The Ottawa 67’s will be short-handed this weekend, but six of their players are getting a shot at NHL camps.
Defenceman Kaleb Dietsch and forward Nic Whitehead are joining the Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs, respectively, as free-agent invitees to the NHL Prospect Challenge at Slush Puppie Centre in Gatineau.
They’ll be joined by drafted teammates Spencer Bowes, who is headed to the New York Rangers, David Bedkowski with the Buffalo Sabres, Filip Ekberg with the Carolina Hurricanes and Ondrej Ruml with the Colorado Avalanche.
Whitehead, the 19-year-old Orlando, Fla., native, was training at his uncle’s place in Atlanta when he got the call that the Leafs wanted him at rookie camp.
He said he was disappointed not to hear his name called in last June’s draft, even if he didn’t exactly expect to be selected.
“I thought I had a pretty good year last year and I didn’t really talk to any teams, but it still hurts,” he said. “I’m going to use it as a motivator.
It’s something that you put in the backof your mind. It’s adversity, and you have to get over it.
My dad and my mom really helped meout with that. It’s not something that bothers me now. doesn’t bother me.
It’s definitely amotivator for me.”
The Senators will open against the Leafs on Saturday at 6 p.m. and then play the Habs on Sunday at 6 p.m.
Sam Gagner, the Senators director of player development, said earlier this summer that the event gives young players a chance to make a strong first impression before main camp.
“I think it’s a great opportunity for these players to get off on the right foot, heading into main camp,” he said. “I saw what it did for (defenceman) Carter Yakemchuk last year, having such a great rookie camp, and going into main camp.
In Other News...
Oilers Get An Early Sign Of How Babcock May Change The Room
The offseason chatter around the Senators has already been shaped by what Anaheim did with Chris Kreider, who suddenly became available after being placed on unconditional waivers. For Ottawa, the timing matters because the club has at least some room to maneuver if it wants to make a serious push for help up front, and Kreiders situation has put them in the mix as a team to watch if he decides he wants to play in Canada.
What makes this one interesting is the fit as much as the opening. Ottawa has been waiting for a chance to add a veteran scorer without clogging up its long-term plans, and Kreiders availability gives the front office a different kind of conversation than the usual trade deadline or draft-pick hunt. If he is serious about the idea, the Senators will have to decide how far they want to go, and whether this is the sort of move that can change the look of their room as much as their lineup. [Read more 🡒]
Batherson Extension Talks Just Put Ottawas Next Big Decision In Focus
Drake Bathersons extension conversation has become one of the bigger items hanging over Ottawas offseason, with general manager Steve Staios confirming the Senators and the winger are interested in working toward a long-term deal. The framework matters here, too, because the current NHL collective bargaining rules create a September 15 deadline for signing an eight-year contract, which puts some real urgency around how the sides approach the next few weeks.
Around the league, recent deals for players such as Alex Tuch and Adrian Kempe have already helped shape the conversation, and Bathersons camp has plenty of recent company when it comes to top-end winger contracts. If Ottawa and Batherson find common ground on the type of number being discussed, it would be a significant marker for where the Senators see him in their core, and for how aggressively they want to commit to that core right now. [Read more 🡒]
Senators Face Real Pressure To Prove This Core Can Finally Deliver
The Senators are trying to turn a few promising seasons into something sturdier, and the next step is pretty clear: prove they can play when the stakes rise. After another round of postseason frustration, the focus in Ottawa has shifted to earning home-ice advantage and showing that this group under Travis Green can handle the pressure that comes with expectations, not just potential. Management and players have talked openly about the need for continued development, which is a polite way of saying the margin for excuses is shrinking.
Brady Tkachuk is no longer part of the picture, leaving a major leadership and production void for a team that just dealt its captain to the Panthers, and the front office has tried to soften that blow with additions like William Eklund and Andre Burakovsky. The talent is there to keep this core in the conversation, but the real question now is whether the roster can settle into something more complete before the season starts to define it. [Read more 🡒]