Louie Caporusso nominated for Hobey Baker Award

Louie Caporusso, Ottawa's third-round (90 overall) choice in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, is among nominees for the 28th annual Hobey Baker Award, given to the NCAA's top men's ice hockey player.

Caporusso is having a solid year for the University of Michigan Wolverines, with 22 goals--second-best in the country--and 37 points in 32 games so far this season. Thanks in some part to Caporusso's improved play, the Wolverines are ranked third in the NCAA Div. 1 rankings, and have won 14 of their last 16 games.

You, as a member of Sens Army, have the opportunity to help get Caporusso the Hobey Baker award by voting in the official website. Your vote counts for a part of the final ballot that determines the winner. He's a ways down the rankings right now, so a voting blitz couldn't come at a better time. At the time of writing, Caporusso had 504 votes (0.2%), compared to the 29,582 (12%) leader Mark Magnowski of Princeton had, despite the fact that Caporusso's 37 points far ahead of Magnowski's 17 points (10G, 7A in 25GP).

(via HockeyBuzz's Mark Christopher)

Sens' College prospects reviewed on Hockey's Future

Hockey's Future reviewed the status of Ottawa prospects currently playing in the NCAA last week, and--by and large--they're a lot of alright.

The most glowing review went to 2008 second-round pick Patrick Wiercioch, who (as of Feb. 6, 2009) has scored 10 goals and 13 assists in 24 games this season for the University of Denver Pioneers. HF had this to say about the offensive defenceman:

Wiercioch’s size is impressive, standing 6’4. He still needs to fill out his 180 lb frame, but when he does, it will make the transition to the pro ranks smoother. While Wiercioch has ample size, he lacks the mean streak that is present in large defensemen such as Chris Pronger, and Zdeno Chara, but that is not Wiercioch’s game. He is a smooth, offensive-minded rearguard who can hold his own in the defensive zone.

Aided by his solid skating ability, Wiercioch already looks to be a steal for the Senators. His impressive play resulted in an invite to Team Canada’s World Junior selection camp in December. While he did not make the cut for the actual tournament, the selection alone was impressive for a player who was not on the radar for many until this season.

All in all, HF reviewed the development of seven players in college; Here are snippets, but read the actual article if you want more depth.

• Eric Gryba (D): "After this season finishes, whether or not Gryba will turn pro remains to be seen. With Binghamton’s depth on the blueline, another year at Boston might be best to ensure he gets ample ice time."
• Mark Borowiecki (D): "Borowiecki is a long-term project to be sure, and will probably play at least two more seasons before the Senators sign him, if at all."
• Ben Blood (D): "Since he does not seem to excel either offensively nor defensively, and is not well rounded, Blood’s future is fuzzy at best."
• Louie Caporusso (F): "With 20 goals in 28 games, he is among the top goal scorers in the NCAA, blowing past his 12 goals in 33 games last season."
• Eric Condra (RW): "Condra is currently projected as a solid, third-line energy forward with some scoring touch. [...] Expect Condra to join Binghamton after the Fighting Irish’s season comes to an end and be signed to an NHL deal by Ottawa."
• Colin Greening (C): "At the age of 22 (23 in March) he would seem to have reached his ceiling in the NCAA, as he is unlikely to grow more as a player while competing against opponents who are up to four years his junior."

Prospects' places on the Sens, according to King 5

An interesting (and very random) article on the Sens' prospects, and whether they could help the team right now, was posted on King5.com--a television news network in Seattle, Washington--last weekend. It only focussed on Brian Elliott, Brian Lee, and Erik Karlsson, but it was a pretty good read nonetheless. The gist of the post is that Ottawa has a few assets to trade, but our farm system isn't nearly as deep as others in the league.

Here's some of what they said about Elliott:

"You can't get much luckier than the Ottawa Senators did when they selected Brian Elliott with the second last pick in the 2003 NHL entry draft. Elliott played for the University of Wisconsin and spent his first two seasons as the team's backup goaltender. However, he made the most of the few starts he got and when he finally earned the starting job in the 2005-06 season, he did not disappoint. Elliott led his team with a 25-5-3 record and a stunning 1.55 GAA and .938 save percentage in 35 games. Elliott showed his breakout season was no fluke with a 2.10 GAA and .923 save percentage in 36 games for Wisconsin in 2006-07. Elliott struggled early on in 2007-08 as he adjusted to the AHL. However, he still bounced back and managed to finish the season with a 2.81 GAA and .915 save percentage in 44 games while splitting time with Jeff Glass. This season, Elliott has emerged as the AHL's Binghamton Senators' clear starting goaltender with a 2.81 GAA and .913 save percentage in his first 14 games."

A defence of Bryan Murray

This article would have been a lot easier to write if the Senators didn't lose to the last-placed team in the NHL last night. But they did, and there's nothing I can do about it now. On a three game losing streak, everyone in the city is wondering what is wrong with this team. Some are saying it's the players, while others think its management--notably general manager Bryan Murray. He has undeniably put his mark on this team, but I would argue that the results on the ice aren't enitrely, or even mostly, because of mistakes Murray has made. Rather, he's made commitments to players who aren't fulfilling their ends of the commitments.

Murray has, certainly, made some mistakes. The Ray Emery contract turned out to be a mistake, even though it seemed like a bargain when it was signed. Failing to find a top-flite defenceman to replace Wade Redden was a mistake, even though his hands were tied with the salary cap. Failing to fill out the top-six forwards, and allowing Cory Stillman and Mike Comrie to walk for nothing, were mistakes. It doesn't look like Luke Richardson is an NHL defenceman anymore, and even had a hard time at points last season. It's not certain yet, but the no-trade clauses for Chris Phillips, Jason Spezza, Dany Heatley, Mike Fisher, and Daniel Alfredsson might turn out to be debilitating if it turns out they're not working out. And the financial terms of the Fisher contract are debatable. But every GM has to make some mistakes; Murray has made a number of good transactions, too.

In terms of free agency, Murray tried to fix some things in the off-season. In signing Jason Smith, he tried to solve some of the defensive woes of last season with a proven veteran playoff warrior with leadership qualities. He re-signed Shean Donovan, possibly the best player for the Sens in the playoffs, to a reduced and very reasonable contract. He rightfully allowed Randy Robitaille to walk after wrongfully signing him last season. He didn't get into the bidding war for Mike Commodore. Even though we miss his skating and passing, Wade Redden isn't a $6.5M defenceman, especially not for six years, and Murray recognized that.

In trades, Murray converted some unhappy or failed assets into new ones. Joe Corvo demanded a trade, and was packaged with the not-as-expected Patrick Eaves for Cory Stillman and Mike Commodore--many pundits suggested Ottawa won the trade. Although Brian McGrattan didn't express any unhappiness, he couldn't have been happy with his role, and wasn't utilized; he was converted into a draft pick and isn't even getting ice time with the Phoenix Coyotes. Promising prospect Alex Nikulin was turned into a serviceable AHL defenceman, while Larry Nycholat and his one-way contract (signed by John Muckler) was swapped for Ryan Shannon, who has offensive flair and a more flexible two-way deal. Given Andrej Meszaros' contract demands, and Ottawa's payment structure, Murray dealt him for what's turned out to be a tremendous surprise in Filip Kuba, a promising (if unproven) prospect in Alex Picard, and a first-round draft pick for 2009--it remains to be seen how Meszaros develops, but I would say Ottawa has the upper hand on this trade so far.

In goal, Murray's had a difficult situation that would have been much easier if Ray Emery has simply fulfilled the contract Murray signed him to, or if Martin Gerber had fulfilled the contract that Muckler signed him to. Instead, Ottawa was faced with two unhappy and questionable goaltenders to start this season, neither of whom were tradeable. One had to be bought out, and it was likely more owner Eugene Melnyk's decision: Emery's contract was cheaper to buy out than Gerber's, and Gerber had a better season last year. With Melnyk unwilling (with good reason) to eat Gerbe's contract in the minors, Murray signed the cheapest goaltender with a reputation of team-first approach and solid, if not stellar, play: Alex Auld. Of the off-season free-agent acquisitions, Auld might be the best one so far, and is likely playing better than Cristobal Huet or Olaf Kolzig, two other (and much more expensive) free agent goaltenders from last off-season, would be.

When Murray became general manager, the Senators' farm system was rather depleted. After years of relying on younger players on rookie or second contracts as the bulk of the Senators offence (for example, Alexei Yashin, Martin Havlat, Marian Hossa), the Senators had developed a great team which wasn't privy to the high draft picks that built the team's core. On top of that, those players who were drafted, or picks which could have been used, were traded in deadline-deals that usually flopped. It's no secret that in the Binghamton Senators' past four seasons, excluding the lockout season where the team had a cornucopia of NHL players on the roster, the B-Sens have been, well, bad: Finishes of fourth (2003-04), fifth (2005-06), seventh (2006-07), and sixth (2007-08) in the East Division, with a record of 126-151-46 overall, one lost playoff round and four seasons out of the playoffs. The cupboard was rather bare when Murray came in, and that was one of the priorities he's established in his actions. Rather than trading prospects or picks, Murray decided to use them to re-build the team's prospect system.

What does this do for the team? In the short term, it means there are no deadline deals for the big names available. It also means that the team can develop its own skilled players, though. Under a salary cap, it's important to develop your own players and take advantage of their relatively low-priced and possibly high-productivity rookie contracts, especially when they're complemented by players like Jason Spezza, Dany Heatley, Daniel Alfredsson, and Anton Volchenkov. It takes more than two drafts to rebuild depth, but players like Jim O'Brien, Louie Caporusso, Ben Blood, Erik Karlsson, Pat Wiercoch, and Zack Smith--all picks from Murray's first two drafts--are a good place to start.

What does it mean for Murray? It means he's made a lot of moves, and some have been the wrong ones. Some remain to be seen, though, while others were proven to be solid deals. More importantly, though, a lot of the squad that Murray led to the 2007 Stanley Cup Finals remains intact, it's mostly the work ethic and team-first approach that has changed. Three coaching changes haven't improved the problem; will a change in general manager be any different?

Sens' prospect recap, after (most of) training camp

Below is the rankings of the Sens' prospects based on readers' votes. The percentage is how many readers felt that individual would (or at least should) make the team. In brackets are the actual number of votes, based on 146 total votes.

1. Nick Foligno: 79% (116 votes)
2. Brian Lee: 78% (114 votes)
3. Jesse Winchester: 71 % (105 votes)
4. Cody Bass: 56% (83 votes)
5. Ilya Zubov: 13% (19 votes)
6. Brian Elliott: 2% (3 votes)
7. Alex Nikulin: 1% (2 votes)
8. Peter Regin: 0% (1 vote)

These rankings reflect pretty much what I expect will happen. Foligno was not just one of the best prospects in training camp, but was one of the Sens' best players. He's basically cemented himself a spot on the roster, and has certainly earned it. I'm excited to see how this guy develops, because he sure seems to have his mind in the right state.

Lee is largely benefitting from the lack of offensive abilities within the D-corps. There are a lot of expectations heaped on this kid--he is still a kid--and he's got something to prove. Although his pre-season play was a little here-and-there, his play last year was solid, and the same will be expected this year. If anything goes wrong, and he fails to score a passing grade, then the Sens will have to decide whether to send him to the AHL or to end Project Brian Lee a little early, and send him packing for a more established blueliner.

Third in the rankings was Winchester, and he was given the best chance to excel among the Sens prospects. Playing alongside Jason Spezza and Dany Heatley will make a lot of players look good, but Winchester silenced a lot of critics--at least for the time being--with his play. He demonstrated good strength, with and without the puck, and an ability to keep up to his all-star linemates in both speed and finesse. His contract was one sign, but his play certainly proved that he's worth an extended look on the top line--or at least in the roster.

Last of those who are still on the roster is Bass, whose effort against Philadelphia demonstrated his best assets--a willingness, and even eagerness, to stand up for teammates. Bass is a sparkplug. He's a solid grit player, and seems to relish that role. Although it's uncertain whether or not he'll stay on the roster all year, it is certain that he can and would contribute if he does. And he seems like the kind of player GM Bryan Murray and coach Craig Hartsburg are looking for, so I'd give him the benefit of the doubt.

Elliott is simply out of luck due to the presence of Alex Auld and Martin Gerber. It is commonly assumed that this season will go a long way to determining what the Sens do with goaltending next season, and whether Elliott can be an NHL starter. Or whether Gerber should be re-signed. Or whether Auld isn't really a backup. Or whether we need a new goalie because all of our plans and back-up plans were proven wrong.

As for the bottom three skaters, Zubov, Nikulin, and Regin have already been sent to Binghamton (EDIT: Whoops, my bad, Regin hasn't been sent to Binghamton yet), and Zubov--who received more votes than the other two--was the best throughout training camp. Although he certainly must have impressed Murray with his devotion and conditioning this off-season (he stayed in North America instead of going home, and trained with Chris Neil), I guess Murray believes another year in the AHL is necessary. As for SputNik, his blog (translated here on HFBoards) indicates that he'd thought a spot on the NHL team was all but guaranteed. He didn't impress as much as Zubov, and probably won't be very happy with the demotion. Still, if he accepts it as a challenge, rather than an insult, perhaps he and Zubov will train together in the off-season, and will return as seasoned players with two full years of North American pro experience. And Regin was in his first training camp, so it's no big surprise he's being given a season in the AHL (EDIT: Regin hasn't been sent down yet, as I said above).

Sens beat Panthers, Leafs in rookie tournament

Anyone who hasn't seen can check out highlights of the Sens' rookie camp victories on TSN.ca, 4-2 over the Florida Panthers rookies and 7-5 against the Toronto Maple Leafs rookies. (Despite finishing so much worse than Ottawa so many years, the Leafs are apparently still unable to assemble any young talent.) The Panthers highlights are up now, and I'm sure the Leafs ones will be up soon.

Against Florida, undrafted rookie tryout candidate Mick Lawrence (who?) scored two goals and an assist, while Shawn Weller added a goal and two assists and Ilya Zubov scored the Sens' other goal. Since the Senators' official press release is seriously lacking, and I can't find a stats sheet anywhere, I turned to the Ottawa Sun, who filled out a bit more scoring details: Jesse Winchester also added two assists, and Bruce Garrioch said he looked "strong". About Lawrence, he seems to have found his game at the University of Nebraska-Omaha in his final year, scoring NCAA career-highs in goals (21), assists (19), and points (it's basic math, come on; 21+19=40 points). If the highlights on TSN were typical, then Winchester, Zubov, and Lawrence were on a line together. Brian Elliott was tending nets for the Sens.

Against Toronto, all I know now is what the Sens' press release says. Forwards Winchester (2G), Zubov (1G, 1A), Alexander Nikulin (2A), and Peter Regin (2A), as well as defenceman Mattias Karlsson (1G, 1A), each had two points. The Leafs were up 2-0 at one point, but the Sens rallied and eventually took the lead. Two goals on three shots in the first period; Leafs goaltending prospect Michael Ouzas must have had a rough game. Jim O'Brien, Benoit Doucet, and Zach Smith also scored for the Senators, while Mitch O'Keefe played in goal.

The Sens' final round-robin game of the tournament is tomorrow at 2 p.m. I wish it was on TV... and that I didn't have to work so I could watch it live.

(P.S. If you're wondering what my player-name tagging technique is, I've only tagged the names of players who are on contracts with the Sens. That's why someone like Mitch O'Keefe is tagged, while Mick Lawrence isn't. Not that anyone cares at all.)

Sens rookie camp in Kitchener!

The Sens official website announced an upcoming rookie tournament hosted by the Florida Panthers in Kitchener, featuring the Sens, Panthers, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Toronto Maple Leafs rookie squads. These are usually pretty fun, so anyone going to Kitchener should certainly check them out. All games are at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium, and here's the Sens' schedule:

1. Saturday, Sept. 13: Florida vs. Ottawa at 2 p.m.
2. Sunday, Sept. 14: Toronto vs. Ottawa at 6 p.m.
3. Monday, Sept. 15: Ottawa vs. Pittsburgh at 2 p.m.

While the whole roster has not yet been set, the Sens squad will feature Brian Elliott, Alexander Nikulin, Jim O'Brien, Jesse Winchester, and Ilya Zubov. While I don't think I'll be taking a road trip to Kitchener, I might check out one of the practices before they go:

1. Wednesday, Sept. 10, at 2 p.m., Bell Sensplex
2. Thursday, Sept. 11, 9 a.m., Scotiabank Place
3. Friday, Sept. 12, 9 a.m., Scotiabank Place
   

Which prospect has the best chance of making the cut?

Going into training camp this season, the Sens have a number of promising prospects who should get a good shot at making the NHL. It's largely assumed that those prospects who finished the 2007-08 season with the Sens--including Brian Lee, Cody Bass, and Nick Foligno--will start the 2008-09 season.

Despite these newcomers filling a few full-time roster spots, there still could be another opening--whether full-time or part-time--at forward for another young prospect. It's possible Josh Hennessy could get a look, but in my opinion his recently-declining performance in the AHL (63 points in 2005-06, then 57 points in 2006-07, then 51 in 2007-08) means his potential isn't as high as some others. The race, then, will likely come down to one of Jesse Winchester, Ilya Zubov, Alexander Nikulin, James O'Brien, or Peter Regin to be among the Sens' 13 forwards. I've ordered the prospects from most likely to least likely, in my opinion, but there's a diversity of factors on any side of the debate.

1. Jesse Winchester: After finishing his four-year career at Colgate University, Ottawa won the bidding war to attract Winch into a contract. He only played one game last season, but GM Bryan Murray was satisfied enough with his scouting report to sign Winchester to a two-year, one-way contract. Although the unidirectional nature of that contract gives him a pretty good chance of making the team, I think Murray signed him for one reason: a big player who can make plays, but isn't afraid to work for the puck. Although the Sens have no shortage of gritty forwards this season, most of them are--how should I put this--offensively challenged. If Winchester can play alongside Mike Fisher, and complement his grind-style to produce some offence, the Sens may have some secondary scoring based on a totally different offensive style than the CASH Line's primary scoring.


2. Ilya Zubov: Zubov played one game last season for the Senators, and he didn't look too badly out of place. His first year in North American pro did alright, and he scored 38 points for the B-Sens in 74 games. Although he's got some speed, Zubov definitely has some work to do in terms of upper-body strength, according to an NHL.com scouting report. According to Hockey's Future, he's the Sens' third highest-ranked prospect, after only Foligno and Lee. He'll get a shot, but he's really going to have to earn any time he gets in the NHL this season.


3. Alexander Nikulin: SputNik is already a fan-favourite in many circles, despite the fact that he's only played two NHL games. His blog (which you can read translated on HFBoards) is quite popular, and Nikulin's openness is respected. His play, too, is respectable; Nikulin's got good vision and at least some level of defensive responsibility, so he could very well see some NHL time later on. He was visibly nervous in his first two NHL games, though, and will likely need more seasoning in the AHL before becoming a full-time NHLer.


4. James O'Brien: O'Brien played a year of college hockey for the University of Minnesota, but left after that year to play pro hockey full-time in the WHL's Seattle Thunderbirds. The fact that he's never played pro hockey might be a deterrent, but he's apparently got the potential to be a second-line power-forward, according to Hockey's Future's scouting report on the 2007 first-round draft choice.


5. Peter Regin: A relative unknown who's quickly climbing the ranks of the Sens' prospects, Regin jumped from 14 to 9 on Hockey's Future's prospect rankings for the Sens. He's got a small chance of playing for the Senators, but some time with Binghamton will certainly help Regin's development as he gets used to the professional game in North America.

It would be great if one of the Sens' blue-chip prospects could step in and produce offensively right away--that would solve our secondary scoring problems pretty quickly. Unfortunately, that's highly unlikely, and all five of these players will probably be project-players who will take at least a season, or a few of them, to become bona fide NHL point-producers.

Senators' prospect rundown

Anyone who hasn't seen the Sens website recently should head over to check out a listing of the Sens' top prospects. It's got the comments of assistant GM Tim Murray on the likes of Ilya Zubov, Jim O'Brien, Alexander Nikulin, Josh Hennessy, Peter Regin, Kaspars Daugavins, Brian Lee, Tomas Kudelka, and Brian Elliott.

Obviously, the story is written on behalf of the Senators so author John McGourty certainly has his rose-coloured glasses on, but it still makes for interesting reading. What interest me most is Nikulin, who, according to the story, is more defensive than I'd given him credit for. He sounds like, if there weren't a log-jam at centre, he could make a solid third-line centreman in the NHL. From the story:

Nikulin was regarded as the fourth-best Russian in his draft year (2004) behind Alexander Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin. He is a well-built 6-foot-1 and 200 pounds, but is not a physical player. He is, however, an excellent defensive centre with great awareness and top-notch passing skills. He has a great understanding of the game and skates well but needed last season in the AHL.

The other pleasant surprise is about Lee; he looks so young that I had no idea he was 6'2" and 205 pounds. He's almost identical to Wade Redden in that sense, and hopefully he can replicate Redden's early success with the Senators (without tailing off after a dozen or so years in the NHL).

Interesting read for those of us thirsting for Sens action to start up.

Sens sign C Peter Regin

As publicized on the Senators' official website over the weekend, the Sens have signed Danish centreman Peter Regin to a three-year, entry-level contract. Regin was drafted in the third round of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, 87th overall.

Turns out I missed the fact that Regin was another Senators player or prospect (on top of Dany Heatley, Jason Spezza, Martin Gerber, and Kaspars Daugavins) playing in the 2008 World Championships that just finished. He scored two goals and had an assist in Denmark's six games played, good for fourth in team scoring. He had six points in the 2007 World Championship.

Apparently he's got some big fans somewhere, because he's got a pretty thorough Wikipedia profile for a prospect who hasn't played an NHL game.

According to HockeysFuture--the self-proclaimed #1 Online Prospects Resource (it probably is)--his overall offensive skills are impressive, and he might be worth the time and resources that the Senators will probably have to put into his development. HF says not to count on him cracking the lineup this season, though, no matter how weak the team might be at centre if either (or both) of Antoine Vermette or Chris Kelly leave via trade or free agency; he apparently needs some time to adjust, and will probably benefit from some time in Bingo.

If he does go to Binghamton, the B-Sens will have three offensively gifted European centremen in Regin, Alexander Nikulin, and Ilya Zubov. This signing might mean that one of the latter two, both Russian playmakers, might get a long look for the big squad in 2008-09, or that the team is ready to give up on one of the Sputnik or Zubov Experiments. Time will tell.

We'll also have to see what kind of draft picks the Sens make at the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, which happens to be in Ottawa. Speaking of which, Ben and I would like to invite all friends and fellow bloggers (preferably friendly) to SensBlogCon '08. Check out the Facebook Event page to sign up for the get-together, which is June 21 at McLaren's (on Elgin at McLaren) from 8:00 pm until whenever.

Sens re-sign Winchester

The Sens announced today that they've re-signed winger Jesse Winchester to a two-year contract. The Sens' press release can be read here.

Winchester only played one game last year, and may have gotten a little extra exposure on this blog thanks to the story I wrote about him for the newspaper at his former college (Colgate). GM Bryan Murray had some pretty glowing praise for Winchester, however, and I don't think he's gotten the credit that he deserves in some of the previews and off-season game plans I've seen. With the size and age he's got, I have a feeling that Winchester might be playing as high as the second-line for next season, depending on what other signings there are in the summer.

I haven't seen any numbers for the contract, but I'll post them in the left-hand ticker when I find them.

Draft update: Who might the Sens pick?

Although the Sens lost early in the first round this season, at least the team is going to get a relatively high draft pick for the 2008 NHL entry draft on home turf. The Sens have 18th overall, not as high as it could be, but a lot higher than 29th overall, as was the case last year.

The newest issue of The Hockey News listed skaters and goalies throughout the world on their own top-60 prospect list, and thanks to what many are saying is a very deep draft class this year, there should still be some talent when Bryan Murray gets to picking.

Although there's no way of knowing how picks are going to go, and inevitably one or two teams go off the map, I'll go over a quick run-down of who THN has ranked around the Sens' picking spot.

The 17th- and 18th-ranked prospects are two left-handed defensemen, Luca Sbisa from Switzerland and Colby Robak from Manitoba, respectively. Robak has two inches and almost 20 pounds on the Swiss prospect, but Sbisa scored more points in fewer games while both played in the WHL. The Sens could definitely use some help filling out their ever-shrinking pool of defensive prospects, so one of these two might be high on Murray's list.

Another pressing concern is goaltending, and it's coincidental that the highest-ranked goaltender in THN's rankings is 19th overall, Swedish goaltender Jacob Markstrom. Although he's only 176 lbs, he's 6'3", and that kind of size is beneficial (just ask Patrick Lalime), and combined with his reported athleticism this kid could be very good. It's often a crapshoot drafting goalies, as Senators fans and management know, so Murray might be more interested in a more proven quantity.

After Markstrom, the next highest-ranked goalie is Chet Pickard of Tri-City in the WHL. THN points out some obvious and not-so-obvious similarities between Pickard and one-time mentor Carey Price, so if the Sens see Price as highly as the Habs do, then Pickard might not be a bad choice.

If the Sens are looking for a forward, they might want to look at the Great Belarussian Hope, Mikhail Stefanovich. He came over to play in the QMJHL last season, amassing 66 points in 62 games, and his size--6'2", 202 pounds--is nothing to scoff at. THN has Stefanovich ranked number 20. With Murray's penchant for big North Americans, though, he might be more interested A.J. Jenks, ranked by THN as number 26, who's 6'1", 206 lbs, and is seen with a lot of upside.

Or hey, if no one picks Jared Staal (ranked by THN number 31) by that point, he comes from a pretty good pedigree.

B-Sens flatten B-Habs 7-1

The Ottawa Senators might have lost their latest game against the Montreal Canadiens 7-5, but that didn't stop the Sens' AHL affiliate to give the Hamilton Bulldogs a good beating Wednesday night.

Brian Elliot stopped 39 of 40. Josh Henessy, who's been having a relatively quiet season down in Bingo (quiet enough to not get recalled by the big club), had four goals and one assist, while Lawrence Nycholat also had a five-point night.

Nycholat is having a very productive season, at least offensively. He's currently third on the team in scoring, with 12 goals and 36 assists in 69 games. Denis Hamel is the team's leading scorer with 31 goals and 52 points in 59 games.

Alex Nikulin scored two goals and set up another in the Hamilton win Wednesday. He's fourth on the team in points, while fellow Russian prospect Ilja Zubov has 15 goals and 22 assists in 69 games in his first year in North America.

The Binghamton Senators are currently trailing Hershey by two points for the final playoff spot in their division.

More on new prospect Winchester

Jesse Winchester, the newest Senator who was signed just days ago after finishing his college career at Colgate University, participated in his first Senators practice today, according the Sens official site. And, while he's not going to be eligible to play for Binghamton or to play for the Sens in the playoffs, head coach Bryan Murray is still anxious to get Winchester some playing time in a regular-season game to see how the Long Sault, Ontario native fits in, and assess whether or not he'll be an Ottawa Senator next season--sort of a glorified tryout period, with a lot of pressure.

With that in mind, I'd like to follow up the Sens Army exclusive scouting report from Colgate Maroon-News sports editor Paul Kasabian with two more interviews, first with Maroon-News hockey writer Ruben Leavitt, and afterwards with Winchester's teammate (and Ottawa-native) Tom Riley from the Colgate Raiders.

First off, I asked Leavitt the same four questions which were posed to Kasabian:

1. What kind of game does he play? Is he a finesse player, or a power-forward?
   What is great about Jesse is that he can be both a finesse player and a grinder. He has amazing hands that can fake a defenseman out of his jock, but his lower-body strength is such that he is not afraid to take the puck behind the net and to battle along the boards. Many of his points have come off the cycle down low. I would rank his finesse and battling capabilities as basically even. He's not a terribly big guy, so I wouldn't necessarily label him as a power-forward.
2. Does he see any special teams ice time?
   Jesse sees plenty of special teams ice time. His unit with Tyler Burton and Peter Bogdanich was the #1 unit for the PP, and Jesse was consistently put out for the PK as well (he and Tyler would split time, either he or Tyler would make up half of the #1 PK forward line, the other would be put out second).
3. How does the coach/how do his teammates speak about him?
   The coaching staff and Jesse's teammates give nothing but high praise for Jesse. They are all extremely proud of his accomplishments and can't wait to see him playing in the NHL. They think he is a great leader--vocal when he needs to be, but more that he sets the tone. I have seen him on numerous occasions come out for the first shift of a game or the first shift of a period and lay a heavy hit to get the Raiders going.
4. I've heard he might be NHL-ready already; what are your personal opinions on that statement?
   I don't know if I'm the most qualified person to assess whether Jesse is NHL-ready, but I can say this: He has a good head on top of those shoulders, so I think his hockey smarts must be NHL-ready. He's a great two-way player, and was one of the leading scorers in one of the toughest leagues in the country. I think he'll make a great addition to the Senators.

And last, but not least, are the words from Riley (who was fourth in scoring on Colgate this past season with 26 points in 41 games) on Winchester's value to the team:

"Winch is a talented player with a great sense for the game. His main strengths are his skating and his strength. He dominates players in battles along the boards and has breakaway speed. He was our captain and leader this year. Great guy and I can't to see him play for my favorite NHL team."

So, everyone asked seem to be saying the right things about Winchester, and I'm looking forward to see him play a game or two for the Sens. Considering Murray's ability to sign free agents out of college--including the likes of Chris Kunitz and Dustin Penner--things looks pretty promising.

Scouting report: Jesse Winchester

As you may or may not know, the Ottawa Senators announced yesterday that they signed free agent college prospect Jesse Winchester from the Colgate Raiders of the NCAA. The Sens have a story today on how excited Winchester is for the opportunity.

Colgate finished 8-9-2 in ECAC (Eastern College Athletic Conference) play this past season, and Winchester was second on the team with 37 points in 40 games.

Now, being the proactive and interested Sens fan that I am, I e-mailed the editors at The Colgate Maroon-News, the prestigious student newspaper of Colgate University. Expecting a response within a week, I received one--and the promise of a second--within twelve hours. Incredible. So, thanks to Sports Editor Paul Kasabian at the Maroon-News, here is a scouting report on the newest Senator for your reading pleasure:

1. What kind of game does he play? Is he a finesse player, or a power-forward?
   I'd say he's a power forward. Winchester is not afraid to get in the defensive zone and hit a guy. He's a gritty, hard-working player, someone Sens fans will fall in love with. In fact, he led the team in penalty minutes for almost all of the season until Brian Day eclipsed him in the last game of the season when he got a 10 minute penalty and got thrown out (Winchester finished 2nd with 51 PM). However, there are finesse aspects to Winchester's game. I'd love it every time he got the puck in the offensive zone because he is a great puckhandler, probably the best on the team. He's a good two-way player, I'd say.
   
   
2. Does he see any special teams ice time?
   Yes he is on the primary power play unit and was 2nd on the team in PP goals with 3 and first in PP points with 13. He sees the ice when the team is shorthanded as well.
   
   
3. How does the coach/how do his teammates speak about him?
   He was the team captain for a reason. From what I've heard, he's a great guy and a great teammate. Formed a great bond with the other seven seniors on the team, and the team chemistry from what I saw was excellent. Coach [Don] Vaughan speaks highly of him as well every time he speaks about him. Ruben [Leavitt, men's hockey beat writer at the Maroon-News] can give you more information about this since Jesse is his year and the two know each other.
   
   
4. I've heard he might be NHL-ready already; what are your personal opinions on that statement?
   I don't think he's NHL-ready at this moment, but I definitely do think the Sens should keep around for longer than a year. He just needs to work on finding a way to put the puck in the net more often, as his shot percentage was 5.5%, below team average. With a season, maybe two, in the minors working on improving that shot percentage and getting some more goals, Jesse can definitely come out and help the Sens win a Stanley Cup. Although I don't think he's the next Jason Spezza, I think NHL teams need tough forwards like Jesse to win a Stanley Cup. You've got a good player on your hands.

Now, even though Kasabian has seen Winchester play at least 25 times, that's not enough for him; he's told me that the Maroon-News' men's hockey writer Leavitt is going to give us even more input on what we can expect from Winchester. So I owe a big thanks to both Kasabian and Leavitt, for their time and their input.

Scouting report: Louie Caporusso

This is a Sens Army Blog EXCLUSIVE scouting report on key prospect and 2007 draft choice Louie Caporusso. Currently playing for the University of Michigan Wolverines, Caporusso is seventh in team scoring (with 11 goals and 7 assists in 26 games) despite missing ten games with a knee injury.

Nathan Sandals, Managing Sports Editor at The Michigan Daily newspaper, gave us the following scouting report on Caporusso:

Louie is one of a great group of freshman forwards at Michigan. He has centered the third line for most of the season. His role is as a playmaker. Louie has impressed onlookers this season with his ability to score timely goals, as evidenced by his game winner against NotreDame in January with 20 seconds left.

Coach Berenson has been very impressed with Louie as he has been with the entire freshman class. Louie is one of Michigan's best faceoff menand he has caught up to the speed of the college game very quickly. Louie missed six weeks in November and December with a knee injury but he came back and managed to score a goal on his first shift back.

Louie's future at Michigan is certainly bright. He is an intelligentand friendly kid who has quickly been embraced by the coaches, histeammates and Michigan fans.

Louie's role is as a playmaker on Michigan's third line, which he centers. Louie is an offensive stalwart with a knack for timely goals, none bigger than his game-winner against Notre Dame in January, which was scored with twenty seconds left in the game. Louie has seen sometime on the power play and the coaches consider him one of the team's best faceoff men.

Even if his future at Michigan is bright, the Sens could always use a player with the ability to score timely goals. Special thanks to Nate, and if you're interested in reading The Michigan Daily--a pretty darn good read--you can check it out here.

There's also a great interview on the U of M athletics website, where Caporusso talks a bit about his favourite players and how he feels about being drafted to Ottawa:

• » On who he likes to watch ...
  "I like Mike Fisher (of the Ottawa Senators) a lot because of his heart. He goes on 90 percent work, and 10 percent talent and that is unbelievable. He is not the most talented guy, but he goes all out every game. That's what it's all about... "
• » On being picked by the Ottawa Senators in the 2007 NHL Draft ...
  "That was probably one of the best times of my hockey career if you include getting into Michigan. I wasn't at the draft. I think Ottawa really liked my character. In my interview they really liked the way I spoke. I told them, 'If you don't take me you're going to regret it.' I think they understood that. Then they took me. On that day I was pretty excited. It was almost like I was in a dream."

EDIT: Nathan sent me further information, so the report has been updated.

Sens 2007 draft update

The Senators chose four players in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft in Columbus. All of them are playing in leagues that are easy to miss, so here is a quick rundown of how they are doing this season.

1st round, 29th overall: James O'Brien (C)

• O'Brien is playing for the Seattle Thunderbirds of the Western Hockey League. He was awarded the WHL's Player of the Week award for the week of Feb. 18-24, in which he scored 6 points (2G, 4A) and was +7 as the Thunderbirds went 3-0. As of Feb. 27, he was fourth on team scoring with 47 points (18G, 29A) in 60 games. He's the fifth-rated prospect the Sens have according to The Hockey News' Future Watch 08, and highest among the 2008 Sens picks.
  

2nd round, 60th overall: Ruslan Bashkirov (LW)

• He went back to Russia after playing in the QMJHL last season (he scored 30G and 37A in the Q in 2006-07). Word on the street is that Old Man Bashkirov, Ruslan's father, is a crazy person who pulled Ruslan and his brother, Roman Bashkirov, out of North American hockey to play in Russia. The Sens' prospect played on both Kazan Ak-Bars and Mytishi Khimik of the Russia Super Hockey League. After some ridiculously difficult research on the Mystishi Khimik website, I found his player profile--with no stats--and I learned that the Russian spelling of his name is "Руслан Башкиров". He also wears number 19, which doesn't bode well (cough*ALEXEI YASHIN*cough). It wouldn't be a bad thing if he decided to come back to North America, because according to HockeysFuture he "has the potential to be a second line offensive winger who brings and [stet] aggressive and competitive game." Then again, both Ilya Zubov and Alexander Nikulin bring that stuff.
  

3rd round, 90th overall: Louie Caporusso (C)

• Caporusso is playing as a freshman for the University of Michigan Wolverines, and he's scored 17 points (10G, 7A) in 25 games, good enough for seventh on team scoring despite missing nine games with a knee injury. U of M is a behemoth, assembling a 26-4-4 record as of Feb. 23, and 'Cappie' has scored 4 game-winning goals, tying him for second-most on the team. As quoted in The Michigan Daily, U of M coach Red Berenson has been impressed with Caporusso since the injury: "I really like the direction that Louie's going. Since he's come back, he has really given his line a dose of offense and smarts."

4th round, 120th overall: Ben Blood (D)

• Plays for the USHL's Indiana Ice. He was traded to Indiana by the Des Moines Buccaneers for Brett Bruneteau, a Washington Capitals prospect. He's scored 19 points (8G, 11A) in 42 games for both teams, good for seventh on the team, and has nine powerplay points (4G, 5A). At 6'4" and 220 lbs, and only 18 years old, the Sens are probably more interested in his 52 penalty minutes and whether or not he's a big hitter. But no media covers the Indiana Ice (despite the fact they're partially owned by 27-year-old Colorado defenceman John-Michael Liles), so I have no idea how he's been playing this season.
  

Ruslan Bashkirov and a wave of young Russians dressed to impress

Okay, maybe the Ottawa Senators have had a hard time with Russian players. Alexei Yashin being the pinnacle of those troubles. There have been good times, though, even when it comes to the up-and-down relationship Senators fans have with Yashin himself--occasionally a clutch goal, some fancy moves, he looked good when he wasn't distracted by his next paycheque or his geriatric wife. After Yashin in the disappointment category comes once-highly-touted prospect Alexei Kaigorodov; slated to be our second-line centre at the start of the 2006 -07 season, he couldn't cut it in the professional North American game so he went home and complained to the Russian media about the Senators' front office. If you're looking for a way to burn bridges, ask Kaigorodov. Then there's Petr Schastlivy, another project player who never quite panned out as team management hoped.

There were good times, though. Igor Kravchuk was a decent defenseman for the Sens, despite some untimely giveaways and often inconsistent play. The man played 238 games in a Sens jersey, giving some veteran presence while the team was struggling to find an identity. Then there's Oleg Saprykin; past success indicates it might be better not to question the actions of Bryan Murray, but I don't agree with him that Sappy has no place on this team. Even if it is for $1-1.5M a season. He bought into the Sens system and provided some much-needed speed and creativity on an often-struggling fourth line. He looked good with Dean McAmmond and Chris Schubert, and I would have liked to see him play a full season with the Sens. Finally, Anton Volchenkov is undoubtedly the all-around best Russian this relatively young Senators team has employed--shot blocking, occasional goal-scoring, punishing physical play; he's awesome.

The future looks moderately bright on the Russian front, however, and if the NHL can somehow get the Russian Ice Hockey Federation to agree to a player-transfer agreement, it'll get even brighter. I'm looking at a player like 2007 second-round pick Ruslan Bashkirov. Watching this young man play in the (not-so-) Super Series between Russia and Canada has made me excited. The fact that he's already playing in North America (with the Quebec Remparts of the QJMHL) gets me almost as excited as his play in the tournament. After goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky and forward Alexander Vasyunov, I'd venture to say that Bashkirov was Russia's best player in Game 5 of the tournament, and I'll be expecting more in the coming games. He had a decent edge in game five, and even when his team was down by a few goals he seemed to be playing hard and making things happen. Here's to hoping he'll give North America a shot at some point.

Another young Russian is Alexander Nikulin. The 2004 fourth-round pick signed a two-year, entry-level contract on June 1, and has expressed a willingness--as opposed to some other Russian prospects (*cough*Kaigorodov*cough*)--to serve his time in the minor league instead of insisting on an immediate roster spot on the big team. As quoted on RussianProspects.com: "I will be patient and will work very hard. My contract is signed for two years. I believe that in the beginning I will have to play on the farm team. I will gain experience, learn the language. But I am ready for this." So, you know, that's a plus.

Then there's right-winger Ilya Zubov, drafted by Ottawa in the fourth round of the 2005 entry draft. He's just signed a three-year, entry-level deal with the club on August 9, and is reportedly coming to North America to participate in the Sens training camp. It's unknown whether he'll make the big Senators, but I wouldn't count on it. Here's hoping that, even if he doesn't, he'll report to Binghamton instead of returning to HC CSKA in Russia.

Another entry draft has come and gone

The Sens made four draft choices over Friday night and Saturday morning at the 2007 NHL Entry Draft in Columbus, and Bryan Murray said he was largely trying to build up size, complementing it with a Russian prospect already playing in North America. The picks were as follows, formatted with round number, and overall number in brackets:

1 (29): James O'Brien
2 (60): Ruslan Bashkirov
3 (90): Louie Caporusso
4 (120): Ben Blood

Ottawa traded their fifth- and seventh-round picks, as well as a seventh-rounder acquired from Phoenix in the Oleg Saprykin deal earlier in the year, to Tampa Bay in exchange for the Lightning's fourth-rounder in the 2008 draft, which is supposed to be deeper in talent than this year's was. The sixth-round pick was previously traded to Washington for Lawrence Nycholat this past February.

Sappy's big return?

Speaking of Saprykin, the Ottawa Sun has reported that former GM John Muckler tendered the winger a qualifying offer of just over $1M before he was fired. Apparently, if Oleg goes to arbitration he could earn "a reward of over $1.8 million". I don't know how Garrioch got that figure, but if arbitration awarded that it would be ridiculous. Apparently Murray is trying to move him.

McAmmond now officially sticking around

Speaking of things Muckler started before he got fired, the two-year contract extension he had tabled to Dean McAmmond was made official on Friday. In celebration, I shaved a playoff-era, McAmmond-esque mohawk into my head. The terms of the deal are supposedly $900K for 2007-08 and $950k for 2008-09. Here's hoping he retires as a Senator.

Sens Fever still in the capital

Taking the OC Transpo downtown a few days ago, I noticed some wicked Senators graffiti near the Bay Street station. If you get the opportunity, be sure to check it out. Here's a sneak peak, it's a pretty wicked piece of artwork.