Luke Ellinas and Matthew Andonovski had only combined for 30 regular season games this year with the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers due to injuries — but with a trip to the 2026 Memorial Cup in Kelowna awaiting them at the end of May, they’ll have a unique chance to equal or surpass that number in the postseason.
Andonovski began the year in Belleville but returned to Kitchener after Christmas after only playing in three AHL games thanks to groin injury. Ellinas had surgeries on both shoulders this year and only got into six games in the regular season.
“It’s a credit to both of them,” Senators head scout Don Boyd said on Thursday afternoon, in Ottawa for the team’s amateur scouting meetings.
“Ellinas has had the shoulder issue and has come back and was able to contribute right away. He’s committed to the game, committed to the team and making sure that he was in the best shape possible when he got back onto the ice,” said Boyd.
“And Ando just keeps playing. He just keeps doing what he’s called upon to do, he’s up at the front, he’s the top pairing in Kitchener and a big part of the success there. We’re happy to see it, it’s always good to have your players get playoff experience, always good to get them to experience something that we hope they experience at the next level. The experience in junior is never going to hurt them.”
Andonovski was the captain of the Rangers in 2024–25, and Ellinas has been an alternate captain for the past two seasons. Because Andonovski left for Belleville at the beginning of the year, he hasn’t worn a letter on his chest this year — but he’s certainly a large part of the team’s leadership group, his recent Ted Baker Teammate of the Year Award win proving it.
“I think the character was there before, so we’ve ever doubted that, I don’t think Steve [Staios] has ever doubted that. Same as Ellinas, he’s got great character too. It’s a big part of the equation when you’re talking about a successful career in the National Hockey League or a successful pro career. Not too many people play at those levels or the next level without character.”
Andonovski, drafted 140th overall in 2023, and Ellinas, drafted 104th overall in 2024, are just a couple of late round Senators draft picks who have the organization excited. Stephen Halliday (also drafted 104th overall, in 2022), Jorian Donovan (drafted 136th overall in 2022) both made their NHL debuts during the 2025–26 season.
Meanwhile, Lucas Beckman, drafted 97th overall in 2025, posted a .940 save percentage and 1.52 goals-against average after with Chicoutimi in the QMJHL after being sent there at the trade deadline. He’s also started all 18 playoff games for the Sagueneens, who are battling for their own place in the Memorial Cup.
“It’s like anything else, you’re trying to find a player, and you’re hoping to find a player that can play later on in the draft,” said Boyd.
“We’ve been fortunate that there’s been some success there. We have to caution that — it’s harder to get an opportunity when you’re a later round pick, but these kids have managed to overcome that. It’s good on them, good on Beckman in Chicoutimi now, it’s good for our organization when that happens.”
Whether or not Beckman can lead the Sagueneens to the Memorial Cup, a third Senators prospect will make an appearance alongside Ellinas and Andonovski. Beckman is facing off against Moncton defenceman Eerik Wallenius, drafted 136th overall in 2024.
Boyd said that the organization will send three scouts to Kelowna for the 10-day tournament, but stressed that while it is a prestigious tournament, it is also a small sample size to evaluate both draft prospects and prospects already in an NHL organization.
“A lot of times, a lot of decisions are made through the course of the year. It’s a big picture, and it’s not just the Memorial Cup. If you’re just basing something on the Memorial Cup, you can probably make mistakes,” stressed Boyd.
Still, with the Senators gaining back their first-round pick in this June’s draft, the tournament kicks off an exciting few weeks for the amateur scouts.
“It’s huge for us, we got a pick back, we’re in the game, we’ve got a chance to get a player that can play in the lineup at some point in time. That’s what this is all about. That’s what our job is all about.”
