The Ottawa Senators were not giving much away on the player they were thinking of taking in the #5 slot during this year’s NHL Draft. Having already landed Tim Stützle in the No. 3 spot, they went with a mobile defenseman two picks later. With their 2nd pick in the top five selections of this 2020 NHL Draft, the Ottawa Senators choose D-man Jake Sanderson.
Born in Whitefish, Montana, Jake Sanderson played his formative minor hockey years with the Northwest Calgary Athletic Flames association before transitioning into the NTDP program stateside. Jake, the son of former long time NHL forward Geoff Sanderson, has continuously improved upon his game and could be the first ‘American’ born player selected in this entry draft.
Sanderson played within the U.S. National Team Development Program (NTDP) over the last two seasons. Sanderson is a University of North Dakota NCAA commit, while his junior rights are held by the WHL’s Winnipeg Ice.
With the addition of Tim Stützle and Sanderson, the Senators add some an excellent balance to the offensive attack over the next couple of years. With another first round selection at #28 do the Senators now add a goaltender, trade the pick or will they continue to bolster the offense further?
No matter what the Senators do at 28, they will have another busy day tomorrow. The picks do not slow down for the Senators heading into Wednesday morning for rounds two through seven. Ottawa will have to be on their toes in the 2nd and 3rd round with a total of 6 selections – four in the 2nd and two in the 3rd!
Scary to think that after two top 5 overall picks, the Senators still have a ton of options in the 2020 draft!
Stay tuned for more draft coverage on the top 10 selections.
NEXT: 2020 NHL Draft Details – A Full Draft Prep Recap
