Analyzing the Senators 2025 NHL Draft

With free agency right around the corner, a slew of signings are about to be made. That will undoubtedly lead to plenty of discussion. Before that, though, let’s take the time to focus on what transpired a few days ago at the 2025 NHL draft. 224 prospects were drafted, including six by the Senators. Don’t worry, this won’t be an analysis of all 224 draftees. Let’s keep it Sens focused and dive into the details on the six newest Senators draft picks.

READ MORE: Breaking Down Claude Giroux’s New Contract

23rd Overall: Logan Hensler- Defense, 6’2″, 192 lbs

A full Hensler breakdown can be found here. For now, let me make a comparison that should excite Sens fans. While it’s unlikely Hensler ends up at Charlie McAvoy’s level, there are some similarities:

• Both players are American right shot d-men who are similar sizes, and are seen as great skaters.
• Both played for Team USA at the World Junior Tournament during their draft eligible seasons. They were both depth d-men, with McAvoy going pointless in 7 games and Hensler scoring one assist in 7 games.
• Both played their draft eligible season at the NCAA level as freshmen. McAvoy scored 25 points in 37 games at Boston University, and Hensler scored 12 points in 32 games at Wisconsin.
• McAvoy ranked 14th on Bob McKenzie’s 2016 final draft rankings. Hensler ranked 15th this year. They were both ranked fifth among d-men.

McAvoy had more offense to his game at the same age, and threw his body around a little more. What ended up happening with McAvoy would be the ideal for Hensler- taking advantage of a bigger role at the World Juniors for USA, and playing with more confidence at the NCAA level.

93rd Overall: Blake Vanek- Right Wing, 6’3″, 205 lbs

Yes, Blake is the son of Thomas. The same Thomas that scored 22 goals in 64 career games against the Senators. Needless to say, the Senators drafting Blake was certainly an “I’m getting old” moment for myself and I’m sure many others.

Blake is reminiscent of the Javon Moore pick by the Senators a year ago. Like Moore, Vanek spent his draft eligible season playing high school hockey in Minnesota. Like Moore, Vanek is a big winger that skates well. Moore had scored 26 goals and 53 points in 28 games with Minnetonka High. Vanek scored 22 goals and 53 points in 29 games with Stillwater High. Inevitably, you can’t make too much out of high school hockey stats. Both Moore and Vanek are seen as long term projects that will take patience. In Vanek’s case, it sounds like he’ll head to the WHL next season. A key to his development will be committing to the role of a power forward, taking a page from his dad’s book by going to the dirty areas and dominating the front of the net.

97th Overall: Lucas Beckman- Goalie, 6’2″, 183 lbs

Beckman was one of the best goalies in the QMJHL last season. Here were his stats with Baie-Comeau:

• 31-18-2, .914 SV%, 2.65 GAA, 4 Shutouts

Beckman ranked first in wins, third in SV% and tied for third in shutouts. He also posted a .922 SV% in 11 playoff games. He was Canada’s back-up when they won Gold at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Tournament, and when they won Gold at the U18 Tournament a couple of months ago. So why did he go 97th, and ninth among goalies? Well believe it or not, 6’2″ is now seen as undersized at the goalie position. All Beckman can do is keep playing great hockey to prove the doubters wrong. If he can build off his last season, he should be on Team Canada’s radar for the next World Junior Tournament.

149th Overall: Dmitri Isayev- Left Wing, 5’9″, 148 lbs

This pick was a double wow. First of all, Isayev is the first prospect that Senators have drafted out of Russia since 2005. The second wow was that they took such an undersized player. This was Steve Staios killing two long standing trends with one pick. Here were Isayev’s stats last season in the MHL, which is Russia’s version of junior hockey:

• 44 games, 22 goals, 45 points 

He led his team in both goals and points. He will likely spend the next few years in Russia, with the hope that he can become an impactful player at the KHL level. There are two ways to look at this. Negatively, him being so small makes it a long shot that he ever becomes an NHL player. On the positive side, him being drafted despite being so small illustrates how high his skill level is. To his credit, he is not viewed as a soft player. He is seen as a hard-working player, albeit a very small one.

181st Overall: Bruno Idzan- Left Wing, 6’0″, 194 lbs

Idzan is from Croatia, which is unique to the hockey world. He played in Sweden for a couple of seasons before heading to the USHL last season. Here were his numbers:

• 36 games, 22 goals, 44 points

He’s already 19 years old, but those are solid numbers nonetheless. He appears to be headed to the University of Wisconsin next season, which will be a big jump up in competition. Idzan has a heavy shot, good offensive instincts, and a willingness to engage physically. Now, it’s a matter of improving his skating, finding more consistency, and rounding out his game.

213th Overall: Andrei Trofimov- Goalie, 6’2″, 187 lbs

Trofimov was both the second goalie picked by the Sens in this draft, and the second Russian. Like Idzan, he was passed over in last year’s draft. He is undersized in the world of goalies, but put up solid numbers in the MHL, posting a .929 SV% in 26 games. Let’s face it, he is long shot to make it to the NHL level as a late seventh round pick. He was also the 23rd out of 24 goalies selected. This is likely Staios taking the advice of one of the Senators scouts who saw enough from Trofimov to take a chance on him. He’ll spend the next few years in Russia, where he can hopefully build off the nice season he had last year.