Stakes high for well-liked draft pick

Ridly Greig is among the newcomers to keep close tabs on with training camp around the corner for the Ottawa Senators.

Listed among the 24 attendees at the development and rookie camps that will get started Saturday at the Canadian Tire Centre, the 19-yearold Greig, a No. 28 overall pick in the 2020 NHL draft last October, will be intriguing to watch over the next three weeks as the action shifts into high gear.

After suiting up for seven games with the club's AHL affiliate in Belleville last season, Greig made his presence felt during his short stay.

Coach Troy Mann, who will be part of the development camp with Shean Donovan and Jesse Winchester, said several times last season that Greig was ready to make the next step to play in the AHL.

Under the agreement the NHL has with the Canadian Hockey League, Greig had to return to the WHL's Brandon Wheat Kings in time for their shortened season, but you can expect he'll have the opportunity to push for a chance to at least start the season in Ottawa if he has developed enough to have success.

Last year, Troy Mann was pushing for Greig to get an exemption as a special player for the AHL.

“If you talk to the coach in Belleville he believes he's ready to play in Belleville, so if you go with his take on it of course he's ready to play pro hockey,” said Ottawa chief scout Trent Mann, who just happens to be Troy's brother. “Would it be ideal that he just kind of moves into pro hockey? Yes, but every NHL team has a player or two that they feel that way about.

“For us, hopefully he comes in here, gets off to a good start and he stays in camp and fights for a spot.

“There was a young player in camp, Zdeno Chara, and Chara told him if you're not coming to camp with making the team on your mind then you're setting yourself up to fall behind. You need to come in with the mindset that `I'm coming in to steal a spot.' ”

If he has an impressive camp, Greig could force the Senators to keep him for the nine-game threshold where a year on his contract tolls and the organization loses a year of waivers on him.

Naturally, Senators general manager Pierre Dorion, coach D.J. Smith and the rest of the hockey operations staff wouldn't mind if Greig made the decision tough for them.

“Hopefully, he comes and impresses the coaching staff and they keep him around as long as possible,” Mann said. “If he's not quite ready then luckily for us we can send him back to Brandon and, hopefully, he can work toward a spot on the world junior team.

“It's not all doom and gloom if he doesn't play pro hockey because there's other things out there.”