Three Underrated Prospects That Could Make The Senators Lineup in 2022-23
Three players who are pushing for a spot on the team.
This article takes a look at three promising young players that have slipped under the radar but could still make the lineup this season. Not all of these players have been “forgotten” by the media and fans, but there has been considerably more coverage of other players recently.
Sokolov was originally selected by the Senators 61st overall in the franchise-defining 2020 NHL Draft. The pick was instantly criticized by many members of the media but Sokolov quickly became a fan favourite.
Stories of his time playing with and living with Drake Batherson in Cape Breton abounded and the fanbase fell in love with the charming Russian prospect. In his final season in Cape Breton, Sokolov scored 46 goals and 92 points in 52 games as a 19-year-old.
Sens fans began projecting Sokolov into future lineups and there was an all-around excitement surrounding the player. He slotted right into the Belleville Senators’ top-six and scored an impressive 25 points in 35 games as a rookie.
This season, Sokolov had the opportunity to play eight games in Ottawa. He didn’t get any points there and left with a -6 rating but there were flashes of solid play, he just didn’t get rewarded.
Sokolov’s true success this season was in the AHL. He finished second on the B-Sens in points with 50. The 22-year-old winger now has two seasons of AHL experience under his belt as well as a taste of the NHL.
Although the Senators have the deepest group of forwards in a long time, Sokolov is knocking on the door to make the team.
He will most likely play this season as one of the drivers of offence in Belleville, but don’t count Sokolov out as a potential surprise come opening night.
Angus Crookshank
Despite having perhaps the best name in hockey, Crookshank is an intriguing Ottawa Senators prospect. He had an unlikely path to the NHL starting out playing for the Langley Rivermen of the BCHL. For starters, none of his teammates from the Rivermen have been drafted into the NHL.
I’m sure it was a surprise to many when a player on the shorter side with decent stats in a league that rarely develops an NHLer got drafted by the Sens. Ottawa Senators head scout Trent Mann thought he saw something in the Vancouver native, and it seems he was right in that assessment.
Crookshank played the next three seasons with the University of New Hampshire, again, not exactly a place most NHL prospects play. There are currently two UNH Wildcat former players who play in the NHL. Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Casey DeSmith played three seasons there from 2011-14 and Edmonton Oilers forward Warren Foegele played there from 2014-16.
Crookshank was a fifth-round selection of the Senators and at the time nobody thought he had much of an NHL future. But in this case, hard work and perseverance paid off as he is set to get a real look at an NHL roster spot in the near future.
The 22-year-old winger split the 2021-22 season between the University of New Hampshire and the Belleville Senators. In 19 AHL games, Crookshank scored an impressive 16 points.
Like Sokolov, Crookshank is pencilled in near the top of the Belleville Senators’ depth chart. But if he can continue what he showed last season he could be in the NHL soon. There is currently a wide-open spot on the Ottawa Senators roster, Alex Formenton’s position on the third line.
Any one of Tyler Motte, Ridly Grieg, Roby Jarventie, Parker Kelly, Angus Crookshank, Viktor Lodin, and Egor Sokolov could fill that role. Not to mention recent Derick Brassard and Michael Dal Colle who were brought in on professional tryout contracts. The internal competition is healthy and Crookshank is an underdog vying for the spot on the roster.
Viktor Lodin
If you would have told me just a year or two ago that Viktor Lodin would be in contention for a permanent NHL spot I would not have believed you.
Lodin was overshadowed by more glamorous prospects Lassi Thomson and Shane Pinto in the 2019 NHL Draft. His stock took another big hit when he was arrested on drug-related charges in the summer of 2020.
Sens fans largely forgot about Lodin following that incident but he quietly refined his game during that time. During the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons, respectively, Lodin played some of his best hockey. In 2021, he scored 40 points in 47 games in the Swe-1 league with Timra IK. The following season, his team was promoted to the top Swedish league and he put up great numbers there too. In 44 games, he scored 27 points.
The Senators then convinced him to come over to North America where he suited up for the last 10 games of the AHL season with the Belleville Senators. In those 10 games, he scored eight points, putting his name firmly on the Sens’ radar.
The Sens liked what they saw so they decided to let Lodin suit up for the last game of the Ottawa Senators season. He saw 10 minutes of NHL action, managing to get three shots on goal.
Lodin is a longshot to make the Ottawa Senators at all this year but he will surely be an important piece for the Belleville Senators.