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The 2023 NHL Draft was a small one for the Ottawa Senators. Their first round pick was gone to the, soon to be no more, Arizona Coyotes in the Jakob Chychrun trade, while their second and third-round picks were traded to get out of the Nikita Zaitsev and Matt Murray albatrosses respectively. Their first pick wasn’t until the fourth round (108th overall), and they only made five picks in the whole draft.

Owen Beckner was their first of three seventh rounders and the Sens took a flyer on a 6’2 centre who had just put up 50 points in 53 games for Salmon Arm in the BCHL. After committing to Colorado College, Beckner spent the 2023-24 season playing for Tri-City in the USHL, putting up 45 points in 61 games, while playing a defensive role in preparation for college hockey. His offensive talents were on full display in the USHL playoffs when he scored three goals and four points in six games during Tri-City’s second round sweep to Fargo.     

Once Beckner arrived at Colorado as a freshman, he looked to carve out a permanent spot in a lineup that was full of graduates and juniors. Beckner stood out as the most dynamic and impactful of Colorado’s three freshman forwards. Despite his offence being his calling card, his defensive play wasn’t as rough as many offensive freshman and he was able to work his way into a consistent second line role. He led a very mediocre Tigers team in scoring with 27 points in 37 games, finishing one point ahead of top line centre and current New York Ranger, Noah Laba. Beckner had a solid freshman season and was looking to improve on it going into 2025-26.

This past season, the program took a step back, finishing 13-17-6, and getting swept by Western Michigan in the NCHC playoff quarterfinals. Despite the lack of team success, Beckner had another strong season, scoring 8 goals and 23 points in 30 games and finishing tied for the team scoring lead. Beckner is a mainstay on the Tigers’ powerplay and is usually placed near the right faceoff circle for either a cross ice pass or for a deceptive wrist shot. On the rush, if Beckner is not the puck carrier, he’s usually crashing the net and looking for rebounds.

Owen Beckner got back on the scoresheet with a pair of points (1G, 1A) plus a shootout goal against Minnesota over the weekend

Despite missing seven games due to injury, Beckner still sits second on Colorado College with 21 points in 27 GP#GoSensGo pic.twitter.com/RVqL51xqRY

— Sens Prospects (@SensProspects) March 2, 2026

Owen Beckner set up the OT winner on Saturday, giving him a team-leading 15 points on the season#GoSensGopic.twitter.com/TKIFyg2Xmc

— Sens Prospects (@SensProspects) November 23, 2025

Beckner had a phenomenal start to the season, posting 16 points in his first 15 games, being invited to the 2025 Spengler Cup in Davos with a NCAA Collegiate Selects Team of the best players in the country. Unfortunately for Beckner, and the Tigers, he suffered a serious upper-body injury in a game against Providence College on November 29th that forced him to miss the Spengler Cup and nearly two months of action. By the time he came back, the Tigers had gone 2-4-2 and it took some time for Beckner to find the dynamic game he began the season with. Throughout his time at Colorado College, Beckner has been a streaky scorer, going through extended cold spells but his defensive game still makes him a useful player when he’s not scoring. His play earned him a nomination for the Hobey Baker Award, alongside his teammate and late season Belleville Senators goalie Kaidan Mbereko (as well as 85 other collegiate players). Next season he will return to Colorado College as a junior, looking to lead the Tigers to a rebound, and position them for a shot at making some noise in the NCHC.

At age 21, Owen Beckner finally broke into Silver Seven’s Top 25 Under 25, and with him building on improving on each season, here’s hoping he continues his steady climb and becomes a household name in Belleville and Ottawa.

Great feature here on Owen Beckner and his journey at Colorado College.

The 2023 7th-rounder might be the most underrated prospect in Ottawa’s system. Beckner has quietly put up 46 points in 57 NCAA games with CC 👀#GoSensGopic.twitter.com/Yk13AYt2bk

— Sens Prospects (@SensProspects) February 6, 2026