After a nice message from his dad on Saturday morning, Sens draft pick Vladimir Nikitin went out later in the day and scored a shorthanded empty netter.

Ottawa Senators goalie prospect Vladimir Nikitin was chosen in the seventh round of the 2023 NHL Draft last summer. The Sens might have selected him a little earlier if they knew he was such a dual threat – a goalie who could chip in with a little offence.

The 19-year-old from Ekibastuz, Kazakhstan is having a fine season for the Chilliwack Chiefs in the BCHL, British Columbia's version of the Eastern Ontario-based CCHL.

And it just got a little better on Saturday.

With the Chiefs up 3-1 over the visiting Alberni Valley Bulldogs late in the third, the Bulldogs pulled their goalie and dumped the puck in, right on net. Nikitin dropped down to his knees to stop it, then immediately jumped up with a shot on his mind. He got up quickly and fired a long, hard wrist shot over top of everyone, and the fans erupted when the puck was right on target.

The short-handed empty net goal came on the Chiefs' annual Parents Weekend and while Nikitin’s father, Viktor, couldn't make it, he sent in a message to play earlier in the day during the team's morning video session about how proud he is of his son. 

Nikitin has a 12-3-3 record with the Chiefs this season, with a 2.63 goals against average and a .902 save percentage.

Damian Rhodes is the only Ottawa Senator goalie to get credit for a goal in the NHL. Rhodes was the last Senator to touch the puck in a game in 1999 before the Devils scored on their own empty net during a delayed penalty.