The Ottawa Senators announced they’ve signed forward Luke Ellinas to a three-year, entry-level agreement. The Toronto, ON native recently finished his second year with the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers.
Ellinas’ second year in Kitchener ushered in notable improvements. After scoring 16 goals and 33 points in 67 games during his draft year, in which the Senators selected Ellinas with the 104th pick of the 2024 NHL Draft, he registered 20 goals and 37 points in 50 games this past season.
His real coming-out party came during the 2025 OHL Playoffs. He helped bring Kitchener to the Western Conference Final, in which he scored eight goals and 16 points in 14 contests with a +6 rating. It wasn’t enough to be one of the playoff scoring leaders, but it was enough to lead the Rangers in postseason scoring.
It was an unforeseen run for a grittier player. Ellinas is a workhorse in the offensive zone, but his offensive production hadn’t caught up to how hard he was working until now. The Senators have inked a playoff-style performer if Ellinas continues on his trajectory.
It’ll be interesting to see where the Senators place Ellinas to begin the 2025-26 season. Their AHL affiliate, the Belleville Senators, could use the help in a hotly contested North Division. Still, Ellinas may benefit from another year in the OHL to wholly hone in his offensive game before making the jump to professional hockey.