Tkachuk excited for his Sens scrimmage debut

It may be his first NHL Development Camp with the Senators, but not everything is unfamiliar for Brady Tkachuk this week.

The 2018 4th overall pick has been reunited with a few old pals in Ottawa in Colin White and Logan Brown and Tkachuk feels that their friendship has helped to expedite the learning process this week.
"Having a few buddies here has made the transition a little easier and helped me get more comfortable right away," shared Tkachuk. "We've hung out a lot over the past few days and it's been great to reconnect with them."
The trio of American forwards have been noticeably close over the first four days of Development Camp and are set to share another new experience together on Canada Day when they, along with 2018 26th overall selection Jacob Bernard-Docker, throw out the first pitch at the Ottawa Champions game on Sunday.
"Logan and I have been practicing with tennis balls and are really working on our technique," Tkachuk said about some friendly competition between the group. "We're really looking for a big windup and then just throw it as hard as we can. If it's a bad pitch, then it's a bad pitch but the plan is just to chuck it and hopefully find the strike zone."

This Sunday will also mark Tkachuk's first Canada Day in Canada. His mother, Chantal, grew up in Winnipeg and he's looking forward to getting a first-hand look at her homeland's national holiday this weekend.
"It's going to be cool to experience it. Obviously the 4th of July is big in America and now being able to experience this nation's holiday in Canada will be really exciting," said Tkachuk. "We'll be downtown and right where all the action is so I know we'll have a lot of fun."
Before the Canada Day celebrations kick off, Tkachuk and the rest of the Sens prospects have some business to take care of in the East End of the city tonight. Development Camp's main event, the Red vs. White Scrimmage, goes down this evening at the Richcraft Sensplex.
"It'll be my first game since the end of March so for me it's about getting my feet back into it. I've missed playing so much so I'm really looking forward to getting out there in a game setting," Tkachuk said. "I just want to go out there, do my best and try to enjoy the opportunity of getting to play in front of Sens fans for the first time."
For a lot of Ottawa fans, this will be their first chance to see Tkachuk play in person (tonight's scrimmage will also be streamed on Facebook live btw) and he's looking to keep things simple in the hopes of making a good first impression.
"My plan is to just play my game tonight: fast, speed, skill with a little power," he said. "Hopefully the fans can see me make a lot of plays out there too."
In a week full of firsts though, Tkachuk seemed most excited about getting to wear the Sens crest during tonight's scrimmage.
"I'm really happy to get to wear the Sens logo in a game tonight," Tkachuk shared. "I've been wearing it all week in practice but there's something special about putting that jersey on for a game."
The team's annual development camp scrimmage takes place tonight at the Richcraft Sensplex (811 Shefford Rd., Gloucester, Ont.) at 6 p.m. and provides the Senators' prospects with the opportunity to showcase their respective talent in a game setting (three 20-minute periods).