Which Ottawa Senators prospects are having early season impacts?

The Ottawa Senators prospect pool was once one of the best in the league, with the likes of Drake Batherson, Josh Norris, Shane Pinto, Tyler Kleven, and, of course, Jake Sanderson and Tim Stützle. Recently, though, the Senators haven’t been able to hit on nearly as many of their picks as they had previously. This season, though, may see a nice change for the Senators' prospect pool, with many of their newly minted prospects making an impact.

Adam Nemec

The Sudbury Wolves product has been at another level all season, with 23 points in 14 games for the Slovak forward. Ottawa selected Adam Nemec 72nd overall this past draft, when there was some belief that Nemec could easily have been taken in the second round. He’s found a different gear this year, with him currently on a six-game point streak after starting the season with 12 points in five games. Nemec does a lot of things very well. He plays a strong defensive game as well, which makes him projectable in the Senators’ current system. He’s a relentless forechecker as well, and that has led to all of the early success. If he’s able to continue improving his offensive game, Nemec could be the steal of the draft.

Jaxon Cover

It feels like yesterday that Jaxon Cover lit up the prospect tournament for the Senators with seven points in two games. The Cayman Islands product was selected 32nd by the Senators in the 2026 draft, and for good reason. Cover oozes raw potential. His hands are one of his best attributes, as they can make so much happen with so little space. He is exceptionally fast and uses every edge of his skate blades possible when moving around the ice. His hockey IQ is so high and still feels untapped as he gets more accustomed to higher levels of ice hockey. Though he’s had a slower start this season, he has 15 points in 13 games. Expect those scoring totals to continue to climb as he starts scoring multiple points a game.

Jonas Lagerberg Hoen

The most surprising pick of this year’s first round was when the Senators selected Jonas Lagerberg Hoen. Lagerberg Hoen was injured fairly early in his 2025-26 season, but the stat that jumps off the page is that he had nine goals in nine games in the U20 Nationell. This year, he himself says he’s not completely back to form, but four points in four games in the HockeyAllsvenskan and five points in six games in the U20 mark a very good return to form. He’s done enough to put himself back on the radar of the Swedish world junior team for this year’s tournament. His best attribute is his shot, as you can tell by the nine goals in nine games; it’s truly one of the most impressive and calculated shots and easily the best from last year’s class.

Kasper Halttunen

One of the prospects included when the Senators acquired William Eklund, Kasper Halttunen was far from a throw-in in the deal. The Finnish forward has been lighting the lamp for the Belleville Senators this season, having scored 10 goals in 14 games. His shot is so powerful that the goaltender can actively know where the shot is coming from and still struggle to stop it. Halttunen’s game is improving in other areas as well, but the Senators knew what they were getting with Halttunen: a player who knows how to score goals. Don’t be surprised to see him get a game or two with Ottawa this season.

Dmitri Isayev

Dmitri Isayev’s calling card is putting up points. He does it just about wherever he goes. The 2025 fifth-rounder has 16 points in eight games in the MHL and four points in eight games in the VHL. Notably, he’s been called up to the KHL four times this season, which, for a young player like him, doesn’t happen often. The challenge for Isayev will be his size. At 5’9” and 148 lbs, he doesn’t have a lot of size to him, but that hasn’t deterred him at many levels. He’s so offensively gifted, and his vision sets him apart from his peers. In a potential world junior tune-up game, Isayev had two goals.

Bruno Idzan

Bruno Idzan is the first Croatian player drafted in NHL history, and the 2025 sixth-rounder is starting to find his form with Wisconsin in the NCAA. Last season, he had five points in 20 games, and this season, he’s found a different level with six points in seven games, with five of those being goals. Idzan is a fast play driver who sees the ice well and is able to create plays out of nowhere. He’s extremely skilled, and with his elevated role this season, expect to see him continue racking up points.

Logan Hensler

After a brutal knee injury finished his season for Wisconsin early last year, Logan Hensler has been back with a vengeance. The 2025 first-rounder has nine points in eight games and has continued to look increasingly impressive as his season has rolled on. Hensler’s calling card isn’t his offence, though; it’s his steady, shutdown-style defensive game. His details in that area have improved significantly since he was drafted, and he has a strong chance of being a Zub replacement sometime down the road.

Jackson Parsons

Jackson Parsons is such an interesting prospect in that he was an undrafted goaltender out of the OHL. He isn’t undersized either at 6’2”, and he also won the CHL’s and OHL’s Goaltender of the Year awards. The 21-year-old has put up impressive numbers for the Belleville Senators this season, going 4-3-1 with a .916 Sv%. Parsons’ best attribute is his technical ability in net, using angles and quick movements to make saves. He doesn’t overcomplicate his game, and that’s what makes him successful. To be putting up the stats that he has in the AHL as a 21-year-old is extremely impressive, and hopefully he’s able to continue to grow from here. Parsons terrific play has clearly been recognized by management as he was called up to the Senators Tuesday morning.

All of the links used throughout this article are from a great follow: SensProspects. If you're not already, consider following them on Twitter/X as it's been one of the best follows as a Senators fan for many years now. All of the dedication and work required to put that content together is challenging, and doing it so consistently is really impressive.

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