The Ottawa Senators have signed Jamieson Rees to a one-year, two-way deal worth $775,000 in the NHL. He was previously acquired by the Senators in a trade with the Carolina Hurricanes, with the Hurricanes receiving a sixth-round draft pick.
Rees played 51 games in the American Hockey League (AHL) in 2023-24 and only scored eight points, all of which were assists.
After being selected in the second round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, Rees had good, increasing production levels in the AHL up until this 2023-24 season. Part of the issue with his development this season was the situation between the Hurricanes and their AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves. The two teams took a one-year separation, which resulted in Hurricanes prospects being scattered around on loans. When he arrived to play with the Springfield Thunderbird, the priority for the club wasn’t to develop him, but rather their own players. The same can be said for his time with the Charlotte Checkers.
Rees Still Has Promise Despite Down Year
It is no secret that production-wise, a season like Rees had is about as disappointing as it gets. Despite that, there is still a potential future in the NHL for him. One year in a player’s development path doesn’t make or break their career by any means.
The Senators acquiring him for just a sixth-round pick could prove to be valuable. While still getting his feet wet with the AHL Senators, he earned four points in 14 regular season games. He didn’t suit up in the playoffs for the team, but moving forward, there is reason to have higher expectations for this upcoming season.
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In the 2022-23 season, Rees had 42 points in 65 games with the Wolves. That kind of production is something that is more reasonable to expect than anything near eight points again.
He has a skillset that could work well in the Ottawa organization. He has some bite to his game and is determined to find success on the ice. He has good puckhandling skills and solid playmaking skills. There is certainly a world where he ends up as a well-skating, offensive-minded bottom-six winger, and it is far too early to give up on the player.
With Belleville bringing back their head coach Dave Bell, Ryan Bowness has been very busy getting AHL players signed, with Rees being the most recent. Other players who have already been signed include Nikolas Matinpalo, Maxence Guenette, and Cole Reinhardt. It is clear that Bowness is attempting to build a team with the same foundation that took them to their first playoff appearance this past season and continue to build on it.
