Ottawa Senators Prospect Team of the Week

Forwards

Egor Sokolov led the way in Belleville this past week with two goals, one assist, and seven shots in three games. He continues to lead the BSens in assists and remains tied for second in goals (third in shots). The apples have subsided somewhat of late after a surge earlier in the season but Sokolov continues to shoot the puck often and the goals have started to add up as we would have expected from the robust winger.

Cole Reinhardt came up with two big goals in the clutch this past week on eleven shots in three games for Belleville. He had this overtime winner and another late in the third on the night prior (video also below). Even if his numbers don’t jump off the page at you, it feels like Reinhardt has played some great hockey in Belleville this season, and it seems like he has contributed beyond his goals and assists to whatever success Belleville has had this year. Reinhardt has arguably merited another late-season call-up to Ottawa should the opportunity present itself.

Okay, hear me out, Tyler Boucher redemption arc? Yeah I know, the trend of injuries and cold streaks has continued into this season but maybe this time he really puts it together down the stretch and into the postseason. In the spirit of my naive optimism, Boucher had one goal, two assists, and 11 shots in two games upon his return from injury to the juggernaut 67s. He still has a lot of work to do to redeem his second season in the Senators organization but no time like the present, I guess?

Defence

Whomst?! Ottawa’s sixth-rounder from this most recent draft, Theo Wallberg had one goal and one assist along with five shots in two games for Dubuque this past week to snatch this week’s honours from the likes of regulars such as Jorian Donovan and Tyler Kleven. Wallberg hasn’t had many big offensive weeks to date but he still manages about a shot-per-game in the USHL and plays a really disciplined game which I personally admire (16 PIM in 42 games played) considering scouts list him at 6’5” and 204lbs.

We can really only hope that Lassi Thomson finds new life under Belleville’s new coaching staff as he had played some pretty mediocre hockey earlier in the season. The past week, Thomson had three assists and six shots in three games for Belleville, bringing his personal point streak to four games. He has eight assists in his last nine games and at least one shot in all but one of Belleville’s games in February so it seems like Thomson has regained some of that lost confidence with the puck. For all their injury woes this season, Belleville has their defence pretty well sorted out now that Jonathan Aspirot has recovered from injury (and Ottawa has their roster temporarily sorted out). That stability should also bode well for Thomson and the Sens’ other defensive prospects in Belleville.

Goaltender

At some point since the calendar changed to 2023, a switch flipped for Senators goaltending prospects across the board. Mads Søgaard, who won his lone start in Ottawa this week, stopping 30 of 32, also got his first NHL assist, leading a crop of worthy candidates. Kevin Mandolese, having aced his recent audition in Ottawa, won his lone game in Belleville this past week stopping 25 of 27, and Kevin Reidler (who has looked like a completely different netminder in 2023) continued his hot streak with another win stopping 22 of 23. Leevi Meriläinen of all goalies had the roughest week (arguably his first sub-par week of the season in Finland). Meriläinen still has a winning record and a save percentage over 92—colour me unfazed.

Stats