With the 4th Pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, the Ottawa Senators Have Selected Brady Tkachuk From the Boston University Terriers in the NCAA.
About Brady Tkachuk
There may not be a better mix of skill and physical ability in the 2018 NHL Draft Class than Brady Tkachuk. A prototypical power forward who has all the makings of a top-six forward who can also impact a game from the bottom-six, Tkachuk has an excellent shot and is a solid skater who isn’t afraid to go to the dirty areas of the ice to make a play.
THW Prospect Profile Excerpt:
We’ve all seen what Matthew Tkachuk has done for the Calgary Flames in his brief NHL career. Some good, some bad and certainly some ugly, but most of it has been good. Now, consider that there’s a player with the ability to agitate like the Flames youngster, but with more speed and skill. What if I told you he has the same last name? Meet Brady Tkachuk. He’s Matthew’s younger brother and should be a top-five pick in the upcoming NHL Draft.
He’s tenacious and gritty, like his last name would suggest, but he’s incredibly quick and has the ability to make plays in tight spaces. His uses all types of shots – snap, wrist or slap – to get things done in the offensive zone and doesn’t shy away from dishing off the puck to reward his teammates as well.
After spending time with the U.S. National Development Program in 2016-17, Tkachuk committed to playing at Boston University in 2017-18 and had a great season in his freshman year. He tallied 8 goals and 31 points in 40 games during the regular season – adding 61 penalty minutes – and was named to the NCAA’s all-rookie team for Hockey East.
Full player profile can be found here
How This Affects the Senators’ Plans
The Ottawa Senators had a big decision to make before using this pick. As part of their trade with the Colorado Avalanche – a deal that saw the Senators acquire Matt Duchene after what seemed like an eternity of rumors surrounded the veteran center, the Senators had to decide to send Colorado their first-round pick this season or in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft.
While it would have been hard to move the fourth-overall pick, the Senators also have a legitimate chance at finishing with the worst record in the NHL in 2018-19 and that could ultimately lead them to obtain the No. 1 overall selection. That pick is highly coveted as it should be used on Jack Hughes. Despite this, the Senators opted to use their pick in 2018 to select _.
Because the Senators are going to be in rough shape for the next few seasons, it’s going to be interesting to see if Tkachuk gets the call right away at the NHL level or if management lets him develop outside of the NHL while also maintaining years on his entry-level contract in the interim period.
A lot of it will come down to how Tkachuk looks when being evaluated by the Senators prior to the season but the team will have to make a big decision on where he spends the 2018 season. Tkachuk, of course, will also have to decide on whether or not he wants to forego the rest of his time at Boston University to join the NHL.