At 10:30 a.m. on Friday morning, the sounds of crisp passes, clanging crossbars, and pad saves will once again echo through Canadian Tire Centre.
When 29 Senators prospects step out onto the ice, it will mark the beginning of rookie camp. But their preparation did not start then — summer training regimens have come a long way from days past, and most players take only a handful of weeks off the ice at the start of each summer.
Senators Director of Player Development Sam Gagner says that it’s exciting for all of the staff to be back, along with the players — some of whom he’s seeing in person for the first time.
The 2026 NHL Draft brought European talents like Jonas Lagerberg Hoen and Adam Nemec into the organization, and a June trade with San Jose brought Kasper Halttunen north of the border. Friday will mark their first official skate in a Senators uniform.
“I think the exciting part is for us to get eyes on them,” said Gagner of the European prospects who will be at camp.
“Three guys that weren’t at development camp in the summer, either dealing with injuries or overseas, so yeah, I think it’s going to be great. We’re excited about it.”
While free agency isn’t typically used to add depth to a prospect pool, the Senators also added former second-round pick Christian Kyrou on July 1. Kyrou, the younger brother of Capitals forward Jordan Kyrou, is a 22-year-old defender who projects to provide depth and upside down in Belleville.
“Well, he's got a ton of skill. He’s very patient with the puck on the back end, moves it really well, which I think for our forwards in Belleville is a huge addition,” said Gagner.
“I think he's got an opportunity with us to be ‘the guy’ and continue to build his career, and I think he's going to be a really big help for us in Belleville. We’re excited.”
Other depth signings from July 1 like Phil Tomasino, Ryan Suzuki, and Sammy Blais are a couple of years older than Kyrou and will be at main camp next week competing for a spot on the Senators. Gagner says that he was impressed with the additions, and what they will mean for the B-Sens next year.
“I think you want to build a good program in Belleville. I just think it helps everybody reach their potential to be in an environment where we’re competing every night, and we want to continue to make that team better,” said Gagner.
“I think the ultimate goal is to get [all] these guys to the Ottawa Senators and have them be contributors there, but, yeah, I think the more depth you can have, the better it makes the team, and the better it makes the environment for guys to grow in.”
On Saturday and Sunday, the Senators rookies will make the trek to Gatineau, where they will compete in the NHL Prospect Challenge against Toronto (Saturday, 6 p.m.) and Montreal (Sunday, 6 p.m.).
“It’s an opportunity to show off what you’ve done all summer. I think one of the things we talked about at development camp was that [development camp] is not an evaluation; it’s an opportunity to take some things from development camp that can help you improve throughout your summer, in getting better and getting to the next level,” said Gagner.
“And now that we’re at [rookie] camp, at the rookie tournament, this is the first opportunity to showcase it all. You want to get off on the right foot and build towards camp… guys have worked hard and it’s exciting to be back.”
