Ottawa Senators Prospect Update: The Kids Are All In Belleville
Shane Pinto, Kevin Mandolese and Mark Kastelic are this week’s biggest standouts.
Welcome to your weekly Ottawa Senators prospect update! It was a mixed week for the team’s prospects pool, with the Belleville Senators failing to pick up any points this week. A couple other prospects have already started to cool off after a hot start, but every week there’s a few players with standout performances.
Pro (NHL, AHL, ECHL)
| - | - | - | - | - | Since | the | last | prospect | update | - | | | - | T | O | T | A | L | - |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PLAYER | POS | AGE | LEAGUE | GP | G | A | P | PIM | SOG | SH% | | | GP | G | A | P | PIM | SOG | SH% |
| Alex Formenton | LW | 20 | AHL | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0% | | | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 13% |
| Drake Batherson | RW | 21 | AHL | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 14% | | | 4 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 16 | 13% |
| NHL | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | | | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0% | |||
| Filip Chlapik | C | 22 | AHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0% | | | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 0% |
| NHL | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | | | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0% | |||
| Jean-Christophe Beaudin | C/RW | 22 | AHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0% | | | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0% |
| Jonathan Davidsson | RW | 22 | AHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | | | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0% |
| Josh Norris | C | 20 | AHL | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 17% | | | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 14 | 7% |
| Logan Brown | C | 21 | AHL | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 50% | | | 5 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 9 | 33% |
| Max Veronneau | RW | 23 | AHL | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0% | | | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0% |
| Michael Carcone | LW | 23 | AHL | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 17% | | | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 12 | 8% |
| Morgan Klimchuk | LW | 24 | AHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0% | | | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 17% |
| Parker Kelly | C/RW | 20 | AHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0% | | | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0% |
| Vitaly Abramov | RW/LW | 21 | AHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0% | | | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 0% |
| NHL | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | | | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 33% | |||
| Andreas Englund | LD | 23 | AHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0% | | | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 0% |
| Christian Jaros | RD | 23 | AHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0% | | | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 0% |
| Maxime Lajoie | LD | 21 | AHL | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0% | | | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 0% |
| Rudolfs Balcers | LW | 22 | NHL | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | | | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Erik Brännström | LD | 20 | NHL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0% | | | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 12 | 0% |
- The trio of Drake Batherson, Josh Norris and Logan Brown were the B-Sens’ biggest offensive forces, despite the losses.
- Filip Chlapik, Jonathan Davidsson, Parker Kelly and Vitaly Abramov are all still looking for their first point of the season./
Canadian Hockey League
| - | - | - | - | - | - | Since | the | last | prospect | update | - | | | - | T | O | T | A | L | - |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PLAYER | POS | AGE | TEAM | LEAGUE | GP | G | A | P | PIM | SOG | SH% | | | GP | G | A | P | PIM | SOG | SH% |
| Johnny Gruden | LW | 19 | London Knights | OHL | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 33% | | | 9 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 5 | 28 | 14% |
| Maxence Guénette | RD | 18 | Val-d'Or Foreurs | QMJHL | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 9% | | | 12 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 39 | 5% |
| Mark Kastelic | C | 20 | Calgary Hitmen | WHL | 2 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 10 | 30% | | | 5 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 12 | 24 | 25% |
- Johnny Gruden maintains his point-per-game pace on London.
- Maxence Guénette had an impressive eleven shots in two games this week./
NCAA
| - | - | - | - | - | Since | the | last | prospect | update | - | | | - | T | O | T | A | L | - |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PLAYER | POS | AGE | TEAM | GP | G | A | P | PIM | SOG | SH% | | | GP | G | A | P | PIM | SOG | SH% |
| Angus Crookshank | LW | 20 | Univ. of New Hampshire | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0% | | | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 12 | 8% |
| Jakob Novak | LW/C | 20 | Bentley Univ. | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 50% | | | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 18% |
| Luke Loheit | RW | 19 | Univ. of Minnesota-Duluth | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0% | | | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0% |
| Shane Pinto | C | 18 | Univ. of North Dakota | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 11% | | | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 17 | 12% |
| Todd Burgess | C/RW | 23 | RPI | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 40% | | | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 29% |
| Jacob Bernard-Docker | RD | 19 | Univ. of North Dakota | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0% | | | 4 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 10 | 0% |
| Jonny Tychonick | LD | 19 | Univ. of North Dakota | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0% | | | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0% |
- Todd Burgess scored his first two goals of the season in the same game.
- Jacob Bernard-Docker cooled off after a quick start, with only a single shot on goal in two games. Jonny Tychonick didn’t fare much better./
European Leagues
| - | - | - | - | - | - | Since | the | last | prospect | update | - | | | - | T | O | T | A | L | - |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PLAYER | POS | AGE | TEAM | LEAGUE | GP | G | A | P | PIM | SOG | SH% | | | GP | G | A | P | PIM | SOG | SH% |
| Markus Nurmi | RW/LW | 21 | TPS | Liiga | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 25% | | | 19 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 8 | 37 | 8% |
| Lassi Thomson | RD | 19 | Ilves | Liiga | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | | | 14 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 54 | 6% |
| Viktor Lodin | C/LW | 20 | Örebro HK | SHL | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | | | 12 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 0% |
| Olle Alsing | LD | 23 | Djurgårdens IF | SHL | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0% | | | 17 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 10 | 31 | 10% |
- Everyone in Europe seemed to have a slow week, with both Markus Nurmi and Lassi Thomson held off the scoreboard.
- Viktor Lodin is doing absolutely nothing on Örebro, playing an average of 6:50 per game./
Goaltenders
| - | - | - | - | - | Since | the | last | prospect | update | - | - | | | - | T | O | T | A | L | - | - |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PLAYER | AGE | TEAM | LEAGUE | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | SA | GA | SV% | | | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | SA | GA | SV% |
| Filip Gustavsson | 21 | Belleville Senators | AHL | 1 | 1 | 28 | 2 | 92.9% | | | 18 | 11 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 519 | 55 | 89.4% | |||
| Joey Daccord | 23 | Belleville Senators | AHL | 2 | 1 | 1 | 61 | 4 | 93.4% | | | 13 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 434 | 36 | 91.7% | ||
| Brampton Beast | ECHL | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | | | 12 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 342 | 34 | 90.1% | ||
| Marcus Högberg | 25 | Belleville Senators | AHL | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | | | 15 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 408 | 42 | 89.7% |
| Ottawa Senators | NHL | 1 | 1 | 53 | 3 | 94.3% | | | 12 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 377 | 33 | 91.2% | |||||
| Kevin Mandolese | 19 | Cape Breton Eagles | QMJHL | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | #VALUE! | | | 26 | 17 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 726 | 57 | 92.1% |
| Mads Søgaard | 19 | Medicine Hat Tigers | WHL | 2 | 1 | 1 | 27 | 4 | 85.2% | | | 28 | 15 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 744 | 75 | 89.9% |
- Neither goalie in Belleville could get anything going, with Gustavsson being pulled in his second start of the season.
- Mads Søgaard had a down week compared to how well he was stopping pucks earlier in the season. His overall save percentage is still at 91.7%./
Biggest Standouts
Shane Pinto
Chosen with the 32nd pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, Shane Pinto may be one of the most controversial picks the Sens have made this decade. Considering who was left on the board, it was an unexpected move. But for what Pinto has been doing early this season, there’s a bit more room for optimism.
With a goal, assist, and nine shots on goal this week, Pinto was named the rookie of the week in the NCHC. He’s up to four points in four games, scoring one in each.
Here’s his goal, a rebound off a point shot by none other than Jacob Bernard-Docker.
🚨 Shane Pinto
— Sens Prospects (@SensProspects) October 20, 2019
🍎 Jacob Bernard-Docker
Pinto scored UND's only goal on Saturday night off JBD's point shot. Through 4 games, JBD leads UND with 5 points (5A) and Pinto is T-2nd with 4 points (2G, 2A). #GoSensGo pic.twitter.com/KapblezUVq
Kevin Mandolese
The Cape Breton Eagles are currently 4th in the QMJHL, and a big part of that has been the play of Kevin Mandolese, who hasn’t cooled off after his stellar playoff performance last season. The Eagles are 6-1-0 in games he’s started, with him stopping 90.9% of shots faced. He was a perfect 2-0-0 this week, allowing four goals on 62 shots.
If there’s any season where Mandolese needs to come up big, it’s this one. The Sens will have to decide afterwards whether they’ll sign him to an entry-level contract, or lose his rights as a prospect. With Högberg, Gustavsson and Daccord already battling for playing time, and Søgaard performing well in the WHL, it will take a lot for Mandolese to work himself into that group. At 19 years old and 6’4”, it’s definitely possible if he can continue having weeks like this.
Mark Kastelic
Since joining the Calgary Hitmen after being cut from the Sens’ training camp, Mark Kastelic has made the Biggest Standouts section for his second week in a row. This comes off another high-scoring week for the centre, scoring three goals and adding an assist in two games. He has at least a point in every game he’s played so far.
🚨🚨 Mark Kastelic had 2 goals on Sunday night against fellow Sens prospect Mads Sogaard.
— Sens Prospects (@SensProspects) October 21, 2019
Kastelic was named 1st start after leading Calgary to a 6-3 win after being down 3-0. He's riding a 5-game point streak (6G, 2A) to start his WHL season. #GoSensGo pic.twitter.com/ogVsHJidxD
It’s been a fantastic start for the Sens’ 2019 draft pick, although there’s a couple things to keep in mind. Having turned 20 in March, Kastelic is one of the oldest players in the WHL, so he’s expected to dominate when playing against a bunch of 16/17/18-year-olds. His shooting percentage has also spiked early, currently sitting at 25%.
But what we’re seeing from Kastelic early on is his versatility — he’s a high energy player who can play a skilled game, but also plays very physical. It’s the type of skillset that could fit into the Sens’ bottom six in a few years. For now, he’s continuing to pummel the WHL.
Silver Linings
- Drake Batherson seems to be enjoying himself in Belleville after being sent down early in the season. The following quote was part of his recent interview./
“Down here I’ve found my game in the first couple of games and I think if I can play that way that’s what’s going to get me to the next level. I was maybe a little hesitant on plays (in Ottawa) where I would just naturally make plays going by my instinct. Down here is going to help with my game and (coach Troy Mann) is giving me every opportunity to play. It’s fun.”
- Of all the questionable roster moves the Sens have made so far this season, the most out-of-the-blue might be their recall of Jean-Christophe Beaudin. He’s been Belleville’s fourth line grinder and a frequent healthy scratch, and now there’s a chance he’ll see NHL action. This is a tanking move if I’ve ever seen one.
- A positive side-effect of Beaudin being called up is that another roster spot is open on the B-Sens forward lineup. Jonathan Davidsson was once again a healthy scratch this week, as was Vitaly Abramov, who scored a goal in the NHL a week ago.
- On defence, the B-Sens’ blue line is even thinner than before, with both Christian Jaros and Andreas Englund getting injured last game. There’s no timeline for either’s return, although they’ve already signed Stuart Percy to a PTO.
- In a recent interview, Max Lajoie admitted that he wasn’t in the best shape coming to training camp this year. It doesn’t help that he spent a chunk of the summer recovering from injury, although he’s apparently fully back on track now fitness-wise.
- The Canada-Russia Series rosters were announced this week, and Maxence Guénette made the QMJHL roster as an extra defenceman.
- Jonny Tychonick was healthy scratched for the second time this season./
Stats are from AHL, CollegeHockeyInc, ECHL, EliteProspects, Liiga, OHL, QMJHL, SHL, and WHL.
