QUEBEC CITY P.Q. — With the arrival of Bryan Murray at the helm of the Ottawa Senators as General Manager, the team has made several changes. Murray put his own stamp on the team by firing former Director of Scouting Frank Jay and replacing him by Pierre Dorion. Assistant General Manager Tim Murray and player personal director will work closely before determining their selection in Montreal on June 26 and 27. When looking at the Ottawa Senators prospects, they might get a knock on the door from some players that spent time in Binghamton (AHL). You see more forwards than defensemen or goaltenders. In goal, the arrival of Pascal Leclaire from Columbus last year in exchange for Antoine Vermette will settle the number one goaltender position for the Senators. Brian Elliott will battle for the backup position at the next training camp with Mitch O’keefe and Jeff Glass knocking on the door. On defense, who will stay and who will go will depend on some decisions the organization will have to make. Looking at some of the prospects on defense that might be ready to challenge for a roster spot in Ottawa is Brian Lee who already played in 53 games this season with 13 points (2 goals). It will be interesting to see if anyone else from Binghamton will be successful in their quest to earn a roster spot next season. Two names that you might be hearing about sooner than later is Erik Karlsson who will get a long look at training camp, and the other is Mark Borowiecki, but you might have to wait a little longer from him since he is still playing in the college ranks. Getting back to Karlsson, some describe him as a young, gifted defenseman who has great vision on the ice and has the ability to move the puck. Murray had this to say about Karlsson “He has the skill and the hockey sense to compete in the NHL. He is a special player, a power play guy, an offensive guy. He would certainly address a need on our blueline.” At 5’ 11″ and 165 pounds, the young right hand defenseman will certainly have to bulk up his body before he gets to the NHL on regular basis for the Ottawa Senators but he is a promising young defenseman who hopefully will be a part of Ottawa future. Another young defenseman drawing more and more attention is Clarkson University freshman defenseman Mark Borowiecki. He played 33 games as a freshman and ended the season with only one goal and one assist, but he wasn’t drafted for his offensive production. The fifth round selection 139th overall in 2008 is more of a stay at home defenseman who is recognized as being a hard nosed guy who likes the physical game. He is the type of defenseman that you don’t like to play against. He likes to get involved in the game. With his former team, the Smiths Falls Bears in the Central Junior Hockey League, Borowiecki ended with 26 points in 46 games in 2007-08. He already impressed the Senators organization with his play in the defensive zone. Some other interesting prospects the organization hopes to see in the near future are Patrick Wiercioch (second round, 42nd overall selection in 2008), Eric Gryba (third round, 68th overall in 2008) and Tomas Kudelka (fifth round, 136th overall in 2005). At the forward position, you have several candidates who showed good potential such as Nick Foligno for example. Acquired in 2005 with the ninth pick overall, Foligno already has a taste of what the NHL is all about, but he was up and down in the AHL in 2008-09. The son of Mike Foligno will have to improve his strength, speed and consistency but he won’t have to spend too much time in the AHL before establishing himself in the NHL. Most of the other forwards prospects aren’t considered prime prospects who will be able to play regularly on a first line, but some might find a place on the second line but none of their prospects are a sure thing. Some of the players that you might talk about are players like Ilya Zubov, Jim O’Brien, Cody Bass (who already played in the NHL last year), Shawn Weller, Louie Caporusso. So, with the ninth selection in the first round it appears evident that the Ottawa Senators will need a player who will be able to one day become an impact player for their organization. So on June 26, 2009; When Bryan Murray steps onto the podium of the Bell Center in Montreal, don’t be surprise to hear the following. “With the ninth pick overall, the Ottawa Senators are proud to select, from Timra, Sweden; left winger Magnus P ää j ä rvi-Svensson.” By selecting the young left winger, the Senators will get their hands on an excellent forward who will be able to play at left wing on a first line in near future. P ää j ä rvi-Svensson is one of the most skilled players available in the draft who has an excellent scoring instinct and puck handling skills, he will be able to help Ottawa offensively. The Senators offence ended 23rd in the NHL in 2008-09. Even if some information leads us to believe the Ottawa organization seems to have a great opinion of Nazem Kadri, who played for the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League. If Svensson is still available at number 9, they won’t be able to pass over the left winger. Svensson had an excellent performance at the 2009 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament and was proof of the kind of player he could become for the Ottawa organization should they get the chance to draft him on June 26 in Montreal. Contact the author at: serge.poulin@prohockeynews.com
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