It was an early morning for Day 2 of the Ottawa Senators Rookie.
Notes:
The talk of morning was amateur try-out Brandon Svendsen.
The 5'10" 177lb Svendsen spent the morning out skating, out shooting and overall out performing a lot of the other rookies.
I'm wondering how a NCAA Senior/ECHL rookie who ended the 08/09 hockey season with a point-per-game result has flown so extremely far below the radar of hockey scouts.
He has a wicked wrists hot, and is a very strong skater. It's very likely you'll be hearing more about him as the rookie tourney in Kitchener kicks off, and expect to see him in Bingo.
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Big Jimmy O'Brien, Ottawa's twenty-year old scoring version of Mike Fisher looks ready for a full-time role in Bingo.
While many we're uninspired by his World Jrs. performance, it's his point-per-game pace in the WHL that should have been the defining point of his season.
He went almost recklessly in the boards to win puck battles, and showed signs of the Power-Forward warrior that most are expecting of him.
While I wouldn't say he's NHL ready just yet, I will be surprised if they don't call him up once or twice this season.
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One of the most popular rookies - Peter Regin didn't look very good at camp this morning.
He wasn't as fast, agile or as strong on the puck as we've seen in the past. He really blended in with some of the amateur players.
I wasn't able to get a solid answer, but it is very clear Regin is playing hurt at the moment.
It'll be something to track in Kitchener
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Kyle Wharton, a former Columbus Blue Jacket draft-pick and Ottawa native is at camp and is likely fighting for his last chance to make an at least an AHL roster.
Fortunately for him, he has stood out at the camp and it's clear he knows what’s expected of him here.
He spent most of last night paired with Karlsson and continued this morning in a few drills as Karlsson's linemate. Its clear Ottawa is planning on matching Erik with a big shutdown type player, and in Kitchener it looks like Wharton.
While there isn't anything unique or outstanding about Wharton, he is a bigger, experienced 'rookie' who could turn into a low-risk depth player for Bingo.
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Keegan Dansereau is another player at the Sens camp, that has gone undrafted and despite some strong point totals in the WHL, flown under most scout’s radar.
He was fun to watch, he is clearly a player that has the potential to run-up his numbers in the AHL but will likely be a 3rd/4th liner at best in the NHL, similar to Jason Krog.
But as I mentioned, he was fun to watch. He wasn't the biggest or the fastest player on the ice, but what he lacked in pure talent, he made up for with a great hockey sense. He was able to beat other to the puck, and beat defenders by reading them perfectly.
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Random Notes:
Jason Bailey, the newest Senator, showed off a tremendous speed, but not much else.
Amateur Try-out Paul Baier was a giant on the ice, compared to the other guys and was a fairly strong skater for his size.
Goalie Shane Connelly was spectacular on day one but looked a very shaky this morning, he has a lot of poise and fast glove hand but this will likely be the last we see of him, as Mitch O'Keefe will likely hold down the starter job in the ECHL, while Chiodo and Broduer play the season in Bingo.
Matt Lowry, a pro try-out showed flashes of talent, but spent more time blending in with other low-key players.
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Also Rogers Cable (22 in Ottawa/Kanata I believe) is airing the Sens prospect games in Kitchener on Monday and Wednesday @ 7. (Thanks to GMhockey for the heads up)
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Also the Sens Homepage has a great article on Jared Cowen's rehab.
http://senators.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=497802&navid=ott-home-dl
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It was amazing to hear the amount of rumours and comments flying around this morning at the Sensplex, one thing is clear among the diehard Sens fans - Heatley isn't welcome here.
The things I heard a 12 year-old kid say about Heatley had me shocked - both at the very descriptive names he called Heatley and how much his dad was agreeing with him/provoking him.
As for Heatley to Chicago, nothing new has come out since Friday afternoon. What that means at this point is anyone's guess, but I'd expect things to get going again on Tuesday.
Mark Christopher
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