The Ottawa Senators may have struck gold in the fourth round of last summer’s NHL Draft. With three picks in that round, the Senators uncovered a trio of prospects who already look like potential steals.
Two of them took to the spotlight this week, including forward Luke Ellinas, who made news on Tuesday by signing a three-year, entry-level contract with the Senators.
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Ellinas, 19, was selected 104th overall and has quickly emerged as an intriguing prospect from the 2024 draft class. He put together a breakout campaign with the Kitchener Rangers of the OHL this past season, registering 20 goals and 37 points in 50 regular-season games.
His 20 goals ranked fifth on the team, and he appears to be one of those valuable players who can elevate in the playoffs, leading Kitchener in goals (8), assists (8), and points (16) over 14 games this spring.
Through two OHL playoffs, he’s averaged a point per game, with 24 points in as many appearances. He also scored one of the biggest goals in Rangers history: his OT goal in Game 7 capped Kitchener’s comeback from an 0–3 deficit against Windsor. His natural hat trick also sparked the history-making comeback in Game 4, a 3–0 Ranger win.
With that, the Rangers moved on to round three to face the London Knights, led by another 2024 Sens fourth-rounder, Blake Montgomery. The Knights made quick work of the Rangers, winning four straight.
On Saturday night, Montgomery and the Knights will begin their pursuit of the 2025 Memorial Cup, facing QMJHL champion Moncton.
Montgomery went 117th overall last summer, and at 6-foot-4 and 187 pounds, he has some filling out to do, but he transitioned nicely from the USHL to the OHL this season. He recorded 23 goals and 27 assists over 51 games and has become a key contributor for one of the league’s top teams.
When many of his top teammates were away at the World Juniors, that’s when Montgomery really went off, posting 13 goals and 13 assists in 16 games.
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As a prospect, 6-foot-4 forward Blake Montgomery becomes more and more intriguing with each passing month.
He just turned 20 and is set to play for the University of Wisconsin this fall, but hopes to lift the Memorial Cup first.
Sandwiched between Ellinas and Montgomery, and taken by Ottawa at 112th overall, is power winger Javon Moore out of Minnetonka High School in Minnesota. Moore is already 6-foot-4, 202 pounds, and when he put up 53 points in 28 games in 2023-24, that was tough to ignore, even at the high school level.
Moore, 19, had a solid 2024-25 USHL season with 17 goals and 39 points for the Sioux Falls Stampede. He had one goal in their four-game, best-of-five, second-round loss to Waterloo. Moore will continue his development this fall with the University of Minnesota.
It’s far too early to declare the 2024 draft a success, but based on early returns, Ottawa’s fourth-round class has a chance to go down as one of the best value hauls in recent franchise history.
Steve Warne
The Hockey News-Ottawa
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