The Ottawa Senators may not have had the offseason everyone was dreaming of, but they managed to improve their future outlook by adding young talent, be it in trades or through the draft. And there’s no better time to talk about all of those additions than in our annual summer series \u2013 the Top 25 Under 25!<\/p>\n
This year’s edition could be considered a swan song for the class of 2020 \u2013 this is the final year of eligibility for Jake Sanderson, Ridly Greig, Tyler Kleven, Leevi Meril\u00e4inen, Philippe Daoust, and of course, three-time defending champion Tim St\u00fctzle.<\/p>\n
Even with Dylan Cozens, Shane Pinto and Jordan Spence aging out of eligibility, we have a few new intriguing faces to step in and take their place. William Eklund was acquired from San Jose before the draft and is considered the frontrunner for third place this year. Kasper Halttunen, brought in through the same deal, has become Ottawa’s most NHL-ready forward prospect.<\/p>\n
Finally, the organization drafted eight players in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft, led by a pair of first-round picks \u2013 Jonas Lagerberg Hoen and Jaxon Cover \u2013 along with third-round selection Adam Nemec, who scored at a point-per-game pace in the OHL in his draft year. I highly recommend going back to read Ary’s post-draft analysis<\/a> on all eight picks before submitting your votes.<\/p>\n