The Ottawa Senators’ future picture got a little brighter this summer, even if it wasn’t the offseason plenty of fans had imagined. Between trades and the draft, the organization added a fresh batch of young talent, and that sets the stage for this year’s Top 25 Under 25.
This annual summer series arrives with a familiar backdrop and a changing cast. For several key names, 2026 marks the last year they’re eligible for the list.
That group includes Jake Sanderson, Ridly Greig, Tyler Kleven, Leevi Meriläinen, Philippe Daoust, and, of course, three-time defending champion Tim Stützle. It’s a notable turning point for the class of 2020.
At the same time, a few new players are ready to slide into the conversation. William Eklund, acquired from San Jose before the draft, is viewed as the leading candidate for third place this year. Kasper Halttunen, who came over in the same deal, has also emerged as Ottawa’s most NHL-ready forward prospect.
The Senators also used the 2026 NHL Entry Draft to add more depth to the pipeline, selecting eight players in all. The class was headlined by two first-round picks, Jonas Lagerberg Hoen and Jaxon Cover, along with third-rounder Adam Nemec, who produced at a point-per-game pace in the OHL during his draft year.
For anyone looking to dig deeper into the draft haul, the full post-draft breakdown on all eight picks is worth revisiting before casting votes. After a one-year break, the poll is back on SurveyHero for this year’s Reader Voting.
In Other News...
Every Day Ottawa Waits, Batherson Becomes A Bigger Contract Problem
Drake Batherson has been eligible for a contract extension with the Senators for three weeks now, and the longer Ottawa waits, the more complicated the situation gets. His game has climbed year by year, capped by career highs last season, and that kind of upward trajectory usually gets expensive fast, especially with the NHL salary cap rising and the market for top-end talent moving higher around the league.
Batherson has already said he is open to staying in Ottawa long-term, so this is not a question of fit so much as timing and price. The Senators have watched his value grow into something much harder to pin down than it would have been earlier, and with other big deals resetting expectations across the league, every quiet day only makes the eventual negotiation feel a little more loaded. [Read more 🡒]
Hallidays First NHL Taste Left Him Wanting Much More In Ottawa
Carter Hallidays first extended look at the NHL came with plenty of lessons attached, and the Senators prospect has carried those into the summer. After getting a taste of Ottawa during the 2025-26 season, he has been back around the organization at the clubs Pro Player Camps at the Bell Sensplex, where he spent time around young players while continuing to absorb what it takes to stick at the next level. The experience has only sharpened his appreciation for how much detail goes into every shift, especially for a player trying to carve out a role.
Hallidays season was built on adjustment, with repeated trips up from Belleville and mostly fourth-line duty once he got there. It also meant learning to value the quieter parts of the job, including time in the press box when he could watch how Ottawas top defensemen process the game. For a player who wants more than a brief NHL look, those moments may prove just as important as the shifts themselves. [Read more 🡒]
Flames May Have Another Mid Round Steal Brewing In Their System
Ethan Wyttenbachs first year at Quinnipiac has already turned heads in Calgary circles, and for good reason. The fifth-round pick was one of the most productive freshmen in college hockey, piling up 25 goals and 59 points while leading the Bobcats in scoring by a wide margin, a kind of breakout that can change how a prospect is viewed almost overnight.
For the Flames, the appeal is obvious: a player taken 144th overall who chose the college route and immediately looked like more than a long-term project. Wyttenbachs rise has put him in the conversation with some of the sports more notable freshman scorers, and it has also made him one of the more intriguing dark horse names in the system as Calgary waits to see whether this was a one-year surge or the start of something bigger. [Read more 🡒]