In 2021, the Ottawa Senators shifted their draft strategy, moving away from rebuilding and towards supplementing their core of Brady Tkachuk, Tim Stutzle, Jake Sanderson, Thomas Chabot, and, at the time, Josh Norris. It followed general manager (GM) Pierre Dorion’s statement that the “rebuild was done” and now the team was “stepping into another zone.” Armed with 11 draft picks, Ottawa shifted from building for the future to focusing on the now at the 2022 NHL Entry Draft.
Unfortunately, the strategy immediately collapsed. The team’s big move – acquiring Alex DeBrincat from the Chicago Blackhawks for the seventh- and 39th-overall picks – was incredibly misguided; DeBrincat had no intention of sticking around Canada’s capital, and although he put up 27 goals and 66 points, his point-per-game pace was one of the lowest of his career. To top it all off, he was abysmal defensively, finishing his lone season in Ottawa with a minus-31, the second-lowest on the team. The plan was to have him become another core member, but a year later, he was already gone.
While the 2022 Draft will always be remembered for the failed DeBrincat trade, the Senators still uncovered some intriguing talent with their nine remaining selections, many of whom have pushed for roster spots in recent seasons. So, let’s look back at each draft pick and see where they are now.
2nd Round, 64th Overall – Filip Nordberg, Left Defence
After trading away their first two picks, the Senators selected Filip Nordberg from Södertälje SK J20 in Sweden with the last pick in the second round. A 6-foot-5 defenceman who showed some raw playmaking skills and great mobility, the Senators were hopeful he could become a reliable two-way presence. Unfortunately, that seems highly unlikely at this point.
It’s not concerning that Nordberg hasn’t made his professional debut yet. Only 47 players from the 2022 Draft have played an NHL game, and last season, there were only 29 defencemen under 22 years old in the league. However, he hasn’t taken his game to the next level since leaving Sweden in 2023-24 and joining the United States Hockey League (USHL). There’s no question he’s improving; he won a USHL Defenceman of the Week honour in March and a Prospect of the Week nomination in April this past season with the Sioux Falls Stampede, but he was also one of the oldest players in the league. He’s now ineligible to return to USHL, so he’ll either…
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