15 Years Later: Whatever Became Of Ottawa's Three First-Rounders From The 2011 NHL Draft?

Back in 2020, during their rebuild, the Ottawa Senators famously held three picks in the first round of the NHL Draft. But it wasn’t the first time Ottawa had three first-round selections, nor was it their first rebuild.

This year’s NHL Draft marks the 15th anniversary of the 2011 Draft, when the Senators also owned three first-round picks. Before we look back at how those selections turned out, let’s dig into the The Hockey News archives and revisit how people viewed the Senators at the time, leading into that draft.

The team was being run by general manager Bryan Murray, who had just hired Paul MacLean as the club’s new head coach.

From The Hockey News Archive, June 2011

SWINGING SENATORS

A TEAM THAT CAME within three wins of the Stanley Cup four years ago has completely bottomed out. Now the Ottawa Senators must set about reclaiming their perch as one of the most consistent performers in hockey by developing the young players in their system and making good on the bundle of draft picks they’ve collected.

SHORT-TERM NEEDS: Firm direction and a truckload of patience, two essential elements in pulling off a rebuild. Goaltending had been a black hole for the Sens before pending UFA Craig Anderson brought some hope to the cause via a mid-February trade, but the real optimism rests with 19-year-old Swedish protégé Robin Lehner.

LONG-TERM NEEDS: Daniel Alfredsson is the all-time face of the franchise, but he’ll turn 39 halfway through next season. Jason Spezza is a big, wonderfully talented center, but he has yet to assume the mantle of go-to guy. This team desperately needs high-quality forwards and it will get a chance to draft some with 12 total picks in 2011, including five in the first two rounds.

CAP SITUATION: The great purge of 2010-11 has left the team with almost $17 million in cap space for next season, which can be put to some good use adding scoring depth to a team that finished 29th in offense.

IN THE SYSTEM 2011-12: A cluster of forwards, Zack Smith, Bobby Butler, Erik Condra, Colin Greening, Jim O’Brien, got NHL playing time with all the bodies cleared out of Ottawa. They’ll get a shot to prove they’re legit big-leaguers next fall, as will towering blueliner Jared Cowen. 2012-13: Top prospect David Rundblad already plays against men in Sweden and fellow D-man Patrick Wiercioch will be close after another year in the AHL.

DRAFT TENDENCIES: Until this season, trading picks away. The Sens had just four total selections last year, the same paltry total they had in 2007. As demonstrated by the void of tantalizing forwards, Ottawa’s recent hits tend to be with D-men and goalies. - R.D.

Also from the Draft Preview in The Hockey News from 2011, let's take a look at how the THN rankings shaped up with the Senators’ actual first round draft class at 6, 21, and 24.

In 2020, the Senators held the third, fifth, and 28th overall selections and came away with Tim Stützle, Jake Sanderson, and Ridly Greig.

It didn’t go quite as well in 2011, partly because the picks weren’t nearly as high. Ottawa selected sixth, 21st, and 24th overall.

The Senators did fairly well with their first pick, selecting Swedish center Mika Zibanejad sixth overall.

Five years after his draft day, and 281 games with the Senators, Ottawa traded Zibanejad to the New York Rangers, where he eventually blossomed into a star on Broadway.

In hindsight, Mark Scheifele, taken one pick later by the Winnipeg Jets, would probably have been the slightly better choice, but not by a ton. The pick was fine. The lack of patience with the player was not. Zibanejad has gone on to better things as a core piece of the Rangers over the past decade, hitting 1000 games this season. 

Things began to thin out once the first round reached the half way point and can you can see based on pre-draft rankings, how unpredictable it became. 

At 21st overall, the Senators selected Stefan Noesen, which was considered a bit of a reach according to The Hockey News, which had him ranked 39th. Noesen didn’t last long in Ottawa, and never played here, as he was later included in the 2013 trade that brought Bobby Ryan over from the Anaheim Ducks.

Noesen took a long time to establish himself as an NHL player, but over the past four seasons he has become a dependable forward. This season, however, was largely a write off. Injuries limited the New Jersey Devils winger to just seven points in 38 games. The year before, he had reached career highs hitting the 20 goal, 40 point mark for the first time.

Finally, at 24th overall, the Senators selected Matt Puempel, whom The Hockey News had ranked 21st. After being drafted, Puempel spent two more seasons in the OHL and nearly two more years with the Binghamton Senators before beginning to get NHL opportunities.

Over parts of three seasons with Ottawa, Puempel played 52 games, but never came close to recapturing his junior scoring touch. In November 2016, the Senators placed him on waivers and he was claimed by the Rangers.

One month later, he enjoyed probably the highlight of his NHL career, recording a hat trick in a Rangers win over Arizona. But that proved to be the peak of his time in the league.

After several seasons overseas in Sweden and Germany, Puempel announced his retirement from pro hockey last month. He has since become the head coach and general manager of the Essex 73's in the PCJHL near his hometown of Windsor, Ontario.

By Steve Warne
The Hockey News