CHL Prospect Pipeline – Ottawa Senators
Introducing the CHL Prospect Pipeline presented by Kubota, the premiere feature highlighting current CHL talent that has been drafted or signed by each of the National Hockey League’s 32 teams.
Ottawa Senators
Philippe Daoust
A late bloomer whose tenacious playing style has helped him overcome size concerns, the 2001-born forward joined the Wildcats in 2019-20 and put together a solid first season that saw him finish with a respectable 29 points counting seven goals and 22 assists through 58 appearances. The budding centre then built on that performance this past season where through 21 outings he finished with 28 points, good for second in team scoring. Serving as an alternate captain last season, Daoust owns desirable leadership abilities and is expected to take on greater offensive responsibilities upon returning to the Wildcats in the fall. A native of Barrie, Ont., Daoust was chosen by the Senators in the sixth round of the 2020 NHL Draft.
Our fans were split between two very deserving players when voting for this award, so both players will earn the distinction!
Captain @jacob_hudson and Ottawa @Senators prospect @philippe_daoust are your co-MVPs this season!#DefendTheDen • #FansChoiceAwards pic.twitter.com/DZORUC0SyO
— Moncton Wildcats (@monctonwildcats) May 22, 2021
Ridly Greig
An energetic, three-zone player, the Brandon Wheat Kings centre is involved in all areas of the game and plays greater than his size suggests. Versatile in his ability to both play a solid two-way game and be an option offensively and defensively, Greig has spent part of the past four seasons with the Wheat Kings, highlighted by a career-high, 60-point finish in 2019-20 that saw him come within two points of the team scoring lead before later hearing his name called by Ottawa in the first round of last summer’s NHL Draft. Originally chosen with the eighth pick in the 2017 WHL Draft, Greig’s time in Brandon has totaled 128 points coming in 144 career contests. Beginning the past season on loan with the AHL’s Belleville Senators where he picked up three points across seven showings, Greig then returned for the WHL’s recently completed campaign where through 21 appearances he impressed in coming up with 32 points to rank second in team scoring. An 18-year-old native of Lethbridge, Alta., Greig has also earned opportunities with Team Canada, including a silver-medal finish at the 2019 Hlinka Gretzky Cup where he provided solid secondary scoring support to the tune of three points in five games.
🚨 First pro goal for Ridly Greig!! 🚨 pic.twitter.com/iTMaPBukKL
— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) May 12, 2021
Maxence Guenette
A steady defensive presence, the Val-d’Or Foreurs rearguard has continued to round out the offensive side of his game over four seasons in the QMJHL. Through 62 appearances in 2019-20, Guenette tallied a career-high 40 points – good for 12th in scoring among all defencemen league-wide – then continued that productive pace into the recently completed campaign where he posted 22 points through 36 games before adding another three goals and four assists across 15 playoff outings. The fifth pick from the 2017 QMJHL Entry Draft, Guenette has spent the entirety of his junior career with the Foreurs in which he has collected 25 goals and 81 assists for 106 points. Meanwhile, the 20-year-old Quebec-born blue-liner has also impressed under the international spotlight, highlighted by a gold medal win with Team Canada at the 2018 Hlinka Gretzky Cup. A late-round selection from the 2019 NHL Draft, Guenette signed an entry-level contract with the Senators in April.
Félicitations à Maxence Guenette qui signe son premier contrat professionnel avec les @Senators!🤩
Ne lâche pas ton excellent travail Max! #fierdetreforeurs pic.twitter.com/qhuGjYv20e
— Foreurs VD officiel (@ForeursVD) April 3, 2021
Mads Sogaard
Chosen by Medicine Hat in the opening round of the 2018 CHL Import Draft, the Danish-born netminder is a hulking presence in the crease who offers great net coverage with his strong positional playing style. Debuting with the Tigers in the ensuing months, Sogaard put together an admirable first season in which he found the win column in 19 of his 37 appearances coupled with a .921 save percentage and 2.64 goals-against average that ranked amongst the league’s best as he ultimately earned a spot on the WHL Eastern Conference Second All-Star Team. Seeing a similar workload in his second season, Sogaard drew the attention of talent evaluators and parlayed his performance into a second-round selection by the Senators in the 2019 NHL Draft. Beginning the past season on loan where he made 16 appearances with Esbjerg Energy of the top-tier Danish league, the 20-year-old also saw seven games with the AHL’s Belleville Senators and came away with a perfect record alongside a .917 save rate and 2.40 goals-against average. Internationally, Sogaard was recognized as the top player for his native Denmark at the 2020 Division 1 World Juniors after he posted a .904 save percentage through four appearances.
Congratulations to @mads_sogaard for signing his Entry Level Contract with Ottawa @Senators!
Mads very quickly became a fan favourite here in #MedicineHat!
Good luck chasing your hockey dreams Mads! pic.twitter.com/is7BTHrc5i
— Medicine Hat Tigers (@tigershockey) April 13, 2021
Egor Sokolov
After being twice passed over in the NHL Draft, the Cape Breton Eagles big-bodied, offensive-focused forward heard his name called by Ottawa in the second round of last year’s draft class. Originally chosen in the top round of the 2017 CHL Import Draft, the Russian left-wing spent three seasons with the Eagles from 2017-20 and showed a marked year-over-year improvement with each campaign culminating with a 92-point finish in his third year in which he led the circuit with 46 goals and earned a spot on the QMJHL First All-Star Team. In all, the gifted forward saw 184 career contests with Cape Breton in which he scored north of a point per game in collecting 97 goals and 94 assists. Playing the past season on loan in the minor-pro ranks, the 21-year-old made a seamless transition to the next level as his 35 appearances with the AHL’s Belleville Senators ultimately saw him finish first in team scoring with 25 points highlighted by 15 goals that led all league freshmen. On the international stage, Sokolov has also seen success with the Russians, helping the squad to a silver-medal finish at the 2020 World Juniors after he recorded four points across seven outings.
Our Egor Sokolov led the QMJHL in goals last year with 46. Drafted 61st overall, he joins former Eagles Kevin Mandolese and Drake Batherson in the Senators organization. Congratulations Egor! pic.twitter.com/tYorjwV4qN
— Cape Breton Eagles (@CBEHockey) October 7, 2020