Senators Recall Seven Players
Saturday: The team announced that Boucher, Crookshank, Halliday, Hodgson, and Roos were all returned to Belleville today. Reinhardt and Sebrango remain, suggesting they’ll likely play in Ottawa’s preseason finale tonight against Montreal.
Friday: The Senators have recalled forwards Tyler Boucher, Angus Crookshank, Stephen Halliday, Hayden Hodgson, Cole Reinhardt, and defensemen Filip Roos and Donovan Sebrango ahead of tomorrow’s preseason game against the Red Wings, the team announced. The group will draw into the lineup after most were assigned to AHL Belleville last week.
Boucher, 21, will get another brief look ahead of his second professional season. Injuries have plagued the 2021 10th overall pick since draft day, especially last year. He managed just 21 appearances with the B-Sens in 2023-24, struggling to make himself a factor with two goals and five points and a -4 rating. He’s made just 83 league appearances total over the past three years.
Crookshank was among the more surprising cuts, especially so early in camp. The 25-year-old left-winger looked like he’d challenge for an opening night spot after a breakout AHL campaign, recording 46 points in 50 games for Belleville last year. He also held his own in NHL action, scoring twice and adding an assist in 13 games. He’s still waiver-exempt and will be among the first players summoned from the minors if injuries strike in Ottawa.
Halliday looked like he may challenge for a fourth-line role at one point in camp, but he’ll get one last look here before heading back to the B-Sens for his first full professional season. The 2022 fourth-round pick has been a standout at Ohio State for the past two years, where he had 77 points in 78 games. He closed out the year with five assists in 10 games for Belleville last year after signing his entry-level contract. The 22-year-old will likely be in contention for a recall this season and a potential roster spot in 2025.
Hodgson cleared waivers Saturday and is unlikely to be back with the club this season after being inevitably returned to Belleville following one more preseason game. The 28-year-old winger does seven games of NHL experience, all with the Flyers during the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons, but has struggled heavily to put up points in the minors for the past couple of years following a brief breakout in the Philly system. He had 16 points and 116 PIMs in 49 games for AHL Ontario last year while under contract with the Kings.
Reinhardt, 24, is entering his fifth season in the Sens organization. He’s developed into a consistent middle-six winger for Belleville, though his NHL upside remains minimal this late in his development. He posted eight goals and 23 points in 56 AHL games last year.
Roos is entering his third season in North America but his first with Ottawa. The Swedish defender spent the last two seasons in the Blackhawks organization, spending most of his time with AHL Rockford but still managing 21 NHL appearances (1 G, 2 A, -9). A decent enough puck-mover, he’s likely among Ottawa’s top three or four options for an in-season recall on the blue line. he had 16 points and a -12 rating in 59 AHL contests last year.
Sebrango, 22, was a Detroit third-round pick in 2020 but doesn’t look close to making an NHL impact. After he was acquired in last summer’s Alex DeBrincat trade, he struggled to find a regular role with Belleville and had seven points with a +3 rating in 35 games. He’s logged ECHL time in each of the past two years.
Senators Re-Sign Angus Crookshank
The Senators have taken care of one of their pending restricted free agents with an early contract. The team announced that they’ve re-signed forward Angus Crookshank to a one-year, two-way agreement. The deal pays $775K in the NHL and $120K in the minors. GM Steve Staios released the following statement on the signing:
Angus has established himself as a reliable point producer in Belleville. He’s a strong competitor and a proven goal scorer who doesn’t back down, especially when it comes to getting to the opponent’s net. We’re pleased with his progress and expect further improvement from him next season.
The 24-year-old played on the final year of his entry-level deal in 2023-24, spending most of it in the minors with AHL Belleville. With them, as Staios alluded to, Crookshank was quite reliable offensively, posting 24 goals and 22 assists in just 50 games. That performance helped earn him his first NHL opportunity as he got into 13 games with Ottawa where he picked up two goals and an assist while logging just over 10 minutes a night.
Crookshank still has a year of waiver exemption remaining, something that doesn’t happen too frequently for players exiting a three-year rookie deal. That means he’s likely earmarked to start with Belleville once again in 2024-25 but if he can produce at a similar level next season, he should be one of Ottawa’s first recalls when injuries strike.
Senators Reassign Angus Crookshank
The Senators reassigned winger Angus Crookshank to AHL Belleville today, according to a team announcement. His minor-league assignment comes a few days delayed because he missed the last two weeks of the season with a lower-body injury, from which he’s evidently been cleared to return.
This season was the 24-year-old’s first in the NHL. He scored twice and added an assist in 13 games. He did so in limited minutes, posting a -3 rating and 4 PIMs while averaging 10:07 per game. Crookshank was effective at getting the puck toward the net, managing 1.5 shots on goal per game despite the fourth-line usage and totaling 33 shot attempts.
It was a positive initial showing for the 2018 fifth-round pick, who missed the 2021-22 campaign with a knee injury. That would have been Crookshank’s first entire professional season after three years at the University of New Hampshire, one that was hotly anticipated after he ended 2020-21 with 16 points in 19 games on a tryout with Belleville.
Two years later, Crookshank is nearly a point-per-game producer in the minors. The left wing was Belleville’s best skater in the regular season, finishing second on the team in scoring with 46 points in 50 appearances. His 24 goals led the team outright.
Nearing the expiration of his entry-level contract, Crookshank isn’t a traditional restricted free agent this summer. Because of his missed 2021-22 season, he doesn’t have the number of professional seasons required for proper restricted free agency. Instead, he carries a 10.2(c) designation, meaning he’s ineligible to receive or sign offer sheets from other teams. His only option is to re-sign in Ottawa.
The North Vancouver native will join Belleville in the Calder Cup Playoffs, where they’re set for a best-of-three First Round series against the cross-province Toronto Marlies this week. It will be his first postseason experience since turning pro.
Atlantic Notes: Jeannot, Greenway, Crookshank
Tampa Bay Lightning forward Tanner Jeannot will miss tonight’s game against the Montreal Canadiens as the rugged forward has been deemed day-to-day with an upper-body injury. Jeannot suffered the injury in last night’s game against the Toronto Maple Leafs after fighting Ryan Reaves and taking a punch that brought him to the ice. The 26-year-old did not return after the fight.
Much was made last February when Tampa Bay acquired Jeannot in exchange for five draft picks and Callan Foote, and to this point, Estevan, Saskatchewan native hasn’t been able to come close to duplicating the success he had in Nashville. Through 50 games this season, Jeannot has six goals and seven assists and is -11.
In other Atlantic Division notes:
- Bill Hoppe of The Times Herald tweeted that the Buffalo Sabres might get Jordan Greenway back into their lineup tomorrow night. The news comes from Sabres head coach Don Granato who said that Greenway remained a possibility to dress when the Sabres take on the Philadelphia Flyers. The seven-year veteran hasn’t dressed since last Saturday and has spent this week dealing with an upper-body injury, but is apparently okay after having imaging done earlier this week. Greenway has averaged a career-high 17:16 in ice time per game this season and has nine goals and 15 assists in 62 games.
- Bruce Garrioch of The Ottawa Sun is reporting that Ottawa Senators forward Angus Crookshank is unlikely to return this season as he is out indefinitely with a lower-body injury. The 24-year-old rookie has dressed in 13 games this year and has averaged just a shade over 10 minutes of ice time per game. He’s played in a bottom-six role but did get some top-6 minutes on his most recent recall and will likely be in the mix for a spot in the Senators forward group next season. Crookshank hasn’t produced much in the way of offence, but he has chipped in with two goals and an assist.
Bowen Byram Fined By Department Of Player Safety
The Department of Player Safety issued their punishment to Buffalo Sabres defenseman Bowen Byram, issuing him a $5,000 fine for interference, the maximum allowable financial penalty under the current Collective Bargaining Agreement. This will mark the first time in his young career that Byram has received disciplinary action from the Department of Player Safety.
The play in question took place in last night’s game against the Ottawa Senators, as Byram delivered a blindside hit to Senators’ forward Angus Crookshank (Video Link). Byram was assessed a two-minute minor penalty on the play for interference, and Crookshank was able to return to the contest.
Luckily for the organization, the Department of Player Safety did not choose to suspend Byram, allowing the team to keep him in the lineup for the rest of the regular season. Since acquiring Byram from the Colorado Avalanche at this year’s trade deadline, Byram has scored three goals and six points in 10 games, averaging just over 23 minutes of ice time per game.
Unfortunately, although the team got off to a 4-2-0 start with Byram in the lineup, the team has only managed a 1-3-0 record in their last four, dropping them further down in the Eastern Conference wild-card standings. Nevertheless, with a positive showing in his first few games with the organization, Buffalo will be eager for a full year of Byram next season.
Senators Recall Angus Crookshank, Reassign Zack Ostapchuk
Mar. 22: Ottawa confirmed Crookshank’s recall Friday, which came under emergency conditions, although Giroux was okay to play in yesterday’s 5-2 loss to St. Louis. In a corresponding transaction, the team reassigned rookie center Zack Ostapchuk to Belleville, ending his emergency loan. The 20-year-old played in six straight games, the first of his NHL career, after a recall earlier in March. However, he failed to record a point and struggled across the board with a -1 rating, a 30.6 FO%, and a 40.0 CF% at even strength while averaging 10:25 per game.
Mar. 21: The Senators have recalled winger Angus Crookshank from AHL Belleville, per the league’s transactions log. He will play in Thursday’s game against the Blues if Claude Giroux, who assistant coach Daniel Alfredsson said will be a game-time decision due to illness, can’t go.
A fifth-round pick by the Sens in 2018, Crookshank is in his fourth professional season with the organization after wrapping up his collegiate career with the University of New Hampshire in 2021. The 5-foot-11 winger adjusted to the pros well down the stretch in 2020-21, recording 16 points in 19 games, but his progress was stunted when a preseason knee injury cost him the entire 2021-22 season.
He’s been slowly rebounding since, and he’s come out in full force this year with a team-leading 24 goals and 46 points in 50 games for the B-Sens. His performance has been strong enough to earn him two recalls already this season, both emergency loans in December, resulting in his first seven NHL games. Today marks his first day on Ottawa’s roster since being returned to the minors on Jan. 7.
Crookshank didn’t look entirely out of place in his NHL minutes, recording a goal and an assist, but his usage was extremely limited, averaging 8:50 per game. That didn’t hold him back from averaging a shot on goal per game, however, and he had a solid 48.4 CF% at even strength despite starting the majority of his shifts in the defensive zone. He’s an intriguing candidate to see some time higher up in the lineup down the stretch with playoffs no longer possible for Ottawa.
The 24-year-old is in the final season of his entry-level contract, which carries an $838K cap hit and pays him only $70K at the minor-league level. He’ll be an RFA this summer, but he needs one more professional season to have arbitration rights.
Senators Expected To Activate Mathieu Joseph
The Senators are gearing up to activate winger Mathieu Joseph from long-term injured reserve, Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reports Sunday. To clear roster and salary cap space, the team assigned wingers Angus Crookshank and Jiri Smejkal to AHL Belleville.
Joseph, 26, was moved to LTIR just last week, but the move was retroactive to when he exited the lineup with a lower-body injury against the Stars on December 15. He will have satisfied the minimum 10-game, 28-day absence requirement ahead of their game Tuesday against the Flames and will be activated immediately upon becoming eligible.
Before the season began, Joseph and his $2.95MM cap hit were the subject of trade discussions to help alleviate the Senators’ difficult cap squeeze after a busy offseason. Without any takers, Joseph began the season still in Ottawa and responded with a career-best 0.76 points per game pace through his first 25 games, recording six goals, 13 assists, and a +12 rating that remains first on the team.
That depth production will prove extremely valuable in his return to the lineup. The Senators’ largest ailment this season has again been an inept bottom-six, one that’s produced a combined 18 goals sans Joseph as the season nears its halfway mark. Combined with subpar goaltending from Anton Forsberg and Joonas Korpisalo, the team remains last in the Eastern Conference with a 14-21-0 record and 28 points.
Crookshank and Smejkal now return to minor-league action for the foreseeable future, although both fared decently well in their first career NHL stints throughout the first half of the season. The 24-year-old Crookshank scored a goal and an assist in seven games and posted positive possession metrics despite being leaned on heavily in the defensive zone, although he did it in just 8:50 per game. Smejkal, 27, has one assist and a -2 rating in nine games this season.
Evening Notes: Senators, Wild, Penguins
The Ottawa Senators announced today that they have recalled forwards Angus Crookshank and Jiri Smejkal from their AHL affiliate in Belleville. Both players had been previously assigned to the AHL after the Senators 5-4 overtime win on Saturday night against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Both Crookshank and Smejkal had been with the Senators on an emergency recall prior to the break and were unable to stay with the club because the emergency conditions wouldn’t be satisfied. But with the team in Toronto tomorrow night to take on the Maple Leafs both players were able to be recalled joining the club as they get set to begin a busy stretch of games over the next few weeks. The Senators play three times before the new year and 15 times in January as they try to play catchup to the rest of the Eastern Conference.
In other evening notes:
- The Minnesota Wild announced a pair of recalls as they brought up Daemon Hunt and Jake Lucchini from the Iowa Wild of the AHL. Both players were reassigned to Iowa on Sunday making this move a paper transaction similar to that of the Senators. Lucchini has spent most of the year in Iowa and played his first game with Minnesota on December 23rd. His recall could mean that forward Ryan Hartman will remain out of action when the Wild resume play against the Detroit Red Wings tomorrow night. Hunt will likely serve as the Wild’s extra defenseman for tomorrow night’s game.
- Dan Kingerski of Pittsburgh Hockey Now writes that he believes it is possible the Pittsburgh Penguins could hang on to pending unrestricted free agent Jake Guentzel until the end of the season and treat that as their big trade deadline acquisition. The Penguins currently sit five points back of the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference but hold three games in hand on the Tampa Bay Lightning who currently occupy that position. Kingerski believes that the Penguins will forgo a potential trade package for Guentzel if they remain within six points of the playoffs by the end of January.
Senators Reassign Angus Crookshank, Jiri Smejkal
The Senators returned forwards Angus Crookshank and Jiri Smejkal to AHL Belleville after last night’s 5-4 overtime win over the Penguins, a team release states.
Both players were on the roster on an emergency basis. Since the Senators do not play until the league resumes play on Wednesday, their emergency conditions are no longer satisfied, and they can be returned to the minors during the league’s holiday roster freeze. One or both of Crookshank and Smejkal will likely be brought back up to the NHL roster before Wednesday if neither Mathieu Joseph nor Zack MacEwen can return from their respective lower-body and hamstring injuries. Both are listed as day-to-day and haven’t been ruled out for any future games.
Crookshank played in four games for the Senators during his recall, the first of his NHL career. It’s been a trying development path for the 24-year-old, who missed the entire 2021-22 season with a knee injury after concluding his collegiate career at the University of New Hampshire. The 2018 fifth-round pick has put up solid scoring numbers in the minors, including 21 points in just 24 games with Belleville this year. He averaged just 8:56 per game while on recall but notched his first NHL goal last Tuesday against the Coyotes. His possession numbers were good, posting a relative Corsi share of 4.2% at even strength, suggesting he may be ready for some increased minutes the next time he’s brought up to the NHL.
This ends Smejkal’s second recall since signing with the Senators as a free agent out of the Swedish Hockey League over the summer. The 6-foot-4, 223-pound Czech winger has seen minimal usage like Crookshank, averaging 8:57 in six games played with Ottawa since his initial recall on December 8. His first NHL point, an assist on a Jacob Bernard-Docker goal, came in Thursday’s 6-4 loss to the Avalanche. He returns to Belleville for now, where he has three goals and six assists in 19 games.
Senators Recall Angus Crookshank From AHL’s Belleville
The Ottawa Senators have recalled winger Angus Crookshank from the AHL’s Belleville Senators. Crookshank has appeared in 24 games for the minor league club this season, scoring a team-high 10 goals and 21 points. This performance comes after Crookshank managed 26 goals and 47 points in 71 AHL games last season, good for fourth on Belleville in scoring.
This is the first call-up of the 23-year-old Crookshank’s career, which began after Ottawa drafted the forward in the fifth round of the 2018 NHL Draft. Crookshank went on to play in three seasons with the University of New Hampshire, totaling 90 games and 63 points with the school. He turned pro following the conclusion of New Hampshire’s 2020-21 season, finishing the year with 16 points in 19 AHL games. But despite the hot start to his professional career, Crookshank was forced out of the entire 2021-22 season after undergoing surgery on his knee. He’s returned strong for the Belleville Senators, though, and earned his first shot at an NHL debut as a result.
Ottawa is currently facing a string of forward injuries, missing both Mathieu Joseph and Rourke Chartier for their Sunday game against the Vegas Golden Knights. The team is also uncertain when Vladimir Tarasenko will return, with the top scorer questionable for Sunday.
The Senators also recalled forward Jiri Smejkal in response to their list of injuries. Smejkal recently appeared in his first two career NHL games, going without a point in either contest. The 27-year-old is in his first NHL season after seven years in various top leagues across Europe. Ottawa will need to turn to an extra forward – likely Smejkal – with Rourke and Chartier out. But if Tarasenko also misses Sunday’s matchup, Crookshank could find himself primed for his first NHL game.