It’s been a whirlwind week in Ottawa.
On Sunday, the Senators saw their franchise shaken up plenty when they traded captain Brady Tkachuk to the Florida Panthers for a package that included the ninth-overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. Two days later, Ottawa flipped that No. 9 pick for a return headlined by winger William Eklund, a San Jose Sharks seventh-overall pick back in 2021.
On Friday night, the Sens used the other 2026 pick acquired in that Tkachuk deal — No. 25 overall — to select intriguing sniper Jonas Lagerberg Hoen out of the Swedish junior league.
Here’s everything you need to know about all the Senators' picks:
25th Overall: Jonas Lagerberg Hoen
2025-26 Team: Leksands Jr., Sweden
Stat Line: 9G-7A-16PTS in 9 games
What you need to know about the player:
The 2025-26 campaign was a difficult one for Lagerberg Hoen. An ACL injury sidelined the goal-scoring winger for nearly all of his campaign in Sweden. But before he saw his season derailed, the sniper made his potential clear.
“Steve Staios appreciates skill. He wants skill, and he wants skill right throughout the lineup. So now you’re at the part of the draft where you’re identifying the super high-end skill that you want here. … This guy played nine games this year — he had nine goals,” Sportsnet’s Sam Cosentino said on Friday night’s broadcast. “He had an ACL injury, and he’s out. So, you’re taking a bit of a risk here, based on the fact that you haven’t had a full season of viewings on him. … You would have had some inventory maybe from the year previous, and from what he did previous to getting hurt.
“But in terms of the high-end skill, this guy possesses it. He’s a big guy, he can really shoot the puck, he’s had goal-scoring at just about every level. Fascinating pick.”
32nd Overall: Jaxon Cover
2025-26 Team: London Knights, OHL
Stat Line: 20G-32A-52PTS in 67 games
What you need to know about the player:
Cover arrived at the Draft on the heels of a sterling rookie season with the London Knights. The winger put up 20 goals and 52 points for London in his first full season with the club, putting his offensive promise on display for the OHL juggernaut.
Prior to his OHL debut, Cover spent three seasons at St. Andrew’s College in Aurora, Ont., the same program that helped NHL mainstays like Robert Thomas and Warren Foegele build their game. In 2024-25, the Sens’ newest prospect won the Prep Hockey Conference Championship with St. Andrew’s, the top prize for North American prep school programs.
“He was an inline hockey player, and you can tell that he was an inline guy growing up before he dedicated himself to ice hockey — he handles the puck, he’s really creative, he’s got a flair for the offence,” Bukala said during Friday night’s broadcast. “He’s just learning the nuances of the game, but he’s playing in London for Dale and Mark Hunter — Dale and the rest of that staff, they’re going to coach that into him.
“They clearly trust him a lot, because he was used in a variety of roles this year. … You’re banking on the offence here.”
Interesting fact:
Cover has no doubt had the most unique journey to the 2026 Draft of anyone in his class. Born in Florida, the teenager lived in the U.S. for only a month before moving with his family to the Cayman Islands, where his mother, Nan, was born.
Growing up on Grand Cayman, Cover emerged as a prolific roller-hockey talent on the island. At 10 years old, he started attending skating camps in Toronto, his father Patrick's hometown. But it wasn’t until age 13 that the young prospect started playing ice hockey and attending his first tryouts. He didn’t play competitively until age 14.
Now, four years later, he’s a first-round NHL draft pick.
THIRD ROUND
72nd Overall: LW Adam Nemec
2025-26 Team: Nitra MHC, Slovakian league, Sudbury Wolves, OHL
Stat Line: 3G-12A-15PTS in 28 games with Mitra; 14G-21A-35PTS in 31 games with Sudbury
The younger brother of newly acquired Flame Simon Nemec, Adam came to the OHL at mid-season after playing for Slovakia at the world juniors.
87th Overall: C Oscar Holmertz
2025-26 Team: Linkopings HC, Swedish league
Stat Line: 13G-23A-36 points in 34 games for junior team; 0G-0A-0Pts in 11 games for men's team
The six-footer continued an international trend for the Senators early in the draft.
91st Overall: RW Louis-Felix Bourque
2025-26 Team: Drummondville Voltigeurs, QMJHL
Stat Line: 24G-25A-49PTS in 54 games
The six-foot-two winger put up strong numbers in his rookie year of major junior. He tied for 10th among all rookie scorers in the QMJHL.
FOURTH ROUND
110th Overall: G Elliot Lennon
2025-26 Team: Deerfield Academy prep school
Stat Line: 1.84 GAA, .936 save% in 26 games.
The six-foot-four Quebec native is committed to Brown University for 2027-28. He'll play for Madison of the USHL next season.
FIFTH ROUND
151st Overall: D Harris Pangretitsch
2025-26 Team: Soo Greyhounds, OHL
Stat Line: 2G-12A-14PTS in 67 games
The six-foot-four Toronto native had 53 penalty minutes in his rookie season. He was a fourth-round OHL pick in 2024.
SIXTH ROUND
183rd Overall: D Alexander Grunin
2025-26 Team: Sibirskie Snaipery, Russia MHL
Stat Line: 6G-9A-15Pts in 44 games
The Sens go to Russia to grab a six-foot-four blue-liner with their final pick.
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