It’s largely assumed that the Ottawa Senators will target a defenceman with their first pick in the 2024 NHL Draft. Zayne Parekh has long been connected to the team, and more recently, Sam Dickinson has been quoted as being interested in coming to Canada’s capital. In his Draft Combine interview, he said, “That one was a little more intense, especially knowing that there’s been some talk about me heading to Ottawa. Definitely one that I was looking forward to and wanted to show my best … it went really well.”
But top-pairing defencemen aren’t the only prospects the Senators have been connected to. Their forward core is strong up front but lacks depth in almost every area, especially on the right side. That’s led to some speculation that they might be interested in Tij Iginla, who I profiled last week as a potential target, as well as one of the hottest risers heading into the draft, Beckett Sennecke, who took off at the end of the season and now could be a top-12 pick.
Following my initial assessment of the top three priorities the team needed to address with their first-round picks, here’s a deeper look at Sennecke, who could be one of the most talented players from his draft class.
Beckett Sennecke Scouting Report
On paper, Sennecke didn’t have the season one would expect from a prospect being considered for a top-10 selection. In 63 games with the Oshawa Generals, he scored 27 goals and 68 points. However, the stats only tell half the story. As a rookie in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) last season, he stood 5-foot-10 and showed a lot of promise, scoring 20 goals at 55 points in 61 games. But at the start of the 2023-24 season, he measured in at 6-foot-2. That’s a lot of growth for a teenager, and he initially struggled to adapt. Until Christmas, he didn’t look all that much better than he did as a rookie, scoring nine goals and 25 points in 27 games.
But after the Christmas break, Sennecke came back with a new spring in his step. Over the next 36 games, he scored 18 goals and 43 points, a much more promising pace, and he kept getting better. In the last 12 games alone, he had seven goals and 22 points. Then came the playoffs, where he hit a new level, scoring 10 goals and 22 points in 16 games before an injury forced him out of the OHL Final.
Sennecke was always expected to be a top prospect in the 2024 NHL Draft, but he needed a little more time than some of his peers thanks to his sudden growth spurt. Now he’s being debated as the second-best forward available thanks to his rare combination of size and skill.
“They kind of call me a small person’s game in a big player’s body,” Sennecke told The Hockey News. “So I think being smaller I was able to develop that vision, puck-handling ability, and agility. Now obviously growing a lot I think I’ve kept those kinds of learning experiences.”
The Hockey Writers’ Matthew Zator agrees, writing in his scouting report:
“Despite a fully developed physical toolkit, Sennecke has been a force in the OHL this season. His shot and playmaking alone make him worthy of a first-round pick, but his other strengths in size, hands and skating push him over the top. In fact, he’s been described as one of the three best playmakers in the 2024 draft class, capable of putting up 50-60 assists as a winger in the NHL someday. That type of dual-threat from the wing position is a rarity in the NHL and could make Sennecke a valuable commodity in the draft and in his NHL future. Watching the chemistry he’s developed with Calum Ritchie in Oshawa shows the value he can bring to a lineup. Wingers like that are unpredictable, as defenders and goaltenders must respect their shot as much as their vision and playmaking. Sennecke will be the perfect complement to any center he plays with at the next level.”
Why Sennecke Makes Sense
Although much of the attention has been given to Ottawa’s struggling defence, the Senators lack depth on the right wing. After Claude Giroux and Drake Batherson, there are few options available, especially if the team can trade Mathieu Joseph before the draft. Tyler Boucher has struggled with injuries and consistency throughout his career, but even when he has been healthy, he hasn’t looked like a top-six winger. Oskar Pettersson, who joined the American Hockey League’s (AHL) Belleville Senators this season, has more potential but is once again likely destined to be a bottom-six defensive forward.
Related: 2024 NHL Draft: Which Playoff Surges Will Lead to a Jump in Rankings?
Forwards frequently move around, which is how the Senators have made do without many natural right-wingers in their farm system. For example, Parker Kelly is primarily a left-winger but played mostly on the right this season – Ottawa’s left-wingers don’t offer much more upside. Roby Jarventie and Angus Crookshank have intriguing upsides but are long shots to make the NHL, and Cole Reinhardt and Egor Sokolov are once again most likely to end up in defensive roles in the bottom six. That’s not a lot of options once the 36-year-old Giroux moves on.
Adding Sennecke would immediately give the Senators a top option. He’s a natural right-winger who has shown great chemistry with Generals’ star Ritchie and has the size and physicality to mesh well with Ottawa’s in-your-face identity. He’s also a fantastic puck mover, which could allow skilled snipers like Brady Tkachuk, Shane Pinto, and Josh Norris (if healthy) the freedom to play more of their preferred style.
Why Sennecke Might Not Be the Right Choice
Of the players I’ve looked at so far – Parekh, Dickinson, and Iginla – Sennecke is by far the biggest reach from seventh overall. THW Logan Horn ranked him 11th overall (albeit one spot ahead of Iginla), while Peter Baracchini placed him 13th overall. Only one major scouting source has ranked him within the top 10, Elite Prospects, who slotted him ninth in their final ranking. With Steve Staios publicly stating that he wants to take the best player available, Sennecke might not be on that list.
It’s also riskier to select a player who hasn’t had the consistent success that others have demonstrated. Take Iginla, for example. He’s been on an upward trajectory all season, culminating in a fantastic performance at the U18 World Junior Championships. Sennecke, despite being eligible, wasn’t even on the roster due to his slow start. While the end of his season was fantastic, it’s a relatively small sample size compared to his peers.
Finally, there are some concerns about his ability to be a top-tier improviser in the same vein as Mikko Rantanen and Patrick Kane. Those players anticipate the play quicker than anyone else on the ice, making them expert playmakers. Despite showing off high-end speed, puck-handing, and agility, Sennecke hasn’t shown the ability to be two or three steps ahead of the play. That might limit his overall upside in the NHL.
Still, there are a lot of things to like about Sennecke in a Senators uniform. It’s not that he can’t anticipate an opponent’s actions; he’s fantastic at picking pockets in the offensive zone and creating scoring chances from nothing. He also can weave in and out of traffic, which is an impressive ability for a player who stands 6-foot-2. If he can add a physical edge and enhance his vision, he’ll be the perfect top-six winger to go on a long playoff run with.
