We’ve finally reached the really exciting prospects of the group, as everyone in the top 10 is quite good. Here is part 4/5 of the series:
10th: Jacob Bernard-Docker, D, University of North Dakota, 18
It’s a sign of a good farm system when your most recent (late) first round pick is ranked all the way at 10th. Bernard-Docker isn’t exactly a can’t-miss prospect, but it is extremely compelling thinking about the possibility of having both him and Jonny Tychonick joining the Senators at the same time. The two of them will be at UND at the same time, and might even be on the same pairing.
Bernard-Docker is more of a safer pick, and probably isn’t going to hurt you as much in the defensive zone. Then again, he showed in the AJHL that he can provide offense as well, by putting up 41 points in 49 games. Considering that he was drafted out of Junior A, there’s a chance that he could surprise (positively or negatively) just because those leagues aren’t scouted quite as well as Major Junior.
I would have liked it if the Senators took him later in the draft, but that doesn’t mean he is a bad prospect or anything. Just like with every prospect, our opinions of a player can drastically change in just one season, and we’ll see how he handles his transition to College hockey.
9th: Alex Formenton, LW, London Knights, 19
From the outside looking in, Formenton doesn’t exactly seem like a blue chip prospect, as his stats don’t jump off the page. While I still wouldn’t put him in the same category as the best Senators prospects, I’m still confident in his chances of making the NHL. The only thing is that his role will probably be a middle-six winger, rather than a dynamic offensive threat.
One player I keep comparing him to is Andreas Athanasiou. They both played for the London Knights, are both 6’2”, are both the fastest skaters amongst their peers, and also have eerily similar junior numbers:
Athanasiou had just two more points in his draft year, although he wasn’t picked until the fourth round compared to Formenton being picked in the second. Athanasiou had just barely over a point per game in his draft+1 season, while Formenton had exactly a point per game. If Formenton plays in the OHL this season, who knows how many points he’ll put up, but it wouldn’t surprise me at all if he followed the exact same path and scored 90+ just like Athanasiou did.
It’s obviously taken Athanasiou a few years to become a regular in the lineup, but he had 33 points in 71 games and I see no reason why he can’t be a consistent 40 point player. I see a lot of similarities with his game and Formenton’s, and if that’s the kind of player he can become, then sign me up. His ceiling seems to be limited, but he’ll become a fan favourite with his blistering speed and ability to wreak havoc in the offensive zone.
8th: Drake Batherson, C/RW, Belleville, 20
Just like with Aaron Luchuk, Batherson is a hard prospect to evaluate. On the one hand, he finished his QMJHL career with a phenomenal 77 points in 51 games, and was dominant on Team Canada with 7 goals in 7 games at the WJC. On the other hand, he did all of that in his draft +2 season (since he was eligible to drafted in 2016, not 2017), and his previous two junior seasons were unimpressive.
In the year that he was eligible to be drafted, he played just 10 games in the QMJHL, and spent the rest of the year in the Maritime Hockey League. Obviously it is plausible for players to develop quicker at different times, and it would be dumb to completely dismiss Batherson’s excellence last season. I’d still have my expectations tempered, but then again whenever I see him play, he looks like one of the best players on the ice.
We’ll get to see what he can do in his first pro season in Belleville, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he quickly becomes one of the team’s top scoring threats. I wouldn’t count on Batherson developing into a first line player, but he has the skills to be a valuable part of a top-six group in Ottawa.
7th: Filip Chlapik, C/LW, Belleville, 21
Chlapik seems like a fun-loving player and he is easy to root for before even accounting for his on-ice play. He’s already played 20 games at the NHL level and is close to no longer being considered a prospect, but it still remains to be seen what kind of role he will have. Since being drafted in 2015, he’s had quite the ups and downs. When the Senators took him, I was very pleased because he had a quality season with 75 points in 64 games, although the following season he took a real step back with only 54 points in 52 games.
He was in need of an offensive outburst in his final season in the Q, and that’s exactly what he did by getting a whopping 91 points in 57 games, which ranked 2nd in the entire league. Then this past season was a mixed bag, as he had 32 points in 52 AHL games, but that somehow lead the team because he had hardly any supporting cast. It would be fair to expect a bit more from him, but it’s also hard to complain about a prospect who lead the AHL team in points.
Chlapik had some dreadful possession numbers in his 20 NHL games, but he at least didn’t look too lost when he was out there. I’m still hoping that he can have a top-nine career, because he obviously has the offensive ability. With so many forward prospects vying for spots in the fall, Chlapik will have to keep pace with everyone, but he probably has a step up on everyone right now. If he doesn’t want to get bypassed this season, he’ll have to prove that he can do better than 4 points in 20 games, which I’m sure he can do.
6th: Jonny Tychonick, D, University of North Dakota, 18
This is probably quite a bit higher than other people would rank him, especially because I know that a lot of people are falling in love with Formenton and Batherson, plus he’s ahead of Bernard-Docker despite being picked later in the draft. However, my reasoning for having him 6th is that his ceiling seems to be quite high compared to other prospects on this list. He hasn’t even played a game of College hockey yet, but he’s one of my favourite prospects already.
Tychonick is billed as an offensive defenseman that isn’t afraid to get up in the play, and he is exactly the type of player that the Senators should be targeting. He’s still decently sized at 6’0” and 176 lbs, so it’s not like his size is going to hold him back. He is someone that can control the game from the back-end, and I can’t wait to watch him play because goals like this are just electric:
Whatever amount of “reaching” the Senators did with the Bernard-Docker pick, they more than made up for it by taking Tychonick.
Ottawa Senators Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»