Ottawa Senators Prospect Update: Seven-Game AHL Winning Streak

I spent a fair amount of time trying to figure out how not to make this week’s prospect update seem completely redundant from last week, where I highlighted an incredible team effort from the Belleville Senators. But the fact of the matter is, they somehow managed to one-up themselves. So here we go again!

Biggest Standouts

Those Freaking B-Sens, Man

Spencer will have a more focused analysis in tomorrow’s weekly roundup, but the B-Sens went 3-0-0 this week to extend their winning streak to seven games. The highlight was their second game against the Toronto Marlies, where they scored five straight goals in the last 20:03 to turn the game from being 4-2 down to a 7-4 victory. They’re a comfy 15 points out of fifth in their division — Spencer’s bold prediction that they’ll have home ice advantage is looking rather likely.

The biggest biggest standout of the whole group was once again Josh Norris, who notched a goal and added four assists to bring his streak to five games (3G, 7A). Alex Formenton also had a goal and two assists (including an OT winner), with him and Norris now holding down the top two spots on the rookie scoring leaderboard.

Some more standouts — Rudolfs Balcers had two goals in the first game against the Marlies and came inches away from the hat trick. Max Lajoie had three assists, which was a nice bump for someone who hasn’t been in as much on the offensive action. Jean-Christophe Beaudin returned after nearly a month-long injury to score a goal in each of his first two games. The depth players also got their pieces of the pie, with Michael Carcone, Morgan Klimchuk and Parker Kelly each scoring a goal.

And lastly, Erik Brännström turned on the jets this week, scoring two highlight-reel goals. Feast your eyes on this:

Oh my @brannstromerik #fortheB pic.twitter.com/Omv4hb1Owv

— Belleville Senators (@BellevilleSens) February 8, 2020

Johnny Gruden

He’s made the Biggest Standouts section a few times now, but Johnny Gruden continues to roll with the London Knight. His eight-game point streak was cut off this week, but in that span he six goals and seven assists. He’s moved up to third on the Knights’ scoring leaderboard, with his draft + 2 years OHL numbers similar to players like Aidan Dudas (Los Angeles) and Allan McShane (Montreal).

Todd Burgess

It’s very unlikely that Todd Burgess will be in the Sens’ prospect pipeline much longer, as he hasn’t been able to establish himself as a top player in four NCAA seasons, the first of which was missed entirely due to injury. But this week was a particularly strong one for him, getting on the scoresheet on half of Rensselaer’s goals with a goal and two assists.

Silver Linings

• Scott Wheeler’s prospect pool rankings wrapped up this week, with the Sens coming in at #7 (paywall). It’s a very respectable ranking for a pipeline that lacks blue-chip star talent, but Scott acknowledges that their depth is what vaults them near the top. The internal prospect rankings are a bit odd (I gave my own here), but it’s filled with good analysis.
• The one player on Belleville who didn’t have a good week was Logan Brown. First he made a dirty play against the Marlies that earned him a game misconduct (but no supplemental discipline). Then it was revealed that he’d been battling a hand injury, even though x-ray results came back negative. Then his ten-game point streak was snapped, failing to hit the scoresheet in their 7-4 win. He’s still easily a top-six player and one of the team’s key contributors, so hopefully he can bounce back next week.
• Angus Crookshank also was assessed a game misconduct this week against Vermont, although the reasoning is pretty unclear. He scored a game-winning goal earlier in the week.
• You might be able to guess what the update is on Christian Jaros — he’s out with another undisclosed injury. I’ve lost count of how many it’s been this season.
• While he’s no longer a prospect, Christian Wolanin has officially joined the B-Sens after recovering from a long injury. It’ll be interesting to see how the ice time gets split between him, Brännstrom and Lajoie.
• Mark Kastelic entered the top ten in all-time scoring for the Calgary Hitmen with 217 points. He’s already fourth in goals.
• Lastly, a report surfaced that goalie Kevin Mandolese is in contract talks with the Sens for an entry-level deal. He’s exceeded expectations this year, posting a 92.3% save percentage after being well below 90% in his previous three seasons. Assuming RFA Joey Daccord is re-signed this summer, it could be another crowded crease for the B-Sens to start the 2020-21 season./

Stats Report

Pro (NHL, AHL, ECHL)

Canadian Hockey League

NCAA

European Leagues

Goalies