One other Intriguing Ottawa Senator Prospect Reportedly Jumps From The USHL To The OHL

The Ottawa Senators have an extended listing of “The Ones That Bought Away” and Nick Paul could be comfortably included in that group. Paul was the participant who was slowly beginning to make Sens followers really feel a little bit higher concerning the weak return on the Jason Spezza deal from a decade in the past.

Observing free company two years in the past, Paul needed to place roots down right here, however Sens GM Pierre Dorion opted to trade him to Tampa Bay for Mathieu Joseph and a fourth-rounder. Extra on that fourth rounder in a second.

Joseph is a good bottom-six man with pace, however Paul is a 6-foot-4, 230-pound two-way ahead with 11 points in his first 12 NHL games this season. Whereas “Nicky Paul does all of it” for Tampa, Joseph is not even right here anymore, traded to St. Louis over the summer time with a third-rounder sweetener – a little bit somethin-somethin’ to entice the Blues to tackle his cap area.

That is some tough asset administration.

However there’s nonetheless one little department poking by the bark of Ottawa’s in any other case useless Spezza/Paul commerce tree. And that is Blake Montgomery, that beforehand talked about fourth-rounder from the Tampa deal.

Like Paul, Montgomery is a fast-skating, 6-foot-4 ahead rolling alongside at a degree per sport this season. However he is nonetheless a child, rising into his body, and his point-a-game tempo (10 in 10) is occurring with the Lincoln Stars of the USHL.

At the very least it was.

Montgomery was a wholesome scratch for 2 video games on the weekend and now we all know why. In accordance with former Sportsnet reporter Jeff Marek, has reportedly left the Stars to play for Dale Hunter and the OHL’s London Knights.

The Knights are well-known for being an NHL prospect manufacturing unit and a extremely profitable OHL franchise, taking 12 of the final 20 OHL Midwest Division titles. However Lincoln isn’t any slouch both, off to a 9-3-1 begin to their USHL season.

Montgomery bid farewell to Lincoln on his Instagram this week, with a photograph and the caption, “Thank You, Lincoln.”

The 19-year-old did not attend the NHL Draft in Vegas this summer time, opting as a substitute for a family draft day party in Bermuda, however he attended Sens growth camp the week after. The Senators even recreated the draft for him with the usual ball cap and jersey and the compulsory draft day picture with GM Steve Staios and head newbie scout Don Boyd.

This is a view of Montgomery’s sport highlights from final yr when he had 43 factors in 58 video games. It is easy to see why the Sens and Knights each like him. His measurement, high-end talent and skating are all obvious. Whether or not that sometime interprets to the NHL-level (and a point of salvation from the Paul deal) stays to be seen.

Montgomery is the second 2024 Sens’ draft decide to forego the USHL and collegiate route, a powerful trace that the Senators might desire the OHL as a coaching floor. Second-rounder Gabriel Elliason did the identical in late September, becoming a member of the Barrie Colts.

Because the Sens excitedly monitor their progress this season, each gamers are additionally now in Ontario, a way more handy location than Lincoln, Nebraska or Cedar Rapids, Iowa.