-old scored multiple times during the prospect tournament and was a consistent linemate of Jaxon Cover, matching the speed of the 2026 first rounder. Bakke Olsen is a smart player who finds open space when it is given to him, and he drove the net multiple times over the weekend. He has quick hands that can help him get out of trouble, as seen below. Bakke Olsen has an outside chance at a roster spot with Ottawa, but he plays a very strong pro game that would translate very well in a bottom-six role. With some injuries and suspensions, he may have the opportunity to start the year with Ottawa.

Christian Kyrou

Not the Kyrou that Senators fans were hoping for this summer, but the 2022 2nd rounder is a welcome addition to the team’s depth chart. Christian Kyrou was a phenomenal offensive defenceman in the OHL with a 77-point season in 2022-23. Kyrou was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers at the start of last season and had his best AHL season yet, with 34 points in 55 games. The Senators signed him in free agency, and he provides them with excellent offensive depth on the backend.

He was arguably the Senators’ best defenceman this weekend, and his skating and puck skills are the reason why. Despite being under pressure, he’ll find ways to get out of sticky situations, and when he gets the chance, he produces, as he assisted on a few goals over the weekend. Kyrou seems like a very solid signing by the Senators if, at the very least, he helps Belleville become a better team, but he could be a more long-term payoff type of player with the right coaching.

Best of the rest

Blake Montgomery

Always a tenacious player who plays hard in every single zone, Blake Montgomery showed that in the tournament. Montgomery has all the tools to become an NHL player, and with his skating, size, and endless supply of energy, he can get there.

Kevin Reidler

The 6’6 goaltender had a good showing against the Canadiens, allowing two power-play goals on the 17 shots he faced. Kevin Reidler’s size is obviously a major benefit as a goalie, but he also moves surprisingly well. He’ll share time with Jackson Parsons in Belleville as the two battle it out to see who becomes the starter.

Overall, it was a good showing for the Senators prospects, despite the cupboards being a bit more bare than you’d like for where the team is at. Though the organization only has a handful of high potential prospects, that doesn't mean we can't see a few of these players in a Senators uniform in the future.

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