In the System: 2025–26 Senators pipeline report

With Kitchener Rangers veterans Luke Ellinas and Matthew Andonovski capturing the Memorial Cup on Sunday, all Senators prospects have seen their seasons come to a close.

As the Senators front office staff head to Buffalo for the 2026 NHL Draft combine, attention is beginning to shift toward the next wave of talent entering the organization. Before a new draft class arrives, here's a look at some standouts from the current pipeline.

Memorial Cup Champions

Luke Ellinas, F, 20 — A fourth round pick for Ottawa in 2024, Luke Ellinas battled through two shoulder injuries in 2025–26. He logged 15 games split across the OHL regular season, playoffs, and Memorial Cup with the Rangers. Ellinas scored five goals and two assists over those games, including the opening goal in Kitchener’s Memorial Cup finals win over Everett. Ellinas signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Sens in May 2025.

Matthew Andonovski, D, 21 — A fifth-round pick for Ottawa in 2023, Andonovski began the season with Belleville but suffered a lower-body injury after playing three games. When healthy, he returned to Kitchener as an over-ager, recording 14 points in 24 regular season games and eight in 18 playoff games as he helped them to the Memorial Cup, where he logged two assists. Andonovski signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Sens in July 2024, the first year of which began this past season.

Graduations and High Risers

Lucas Beckman, G, 18 —After battling a midseason case of mononucleosis, Beckman finished tied for second in the QMJHL in save percentage (.917) and shutouts (six), and fifth in goals-against average. That was child’s play to how he’d perform in the playoffs, though, after a trade sent him to the league-leading Chicoutimi Saguenéens during the holiday break. Beckman started all 20 playoff games as he led the Saguenéens to their first league championship since 1991, recording a .918 save percentage and 1.98 goals-against average with three more shutouts along the way. Though Chicoutimi fell short of making the finals at the Memorial Cup, his play certainly turned heads, especially with two seasons of junior eligibility remaining. Beckman signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Sens in late April.

Stephen Halliday, F, 23 — Halliday made his NHL debut in November, recording an assist in Anaheim, but still, few could have expected Stephen Halliday to have the impact he did on the parent club the rest of the way. He remained with the Sens for most of the season before being reassigned to Belleville during the Olympic break and was then recalled to Ottawa to finish the year. In total, Halliday scored four goals and added seven assists in 30 games with Ottawa and 29 points in 29 games with Belleville in his sophomore season as a pro. He signed a two-year, $1.075 AAV contract extension in early May.

New Beginnings

Blake Vanek, F, 18 — Blake Vanek was drafted in the third round of the 2025 draft by the Senators after splitting his 2024–25 season between Minnesota high school hockey, the U.S. National U-18 Team, and the USHL’s Chicago Steel. He’d add two more teams to his resume in 2025–26, as he was traded from the WHL’s Wenatchee Wild in January to the Calgary Hitmen. In 69 WHL games, he recorded 19 goals and 36 points.

Carter Yakemchuk, D, 20 — ‘Yak’ led all Belleville Senators defenders with 40 points during his rookie pro season and also had an unforgettable debut with the big club, potting a goal and adding a slick assist during a thrilling win in Detroitin late March. The talented defender even made his postseason debut in Game 4 of the Sens’ first-round loss to Carolina, recording a pair of assists.

Javon Moore, F, 20 — After a year in the USHL, the 6-foot-4, 205-pound Moore joined the University of Minnesota of the Big Ten Conference, which is viewed as one of the strongest divisions in American college hockey. Moore impressed, recording eight goals and 21 points over 36 games, good for second on the team in rookie scoring behind L.J. Mooney. Moore — who was drafted in the fourth round out of Minnesota high school hockey in 2024 — has been a fast riser amongst the team’s prospects as he’s progressed from high school, to the USHL, to the NCAA in just three seasons.

Blake Montgomery, F, 21 — After helping the London Knights to the OHL and Memorial Cup championships in 2024–25, Blake Montgomery joined the NCAA’s Wisconsin Badgers, also of the Big Ten Conference. Montgomery scored nine goals and 17 points in 38 games with the Badgers before turning pro with the Belleville Senators in late April, with whom he notched a goal in three games.

Hoyt Stanley, D, 21 — Hoyt Stanley remained a dependable presence on the right side of Cornell’s blueline in 2025–26, recording career highs in goals (three), assists (12), and points (15) along the way with the Big Red. Like Montgomery, Stanley turned pro when his college season finished, and also potted a goal with Belleville in six games.

Arthur Kaliyev, F, 24 — After breaking his clavicle twice in 2024–25 while he was a part of the Los Angeles Kings and New York Rangers organizations, Arthur Kaliyev joined the Senators and bounced back in a big way in 2025–26, leading the AHL in goals (40) by a wide margin (John Leonard was second with 33).

Steady Growth

Logan Hensler, D, 19 — The 6-foot-2 Hensler had already set an NCAA career high with four goals and tied a career high with 12 points before he was shut down for the season with an injury in February. For the second year in a row, he competed for Team USA at the World Junior Championships.

Xavier Bourgault, F, 23 — A change of scenery from Bakersfield to Belleville took an extra season to pay off for 2021 first-rounder Xavier Bourgault. The fourth-year pro set career highs in goals (25), assists (32), and points (57), as he formed an effective 1-2 punch with Kaliyev. He made his NHL debut in late December, logging two games with Ottawa overall. 

Tyler Boucher, F, 23 — Heading into 2025–26, injuries had limited the 2021 first-round pick to just 17 NCAA games, 45 OHL games, and 68 AHL games in four seasons since being drafted. Boucher was able to string together a productive second half of his third pro season, recording 12 goals and 26 points in 47 games with Belleville.

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