Freestyle Photography/Belleville Sens
Oct 5, 2026 1:55 PM
Nearly a decade after being traded away in the Matt Duchene deal, former Sens first rounder Shane Bowers has returned to the organization, scoring in his B-Sens debut.
Nine years after the Senators drafted Shane Bowers in the first round, the two sides have quietly found their way back together.
Bowers joined the Belleville Senators late last week on a professional tryout, just in time for the start of the American Hockey League season. And in his first game back in the organization, he even found the back of the net.
The 27-year-old scored in Belleville's 5-2 season-opening loss to the Hamilton Hammers on Friday night.
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It's an interesting full-circle story for a player who was once considered an important part of the Sens' future, even though his first stint lasted only a few months.
The Sens selected Bowers 28th overall in the first round of the 2017 NHL Draft after he put up 51 points in 60 games with the Waterloo Black Hawks of the USHL.
But before Bowers ever had a chance to play a game in the organization, the Senators included his rights in one of the biggest trades in franchise history.
On November 5, 2017, the Sens acquired star forward Matt Duchene from the Colorado Avalanche in a three-team deal. Bowers, goalie Andrew Hammond and draft picks were among the assets sent to Colorado, while Kyle Turris went to Nashville.
So, despite being a Sens first-round pick, Bowers was part of the organization for less than five months.
There is another interesting Ottawa connection from those days.
After being drafted, Bowers went to Boston University, where one of his teammates during the 2017-18 season was future Senators captain Brady Tkachuk.
Both freshmen, Bowers actually outscored Tkachuk that season. In 40 games, Bowers had 32 points, while Tkachuk finished with 31.
Tkachuk jumped right to the NHL the following year while Bowers remained at BU for another season before turning pro.
Unfortunately for Bowers, his hopes of being a full-time NHL player haven't materialized. Now in his ninth pro season, Bowers has played just one NHL game with Colorado and 12 with New Jersey, spending most of his days in the AHL.
That brings the story back to the Sens.
There was no big announcement about his return last week and, technically, this isn't even an NHL contract. Belleville announced Bowers as one of two players (Mark Duarte) signed to professional tryouts when it unveiled its opening-night roster on Friday.
But after scoring in his Belleville debut, his second go with the Sens organization is already off to a better start than his first one ever had the chance to be.
By Steve Warne
The Hockey News Ottawa
This article was first published at The Hockey News' Ottawa Senators site. For more from THN Ottawa, click on one of the headlines below:
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