They say you get a taste for victory.
At this time last year, Blake Montgomery was coming off a streak of 14 consecutive games with at least one point in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). He was starting to think that the 2025 spring could be a memorable one. His team, the London Knights, indeed finished the season in May in Rimouski, hoisting the Memorial Cup.
This winter, Montgomery finds himself in another country, in another hockey league, playing against older, more experienced players. Only one thing hasn't changed.
"Our team has been successful and won games against some of the best teams in the country. I think that makes us one of the best in the country," the Senators prospect said in a recent conversation with Sens360.
Montgomery, as we know, is a member of the WiscoSens, a group of four Ottawa Senators prospects who are continuing their development in the University of Wisconsin Badgers men's hockey program.
When that interview was conducted, the team was ranked second in the national weekly rankings. As a freshman, Montgomery is doing pretty well for himself. He has scored eight goals and collected 12 points in his first 24 NCAA games.
Satisfied?
"I always try to bring my energy to the ice. You're starting to get to know me. I always have a lot of energy. So that's my priority. I want to start producing more consistently, but I wouldn't say it's something that's on my mind too much. Putting up points is always nice, but it's not something that keeps me from playing my game. No matter what happens, I know myself well as a player. "
At 20 years old, a year and a few months after being drafted in the fourth round by the Senators in the NHL Entry Draft, Montgomery chose to go to college in the United States in order to face older, more experienced, and therefore more physically mature players.
For a player who is six feet four inches tall and weighs 182 pounds, according to the Wisconsin Badgers' official website, this decision is part of a very long-term growth strategy.
“Here, I'm up against players who have more experience and are bigger and stronger,” he says.
The element of physicality is important, he insists. "The pace of the game and the speed of execution are essentially the same. The difference with the junior ranks isn't that significant in that sense. Despite that, I feel like there's less open space on the ice. I have less time to make a decision when I have the puck on my stick. The schedule in college seems more demanding, even though my team is playing fewer games than last year. "
This detour to the heart of North America is also proving to be enriching off the ice. Madison, the city where Montgomery has been living for the past few months, is relatively small. Approximately 900,000 people live in the metropolitan area. The university campus where he spends most of his time, on the other hand, is huge. With nearly 50,000 students, it is one of the 15 most popular institutions in the United States.
After spending some time studying different options, the young forward decided that he would take advantage of his time at university to study psychology. “My mother is a psychologist,” he points out.
Montgomery does not necessarily want to follow in the footsteps of his mother, Kimberly Robinson. He is not considering graduate studies that could lead to a master's or doctoral degree.
“In the fall, I chose a few courses. Finance, science, stuff like that... I basically wanted to try a few things out to see what interested me. I realized that psychology was a stimulating field. I have attention deficit disorder, you know. I absolutely have to be interested in the subject in order to stay focused,” he says with a laugh.
Otherwise, like most people, Montgomery is taking advantage of his time at university to make friends. Like his teammate Bruno Idzan earlier this season, he tells us that “everyone is nice” on the University of Wisconsin campus.
Montgomery naturally develops the most lasting bonds with his teammates. He gets along particularly well with those he could be playing alongside for several years within the Senators organization.
Regarding Idzan, his dorm neighbor, he notes a clear improvement on the ice. “When I think about the player he was in the very first game of the season, I immediately notice an improvement in his skating. That's the first thing that stands out. He's also gained maturity,” he says.
Last summer, Idzan became the first player born in Croatia to be selected by an NHL team. The Senators drafted him in the sixth round of the amateur draft. At 19, he had just had an exceptional half-season in the USHL, a junior league in the United States. " Some players develop at a young age. Other players need more time. I can assure you that Bruno is constantly improving. He's gaining confidence and getting better at his position," he said.
Montgomery also has good things to say about Logan Hensler. He appreciates him for his performances on the ice, but also for his qualities as a teammate off the ice. “Henny is just a good guy,” he said. “He's extremely talented. You can see that. He's able to maneuver around all the players on the ice. When I'm open, he usually finds me. He's a very smart player. He's also very funny, which is not to be overlooked.”
