Things didn’t look good for the Ottawa Senators heading into the 2023-24 season. Not only were they missing two of their top-three centers in Josh Norris and Shane Pinto, but Zack MacEwen’s late pre-season injury left the team unable to call up a player thanks to their cap situation. With so much working against them already, it was simply fate that they lost their first game to the Carolina Hurricanes 5-3.
Then the Senators won their next two games, one of which came against the Tampa Bay Lightning, and nearly everyone was firing on all cylinders. Brady Tkachuk sits tied for second with four goals and five points, Jakob Chychrun sits third among defencemen, and Mathieu Joseph looks like a brand-new player sitting at a point per game. But the team would not be where it is without their replacement centers, most notably Rourke Chartier.
An American Hockey League (AHL) veteran and former top prospect, Chartier came into this season as a necessity; he was a center and had a cheap contract, and with Pinto still unsigned, he could fill in for a bit. It didn’t hurt that he had an inspiring story, too. But in three games this season, he’s been one of the most effective depth forwards on the team. Not only has that sorted out some of the mess the Senators are in, but he could finally become the player that everyone saw back in 2014.
From 5th Rounder to Top Prospect
A fifth-round pick in 2014 by the San Jose Sharks, Chartier always possessed a strong hockey sense, but in 2014-15, he added scoring dominance to his resume. In 58 games with the Western Hockey League’s (WHL) Kelowna Rockets, he broke out with 48 goals, the third-highest total that season. In the playoffs, he was even more dangerous, leading the league with 13 goals and shining alongside future NHL stars Leon Draisaitl, Josh Morrissey, and Dillon Dube. To cap off an incredible season, Chartier was awarded the WHL’s Most Sportsmanlike Trophy.
In 2015-16, Chartier showed no signs of slowing down. He was one of the more noticeable prospects at the Sharks’ training camp, which helped him secure a spot on the Canadian World Junior team, and when he returned to Kelowna after a disappointing quarter-final elimination against Finland, he lit up the scoresheet at a point-per-game pace. Once the season ended, the Sharks brought him up to play a playoff game with the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda. The only hiccup was a lower-body injury that kept him off the ice for a couple of months, limiting his totals to 25 goals and 46 points in 42 games.
In the AHL, Chartier continued to develop his all-around game and was one of the few mainstays on the top line. According to Dobber Prospects’ scout Zachary DeVine, he was the Baraccuda’s glue, writing in Nov. 2016, “Chartier has shown excellent two-way ability in the middle and with decent size, also is comfortable with the physical side of the game. So far through 14 games, he has posted five goals and four assists while positionally playing the San Jose system to near perfection.” When his rookie season ended, he ranked fourth in goals and seventh in points, which promised big things in the future.
Early Success Derailed by Concussions
By the end of 2016-17, Chartier earned praise across the league for his smart play and pro-level skillset. He was no longer seen as a top offensive producer but instead, as a highly effective defensive center. But on May 2, 2017, he took a hit to the head from Stockton Heat forward Matt Frattin in Game 5 of the Barracuda’s first-round matchup in the 2017 Calder Cup Playoffs. Initially, there was no concern; the play went unpenalized, the Baraccuda won in overtime, and Chartier passed concussion protocol to return for San Jose’s next game in Round 2.
However, something still wasn’t right. Even though he was cleared to play, Chartier was experiencing constant headaches. After two games, he reported this to the Baraccuda’s training staff, who agreed something was off. The star center was taken out of the lineup and proceeded to sit out until November, missing all of the Sharks’ training camp. Things had not improved by the time he returned to the team on Nov. 11 – he still was experiencing constant headaches – but he wanted to play, and the Baraccuda needed him.
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Five games later, Chartier was hit in the head again. This time, Mason Geertson, the perpetrator, was suspended three games for the infraction, but Chartier sat out for three months, dealing with even more intense headaches. In Feb 2018, he returned to the ice after once again passing all the concussion protocols, but he didn’t feel better. However, he was producing at nearly a point-per-game pace and he desperately wanted to play, so he was allowed to continue.
For a time, things were starting to look up. Chartier made the Sharks out of camp and made his NHL debut on Oct. 8, 2018, scoring his first goal three weeks later. That all ended on Feb. 21, 2019, on an innocent play where he was bumped in the head after going to provide a screen against the Iowa Wild. But he couldn’t ignore it any longer – he felt awful. He was slow to react, timid in front of the net, and knew that he was not ready to play again. “I had to look myself in the mirror after that last game,” he said to SJ Hockey Now in 2020. “I just said I’m not playing again until I feel 100 percent.”
Returning to the Ice
Chartier ended up sitting out for two full years dealing with post-concussion symptoms. “I don’t know if too many people know that,” he said to Tim Baines of the Ottawa Sun. “I basically had retired. To be on a roster means a lot to me. Opportunities have been few and far between in my career because of my inability to stay healthy, so I’m trying to make the most of every single one I get” (from ‘After sitting out two years, Rourke Chartier appreciative of opportunity with Ottawa Senators,’ Ottawa Sun – Oct 11, 2023).
His first opportunity to return came from the Toronto Marlies, who signed him to a one-year AHL deal in Oct. 2020. In his first 10 games, he recorded four assists while playing top-six minutes, then tapered off over the next 18, registering two goals and two more assists. But more importantly, he felt 100 percent healthy, and everyone around him could tell that he was back to normal. Then came the Belleville Senators, who invited him to try out for the club. After 30 games, he already had 10 goals and 23 points, so the team made it official, signing him for the rest of the season, leading to an NHL deal with Ottawa in 2022-23.
Finally, on Dec. 12, 2022, Chartier’s hard work and patience paid off with a call-up to Ottawa, where he played nearly 12 minutes and recorded two shots against the Anaheim Ducks in a 3-0 Senators win. He stuck around for five more games and although he didn’t record a single point, he caught the attention of head coach D.J. Smith, who later said, “If you look at him in the (defensive) zone, he’s as good or better than any centre we have…His play in the defensive zone, his play on the penalty kill, his attention to detail in the neutral zone coverages is as good as anyone” (from ‘After sitting out two years, Rourke Chartier appreciative of opportunity with Ottawa Senators,’ Ottawa Sun – Oct. 11, 2023).
Coming Full Circle With the Senators
Smith may have been on to something. In three games so far this season, Chartier has been the best player not in the top six. He ranks fourth in expected goals (0.8), which is tied with Drake Batherson. His expected goals per 60 minutes are even better, with his 1.14 sitting third on the Senators just behind Tkachuk (2.06) and Tim Stutzle (1.93). He only has six shot attempts so far, but only one of those has missed the net, and half of them were medium danger or better. Meanwhile, both Stutzle and Claude Giroux have six misses.
But Chartier truly shines in the defensive end. In game one against the Hurricanes, he led the team with a 47.8% Corsi For Percentage and finished in the top four against the Philadelphia Flyers with 52.6%. Only seven players have a lower off-ice expected goal percentage, and he has been more effective in creating chances and preventing opportunities than both Chychrun and Sanderson. So, when it was reported that Norris was returning on Oct. 18, Zack MacEwen got the bump instead of Chartier.
With Pinto’s situation growing more tense by the day, Chartier has made himself impossible to send down to the minors. He’s proven with every game that all he needed was the opportunity to shine, and this season, he’s thrived under the increased pressure. While he won’t ever become a top-scorer in the NHL, at 27 years old, he’s finally found his niche and is ready to show everyone what he can do with it. That makes him a player to watch, especially as the Senators gear up to fight for a playoff spot.