Senators send Yakemchuk back to junior

After a pre-season that saw this year’s seventh-overall pick score two goals and notch seven points in four exhibition games, defenceman Carter Yakemchuk is returning to the Western Hockey League.

The Ottawa Senators made the announcement Monday as the team’s opening-night roster was finalized.

“A very long, thoughtful process within the whole organization. We went back and forth on that a lot,” Senators head coach Travis Green said of the decision for Yakemchuk to return to the Calgary Hitmen.

“We just felt to keep his progression going, what’s best for him as a player – stability for him as well – that it would be best if he went back for one more year of junior and played a big part of his team in Calgary.”

The 19-year-old blueliner lead all WHL defencemen with 30 goals in the 2023-24 season and also had a career-high 71 points in 66 games with the Hitmen.

Green said Yakemchuk exceeded his expectations at training camp, but said it’s in his best interest to get more minutes at the junior level.

“If you go to the history of the game, it’s a hard league for young defencemen,” Green said. “You have to make hard decisions sometimes. It came back to what’s best for him.”

General manager Steve Staios broke the news to Yakemchuk on Monday morning before practice, telling him that the Senators “have a plan for his development that will allow him to thrive once he arrives in the National Hockey League.”

Both of Yakemchuk’s goals in the pre-season were game winners, including one in overtime in his first pre-season game. With Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and Jake McCabe on the ice in overtime, Yakemchuk took it coast to coast and scored on two-time Stanley Cup winner Matt Murray to lift the Senators over the Leafs 5-4.

The Senators feel Yakemchuk has learned a lot in a short period of time at training camp and hope he’ll build on his experience back in junior hockey.

“Mature and get older. He’s going to be a point guy. We foresee him being a top defenceman in the NHL,” Green said of his hopes for Yakemchuk this season. “Getting stronger physically. He’s a big man. I think there’s still a lot of room for growth as far as where his strength will end up.”

Centres Adam Gaudette and Jan Jenik were placed on waivers Sunday. Both cleared, and Green revealed Monday that Gaudette would begin the season with the Senators, while centre Zack Ostapchuk would be re-assigned to their AHL club in Belleville.

Last season, Ostapchuk played in seven NHL games.

“This was the 13 forwards we wanted to start with,” Green said of his roster, which also includes right winger Zack MacEwen. “For Ostapchuk, he’s still a young player. [He’s] got a real bright future in the league. He’s close but he’s just not quite there yet.”

For Gaudette, this will be his second time playing with the Senators after collecting 12 points in 50 games with the club in 2021-22.

“He had a good camp,” said Green, who also worked with Gaudette when the two were previously with the Vancouver Canucks. “He’s played a lot of centre in the NHL….he deserves to be there. At the end of the day, that is where we went.”