As they prepare for their first day of training camp on Thursday, the Ottawa Senators gathered Tuesday for their first official event of the new season – the annual Senators Community Foundation golf tournament at Loch March Golf Club.
There’s probably no event on the NHL club’s calendar that’s better attended by both players and staff. But most observers weren’t necessarily expecting incoming owner Michael Andlauer, let alone seeing him get behind a microphone. Since winning the bid to buy the franchise, Andlauer has laid low, refusing media requests until the sale was made official.
“I probably shouldn’t be here today, officially,” Andlauer told the tournament participants. “The Sens Foundation is important to me. I didn’t want to wait a year (to be at the event) because I’m not officially the owner of this team.”
Andlauer even gave a timeline, saying he hopes to be the official owner by the end of this week.
Meanwhile, as the Senators smacked the ball around at Loch March, the club announced its full training camp roster today and only one player is notably absent. Restricted free agent Shane Pinto still hasn’t signed a new deal and won’t be on hand for the start of camp. Egor Sokolov, who’s also been an RFA since July 1st, is listed on the roster and will, presumably, report for physicals on Wednesday..
2023-24 Senators training camp roster:
Six (6) goaltenders, 2022-23 team(s): Anton Forsberg (Ottawa – NHL), Joonas Korpisalo (Cleveland – AHL, Columbus – NHL, Los Angeles – NHL), Kevin Mandolese (Allen – ECHL, Belleville – AHL, Ottawa – NHL), Leevi Merilainen (Kärpät – SM-liiga, Belleville – AHL, Ottawa – NHL), Mark Sinclair (Cincinnati – ECHL, Belleville – AHL), Mads Sogaard (Belleville – AHL, Ottawa – NHL).
Nineteen (19) defencemen, 2022-23 team(s): Matthew Andonovski (Kitchener – OHL), Jacob Bernard-Docker (Belleville – AHL, Ottawa – NHL), Erik Brannstrom (Ottawa – NHL), Thomas Chabot (Ottawa – NHL), Jakob Chychrun (Arizona – NHL, Ottawa – NHL), Jorian Donovan (Hamilton – OHL, Belleville – AHL), Maxence Guenette (Belleville – AHL, Ottawa – NHL), Tomas Hamara (Kitchener – OHL), Travis Hamonic (Ottawa – NHL), Dillon Heatherington (Belleville – AHL, Ottawa – NHL), Tyler Kleven (North Dakota – NCHC, Ottawa – NHL), Jacob Larsson (Belleville – AHL, Ottawa – NHL), Ryan MacKinnon (Worcester – ECHL, Bridgeport – AHL), Nikolas Matinpalo (Assat Pori – SM-lliga), Jake Sanderson (Ottawa – NHL), Donovan Sebrango (Toledo – ECHL, Grand Rapids – AHL), Lassi Thomson (Belleville – AHL, Ottawa – NHL), Djibril Toure (Sudbury – OHL), Artem Zub (Ottawa – NHL).
Thirty-one (31) forwards, 2022-23 team(s): Josh Bailey (N.Y. Islanders – NHL), Drake Batherson (Ottawa – NHL), * Tyler Boucher (Ottawa – OHL), Rourke Chartier (Belleville – AHL, Ottawa – NHL), Connor Clattenburg (Sault Ste. Marie – OHL), Angus Crookshank (Belleville – AHL), Josh Currie (Magnitogorsk – KHL), Philippe Daoust (Belleville – AHL), Tarun Fizer (Utah – ECHL, Colorado – AHL), Claude Giroux (Ottawa – NHL), Ridly Greig (Belleville – AHL, Ottawa – NHL), Matthew Highmore (Springfield – AHL, St. Louis – NHL), Bokondji Imama (Tucson – AHL, Arizona – NHL), Roby Jarventie (Belleville – AHL), Mathieu Joseph (Ottawa – NHL), Mark Kastelic (Belleville – AHL, Ottawa – NHL), Parker Kelly (Ottawa – NHL), Dominik Kubalik (Detroit – NHL), Zack MacEwen (Lehigh Valley – AHL, Philadelphia – NHL, Los Angeles – NHL), Graham McPhee (Fort Wayne – ECHL, Bakersfield – AHL, Belleville – AHL), Josh Norris (Ottawa – NHL), * Zack Ostapchuk (Vancouver – WHL, Winnipeg – WHL), Garrett Pilon (Hershey – AHL), Cole Reinhardt (Belleville – AHL), Brennan Saulnier (Trois-Rivières – ECHL, Belleville – AHL), Jiri Smejkal (Oskarshamn IK – SHL), Jackson Stewart (Kingston – OHL, Owen Sound – OHL), Egor Sokolov (Belleville – AHL, Ottawa – NHL), Tim Stützle (Ottawa – NHL), Vladimir Tarasenko (St. Louis – NHL, N.Y. Rangers – NHL), Brady Tkachuk (Ottawa – NHL).
* Injured.
The Senators will be trying to end a six-year playoff drought, the third longest active streak in the NHL, behind only the Buffalo Sabres (NHL record 12 years) and Detroit (7 years).
