Senators Sign Lucas Beckman To Entry-Level Contract
The Ottawa Senators have signed 2025 fourth-round pick Lucas Beckman to a three-year, entry-level contract set to begin in the 2026-27 season. Beckman is currently playing in the QMJHL Playoffs with the Chicoutimi Sagueneens. He has gone undefeated in the postseason, recording an 8-0-0 record, .962 save percentage, and 0.75 goals-against average. The Sagueneens allowed the fewest goals against in the QMJHL this season.
Beckman was a major part of Chicoutimi’s league-best defense. He began the season with the Baie-Comeau Drakkar where he recorded a measly four wins and .905 save percentage in 23 games. That slow start, and a month-long absence due to injury, were enough to prompt Baie-Comeau to sell-high on Beckman before the QMJHL Trade Deadline. That move proved to benefit both sides, as Beckman quickly found his way into a key role for the Sagueneens. He recorded 13 wins and a .940 save percentage in 15 games with Chicoutimi to close out the season – and is now on one of the greatest playoff runs that the QMJHL has seen. Through QMJHL history, only four other goalies have posted undefeated records in at least eight playoff games. Detroit Red Wings prospect Rudy Guimond is the only to join Beckman in doing it this century. Beckman’s .962 save percentage is higher than any of his loss-less peers – as are his two shutouts.
The second-half of the season has ramped up excitement for Beckman’s future outlook. He recorded 31 wins and a .914 save percentage in 52 games with Baie-Comeau last season, playing through what was his first full season at the junior level. Beckman looked poised and confident all season long, flashing a great glove-side and strong ability to stay composed when facing a flurry of shots. His game was still in need of ironing out, which pushed Beckman to the 97th-overall pick in 2025 – a mark that some draft pundits still argued was too high. One year later, he seems to quickly be silencing doubters. An NHL entry-level contract will force the 18-year-old Beckman to either return to the QMJHL, or jump to the NHL, next season. Given his fortunes in Chicoutimi, and his lack of even 100 regular season games of QMJHL experience, a return to Quebec seems to be the likeliest outcome.
Atlantic Notes: Lightning, Carlo, Montembeault, Beckman
A pair of core players for the Lightning appear to be close to making their returns from injury. Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times notes (Twitter links) that winger Brandon Hagel and defenseman Erik Cernak took part in today’s morning skate. Hagel has missed nearly two weeks due to an upper-body injury sustained against Florida, taking one of Tampa Bay’s top scorers out of the lineup as he has 18 goals and 13 assists in 32 games. Head coach Jon Cooper relayed (via Encina) that Hagel is now in the day-to-day range. Cernak, meanwhile, has missed a little more than a month due to an undisclosed injury that wasn’t the same as the lower-body issue that briefly kept him out in November. He has four assists, 43 blocks, and 40 hits in 19 games so far this season. Both players are on IR (Cernak is on LTIR, more specifically) so roster spots will need to be freed up before they can be put back onto the active roster.
Elsewhere in the Atlantic:
- Maple Leafs defenseman Brandon Carlo took part in Toronto’s morning skate today as he works his way back from foot surgery, relays David Alter of The Hockey News. The 29-year-old has missed the last six weeks with what was originally termed as a maintenance thing but he wound up having a procedure done earlier this month. Carlo is in his first full season with Toronto and has two assists and 34 blocked shots in 18 games while averaging just over 20 minutes per game of playing time. While he’s back skating, there remains no firm timetable for a return to the lineup.
- As expected, the Canadiens announced (Twitter link) have recalled goaltender Sam Montembeault from his conditioning stint. The 29-year-old has struggled this season, posting a 3.65 GAA with a .857 SV% in 15 appearances, resulting in a demotion to third-string status after Jacob Fowler was recalled. Montembeault played in two games while on assignment, turning aside 47 of 52 shots in a pair of losses to Cleveland.
- Senators prospect Lucas Beckman has been traded in the QMJHL as Chicoutimi announced that they’ve acquired him from Baie-Comeau for a pair of players and two draft picks. The goaltender was a fourth-round pick back in June, going 97th overall. In 23 games with the Drakkar this season, he has a 3.29 GAA along with a .905 SV%, numbers that are a considerable step back from 2024-25 when he was on more of a contending team. Ottawa holds Beckman’s signing rights until June 1, 2027.