SENSNEWS

As the 2024 NHL draft approaches, it looks like the Ottawa Senators will be selecting eight times. The Senators currently have two first-round, one second-round, four fourth-round, and one fifth-round draft picks to use.

Hitting on at least 3-4 of these picks will be crucial in getting the team back to a respectable level prospect-wise.

Mock Ottawa Senators 2024 NHL Draft Selections

Round 1, 7th Overall: Zayne Parekh

Right Shot, RD, 6’0″, 181 lbs

Zayne Parekh and the Ottawa Senators would be a match made in heaven. Projected to go in this range, Parekh is one of the most talented players in the entire draft. The right-shot defender finished his season with the Saginaw Spirit, scoring 33 goals and adding 63 assists for 96 points in just 66 games.

Zayne Parekh’s game is all built around offense, but he should be a top-end defender in the NHL nonetheless. He is also off to an excellent start in the Memorial Cup with Saginaw, as he had 3 points in his first game and was named the game’s MVP.

The Senators have been closely watching Zayne Parekh, per reports. It sounds like the team is interested in the defender, which should be music to the ears of Senators’ fans.

The only downside to Zayne Parekh is that his defensive game needs improvement, but he is worth the selection purely based on his overall talent.

His size may also leave some fans wary about the selection, but if he can fill out his frame a little bit more and maybe even add an inch, it shouldn’t be much of a problem. Again, this is a teenager who definitely has some room to grow and some strength to add.

Round 1, 25th Overall: Terik Parascak

Right Shot, RW, 5’11″, 179 lbs

In my previous mock draft, I had the Ottawa Senators selecting Andrew Basha with this pick. However, I think another great option would be to take Terik Parascak to bolster the right-wing depth of the team.

The team is very thin on the right side moving forward. Claude Giroux is an aging player, and he won’t be elite forever. Following him, Drake Batherson is the only high-caliber right wing on the roster, and the prospect pool is quite shallow at this position.

Terik Parascak would take time to get to the NHL, but his offensive talent is not to be ignored. In the WHL this season with the Prince George Cougars, Parascak was an offensive dynamo, scoring 43 goals and adding 62 assists for 105 points in 68 games.

In what is often described as the most defensive league in the CHL, Parascak put up points like there was no tomorrow.

He too needs work on the defensive side of the puck, but his offensive capabilities are outstanding, and quite frankly, it leaves me wondering how he isn’t considered a top 14-18 prospect.

If the Senators were to make these two selections in the first round, I would be ecstatic with their work. It’s time for the team to shoot for the stars with their selections, and both of these players have incredibly high ceilings as prospects.

Round 2, 39th Overall: Marek Vanacker

Left Shot, LW, 6’0″, 165 lbs

With their only pick in the second round, I have the Ottawa Senators selecting Marek Vanacker. Vanacker is a player that I have been high on for quite some time now, and I think him being drafted to Ottawa makes a ton of sense for the team.

There is obviously the connection between Vanacker and the Ottawa Senators’ management with Steve Staios and Michael Andlauer. Vanacker plays for the OHL Bulldogs, owned by Andlauer, and I do believe this will have at least some influence on the pick.

But the selection would definitely be justified. Vanacker finished his season with Brantford, scoring 36 goals and adding 46 assists for 82 points in 68 games. He also had seven points in six playoff games with the Bulldogs.

Vanacker will head back to the OHL next season, where he should be able to dominate. Ideally, he would also be able to add some size to his frame as he currently weighs just 165 lbs.

He also has some bite to his game, which will go a long way in his NHL career. The more I think about it, the more I see the similarities between Vanacker’s and Ridly Greig’s game.

Round 4, 103rd Overall: Ilya Nabokov

G, 6’1″, 179 lbs

This selection may be a little off the board, but I suspect it could go down as a home run. The Senators desperately need goaltending hope, and although it may sound crazy, they may be able to get it in the fourth round of the draft.

Ilya Nabokov is among the oldest in the draft this season. The 21-year-old goaltender is three years removed from his draft year, but he took a gigantic step in the right direction for improving his value this season.

Nabokov played in the KHL with Metallurg Magnitogorsk this season, where he led his team to a championship, earning MVP in the process. He finished the year playing 43 games and putting up a .930 SV% and a 2.15 GAA.

The KHL is widely regarded as a top-3 league in the world. For Nabokov to have this kind of success is astonishing, and it should help get him drafted this season.

As crazy as it sounds, I would be willing to select Nabokov towards the end of the second round, but it sounds as though he will be available much later.

He is also the most NHL-ready goaltender in the draft in my opinion. The Senators desperately need an NHL-ready goaltender, and Nabokov could be an outside-the-box solution to their problem. It’s a risk, but as a fourth-rounder, it’s well worth the reward.

Round 4, 111th Overall: Adam Kleber

Right Shot, RD, 6’5″, 203 lbs

There is definitely a chance that Adam Kleber could be gone by this point in the draft; however, several scouts have him placed to go right around #90-100 in the draft.

If Kleber is available at #111, I would jump all over it for the Senators. Kleber would help to restock the right side of the defense for the Senators. Adding himself and Parekh would fit nicely for the Senators moving forward.

The defender spent this season in the USHL with the Lincoln Stars. Kleber put up 26 points in 56 games, but he really showed his worth on the defensive side of the puck. He is a physical defender who excels with net-front and board battles.

Kleber is the type of defender that the Senators need to add to their roster in the future. Bigger, physical players tend to excel in the playoffs. Kleber fits this mold to a tee, and for a fourth-round pick, that is a great bet to make.

Round 4, 116th Overall: Niilopekka Muhonen

Left Shot, LD, 6’4″, 185 lbs

I have the Ottawa Senators selecting Niilopekka Muhonen from Finland. Muhonen is ranked as high as #40 by Craig Button, but he is either not ranked or is placed close to #100 by the majority of scouts.

If the Senators were to draft Muhonen, they would have another huge defender for the future. Muhonen also has some offensive capabilities to his game; he scored four goals and added seven assists in 27 U20 games last season in Finland.

He is definitely a project, but there are plenty of natural abilities and potential to tap into if you’re the Ottawa Senators. The left side of the defense is not somewhere they desperately need to add to. But I believe in Muhonen, and I believe he is worth the pick.

*Round 4, 126th Overall: Vladimir Mikhalyov

Left Shot, RW, 5’11″, 163 lbs

*There is a condition on this pick as it pertains to the Vladimir Tarasenko trade. If the Panthers win the Stanley Cup, this selection will become a third in the future.

With the pick that saw one Vladimir leave, I have another Vladimir coming back in. Mikhalyov had himself a nice season in Russia, where he split his time between the junior league (MHL) and pro league (KHL).

Mikhalyov has some great offensive skill from the wing. He put up some good numbers in the KHL with four goals and two assists in 20 games, and he produced better in the MHL with 15 goals and 12 assists in 33 games.

As a prospect, Mikhalyov is someone who the Senators would need to let marinate for quite some time. He is another over-ager in the draft, being 19 years old. However, his production in the KHL is something to make teams consider selecting him.

Round 5, 135th Overall: Anthony Romani

Right Shot, RW, 179 lbs

With their final selection in the 2024 NHL draft, I have the Ottawa Senators selecting the leading point scorer from the OHL last season, Anthony Romani. You guessed it, Romani is an over-ager in this draft, but he is still an 18-year-old and will be on draft day as well.

Romani finished this season with North Bay of the OHL, scoring 58 goals and adding 53 assists for 111 points in 68 games. It goes without saying, but he has great offensive instincts and a great shot to go along with it.

With a fifth-round pick, Romani is a great bet for the Senators to make. With the organization’s connection to the OHL as well, I don’t think it is outside the realm of possibility that we see Romani put on a Senators jersey at the 2024 NHL draft.