DRAFT PICK WANTS IN
Tkachuk eyes Sens roster
Like father Keith, like big brother Matthew.
The career paths aren’t exactly the same, but Brady Tkachuk is aiming to play in the NHL as a teenager, following the same route as two of the most important people in his inner circle.
While neither Tkachuk nor the Ottawa Senators have made an official announcement, an online picture of Tkachuk signing paperwork, wearing a Senators baseball cap and an ear-to-ear grin, was making the rounds Sunday.
For all the question marks surrounding the Senators franchise, including the long-term future of stars Erik Karlsson, Mark Stone and Matt Duchene, the presence of Tkachuk at training camp will create a positive buzz.
In many quarters, Tkachuk’s decision to sign a professional contract with the Senators, leaving Boston University after a single season, came as a surprise. Tkachuk, selected fourth overall by the Senators at June’s NHL entry draft, scored eight goals and 23 assists in 40 games at Boston University. Some NHL insiders believe another season in the NCAA would allow Tkachuk to bulk up on his 6-3, 196-pound frame, while adding to his offensive totals from last season.
Following the club’s development camp in early July, Tkachuk said he would lean heavily on family for advice.
Keith, who scored 538 goals and 527 assists in 1,201 NHL games, began his big-league career at 19. After also spending only one season at Boston University, he left school to join the 1992 U.S. Olympic team. After the Olympics, he finished out the 1991-92 season with the Winnipeg Jets.
Matthew Tkachuk, selected sixth by the Calgary Flames in the 2016 entry draft, stepped directly into the NHL as an 18-year-old. He ended up scoring 13 goals and 35 assists in 76 games with Calgary during his rookie season.
The Senators would be performing cartwheels if the latest Tkachuk, who turns 19 on Sept. 16, could match those totals in 201819.
What’s intriguing is that if Brady doesn’t stick with the Senators — he’ll likely receive at least a 10game trial once the regular season begins — the Senators have the option to send him either to Belleville of the AHL or to London of the OHL.
Matthew Tkachuk played with London in 2015-16.
While the NHL is becoming younger by the year, the Senators’ first-round choice faces long odds of being able to stick around Ottawa for the entire season.
You have to go back a generation — and then some, to the Senators’ expansion years — to find the only two Senators to play a full NHL season in the same year they were drafted.
During the lockout year of 199495, third overall draft pick Radek Bonk scored three goals and eight assists in his rookie season.
In 1993, first-overall selection Alexandre Daigle scored 20 goals and 31 assists in his initial NHL campaign.
Of course, the Senators have made no secret of their plans to embark on a youth movement.
“It’s wide open,” Senators coach Guy Boucher said of the opportunities for younger players, while watching Tkachuk at development camp in late June.
“I’m looking forward to, if we can, have a young guy on every line. It depends on how they do (in training camp), but I would love to have the greatest number of young guys make our team.”
In that regard, Tkachuk will be fighting for a roster spot with a younger forward group that includes 21-year-old Colin White, 20-year-old Logan Brown, 20-year-old Drake Batherson, 18-year-old Alex Formenton and 21-year-old Filip Chlapik.
That battle for Tkachuk will be compelling to watch.
KNIGHTS WATCH SENS’ YOUTH MOVEMENT
Nobody will be watching Ottawa Senators training camp closer than the Hunter brothers with the London Knights. The Knights’ season could change significantly depending on what happens with Brady Tkachuk and Alex Formenton.
Tkachuk’s decision to leave Boston University means the Senators have the option of sending the power winger to London if they don’t deem him ready to play in the NHL. (The Senators could also choose to ship Tkachuk to Belleville of the AHL).
Should Tkachuk be assigned to London, it’s expected that he would become a dominant player at the OHL level.
Formenton, who played a single game for the Senators last season before being reassigned to London, scored 29 goals and 19 assists in 48 regular season games for the Knights in 2017-18. He also scored five goals and two assists in four playoff games and was a star on Canada’s gold-medal-winning world junior team. Formenton, generally regarded as the fastest player in the OHL, must be sent back to junior if he doesn’t stick with the Senators.
If both Tkachuk and Formenton end up in London as potential linemates on a first line, the Hunters could be poised for a run at an OHL title.
Mark Hunter, former director of player personnel with the Toronto Maple Leafs, announced Friday that he was returning as general manager of the Knights, a team he co-owns with brother Dale Hunter.
In that case, Formenton and Tkachuk would also likely become enemies during the world junior tournament during the Christmas holidays, key players for Canada and the United States, respectively.