Ottawa Senators: 2 Prospects Who Could Make The Team Next Season

Having a strong prospect pool is such an important thing, as it helps determine the future success of all NHL franchises. Although it is always nice to be competitive now, things changes rapidly and it truly is a young man's league. Therefore, it feels right to start a 32-team segment covering them. During it, we will be looking at two prospects from every NHL franchise who could become NHL regulars next season.

This specific article will focus on the Ottawa Senators. As a rebuilding team, they have plenty of prospects in their system. One of note is defenseman Jake Sanderson, but due to the fact that he has yet to sign his entry-level contract, he will likely be staying in college this upcoming season. However, there are still other prospects in their system who can obtain spots with the team next season. Here are two who come to mind.

Alex Formenton LW: Next season should be the year where the Ottawa Senators insert forward Alex Formenton into the lineup regularly. In 20 games this season, he scored four goals and recorded six points. He also played in 10 total NHL games previously in parts of two previous seasons and scored a goal. In 2019-20 with the Belleville Senators, he saw his offensive totals go up. In 61 games, he scored 27 goals and recorded 53 points. Now is the time to see what Formenton can do over an 82-game schedule.

Jacob Bernard-Docker D: Defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker finished off his collegiate career with the University of North Dakota last season. In 27 games, he scored three goals and registered 18 points, which is certainly solid for someone on the backend. He also played five games with the Senators once the college season ended, but failed to record a point. At a minimum, this 21-year-old should get called up to the NHL from Belleville when injuries arise. However, he does have a real shot of making their bottom-pair next season, too.