SENSNEWS

Although the Ottawa Senators will do a lot of roster construction in free agency and trades this offseason, there are some internal players who could make the jump. The Belleville Senators had a good year in the AHL, and some of their leaders are looking like they are prepared to graduate.

Belleville Senators That Could Make The NHL Jump Next Season

Honorable Mentions: Zack Ostapchuk, Max Guennette, Stephen Halliday

Tyler Kleven

The most likely Belleville Senator to make the jump this season is defenseman Tyler Kleven. Kleven has already gotten a sample at the NHL level with 17 career games. In these games, Kleven looked solid and comfortable.

The 22-year-old shouldn’t have a very difficult time transitioning to the top level. In Belleville, Kleven was rock solid defensively and was tasked with facing the top line opponents on most nights. He even showcased some of his offensive potential, scoring several impressive goals.

In 53 games with the Belleville Senators last season, Tyler Kleven scored five goals and added 16 assists for 21 points. He was a +14 on the blue line, and he also had three points in seven playoff games with the Sens.

At 6’4″ and 200 lbs, Tyler Kleven is more than capable of handling the physicality of the NHL. His frame should allow him to bully opponents in both the neutral zone and the defensive zone. Whether it’s laying a huge hit or winning board/net front battles, Kleven makes life difficult for his opponents.

This is an area that the Ottawa Senators’ blue line really struggled with this season. The insertion of Tyler Kleven should help the team in their own zone and should make life for their goaltenders much easier. Helping the goaltenders is something that is crucial for this roster.

It has already been discussed in the media that the expectation going into training camp is that Tyler Kleven will make the NHL roster. In other words, the bottom pair left defense spot is his to lose. This likely means that Erik Brannstrom’s time in Ottawa is coming to a close.

As overstated as it may sound, defensemen like Tyler Kleven are the types of players that help teams both get to and win in the playoffs.

Just look at many of the top teams in contention. In a lot of cases, the best blue lines are the ones with big, physical defenders who can transition the puck up the ice. This describes Tyler Kleven’s game to a tee.

Angus Crookshank

Arguably the best player on the Belleville Senators from last season, Angus Crookshank, has a great chance to earn himself a spot with the Ottawa Senators. Crookshank was a goal-scoring machine in the AHL until his late-season injury with the Ottawa Senators.

In 50 games with the Belleville Senators this season, Angus Crookshank scored 24 goals and had 22 assists for 46 points. He also represented the B-Sens at the AHL All-Star game for the first time in his career.

Crookshank also got a cup of tea in the NHL. He suited up for 13 games with the Ottawa Senators this season, and he looked solid for the majority of that stretch. Crookshank was able to net his first career goal, one of two on the season, and added an assist for three points.

Important to note too is that Crookshank is a ball of energy. Not only is he able to rack up the points, but he is a pest on the forecheck and he makes life as difficult as he can for opposing defenders.

If he is to make the NHL team, Crookshank would provide the bottom six both energy and a much-needed scoring touch. As it stands right now, he should have an inside track on a roster spot, but he will have to earn it come training camp.

Crookshank’s play slowed down in the playoffs this season with Belleville. But it is understandable when factoring in that he had just returned from injury and in all likelihood was not feeling 100%.

In seven playoff games with the Senators, Crookshank scored just one goal and had one assist. Again, his play was disappointing given his standards, but it is understandable with his return from injury in mind.

Roby Järventie

Someone who was a bit of a forgotten piece in Belleville this season was Roby Järventie. The center/winger had his season cut way too short after suffering a knee injury just under 30 games (NHL and AHL) into the season that would keep him out until the start of 2024/2025.

However, prior to his injury, Järventie was having an extremely productive offensive season in the AHL. At the time, he was leading the Belleville Senators in scoring with 20 points in 22 games (9 goals).

Järventie also got a taste of the NHL quite early in the season with Ottawa. He suited up for seven games with the big club and was able to net his first career point (an assist).

On top of this showing, Järventie was excellent with the Senators in the pre-season and nearly made the team out of camp last year.

The big question for Roby Järventie will be whether or not he is playing at 100% come training camp. He will be healthy, but he may need some time to get back up to game speed after missing over six months of play.

One thing Järventie would bring to the bottom six, however, is more scoring. Just like I mentioned with Crookshank, this is something the Senators desperately need. But the big challenge for Roby will be to bring a B-game with him to the lineup.

He isn’t the most physical of players, and although he has made improvements on the defensive side of the puck, it could still use some work. If Roby Järventie is able to bring a physical edge or show himself to be exceedingly reliable in his own end, the roster spot should be his.

But if he does start the season in Belleville, that is far from the worst thing in the world. He would certainly be expected to dominate, and it would only make sense that he is given all the opportunity in the world to play his game in the AHL.

Mads Søgaard

Finally, we have goaltender Mads Søgaard of the B-Sens. Søgaard will definitely have the toughest route to making the NHL team, even if he may be more effective than the current goaltenders on the roster.

The biggest roadblock for Søgaard will be that the team most likely wants him to be starting plenty of games this season. That said, he won’t have the opportunity to start 30+ games in the NHL this season. At least, it is a long shot to assume he does.

However, Søgaard had a great season with Belleville. He took a big step forward with the Senators, putting up an impressive .916 SV% and a 2.45 GAA in 32 games.

Søgaard was one of the biggest reasons that the Senators were able to make the playoffs for the first time in franchise history this season (not including their play-in against Rochester).

In the playoffs with Belleville, Søgaard had some inconsistency in his game but still put up good overall results. He started six out of the seven games for the Senators and put up a .910 SV% along with a 2.46 GAA. He was particularly great in the three-game series against the Toronto Marlies.

The 6’7″ behemoth will be in a tough situation to crack the Ottawa Senators lineup, but the ball is in his court. If he is able to step into camp and force the hand of management through great play, he could be able to start the season in Ottawa.

On the other hand, if Søgaard does start the season with Belleville again, he could be called up quickly. If Ottawa’s goaltending gets off to a poor start once again, he could be called upon to save the day.