One of the defining traits of the Ottawa Senators' 2024 NHL Draft class was the team's clear preference for size. While amateur scout Don Boyd says the organization didn’t enter that draft thinking they would deliberately go after bigger players, forsaking all others, that's certainly how it worked out.

All six players the Senators selected in 2024 stand at least 6-foot-2, and none of them was bigger than second-round pick Gabriel Eliasson, a towering 6-foot-7 Swedish defenseman.

But Eliasson isn’t just big — he’s physical and loves to play with a nasty edge.

In 2023, Eliasson racked up 103 penalty minutes in 36 games in Sweden’s junior league. He brought that same edge to North America last season with the OHL’s Barrie Colts, amassing 116 penalty minutes in 63 games. Offensively, he chipped in just seven points and went scoreless in 16 playoff games, further defining his identity as a stay-at-home defenseman with plenty of snarl.

That physical style has continued this week at the World Junior Summer Showcase, hosted by USA Hockey at the University of Minnesota. Through two games, Eliasson has already picked up eight penalty minutes via four minors. On Wednesday afternoon, he and Team Sweden defeated Team USA 6–3.

This wasn't what you'd describe as an international 'friendly,' as soccer likes to call them. It was chippy, with a steady parade to the penalty box - the kind of game that's probably right in Elliason's wheelhouse.

You don't often see a scoresheet with 27 minor penalties called. But this is a tryout, with young men trying to get noticed and make the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships later this year.

The chippiness might also have been some lingering bad blood from the Five Nations Tournament in February of last year, when these same two teams, with a lot of the same players, clashed at the final buzzer. And Elliason was right in the middle of it.

With Sweden leading the final game 4–3 with one second left, Eliasson crept up from the blue line, almost to the centre ice circle. After the faceoff, he cross-checked American forward James Hagens twice as time expired, triggering some skirmishes just as the benches were emptying. The two players got into a spirited wrestling match and had to be pried apart.

Eliasson and Hagens probably gave each other a few unpleasant stares when they faced off during Wednesday's game. At the moment, Eliasson leads the showcase in penalty minutes. Hagens leads the event in points and stands second in penalty minutes.

Ottawa’s 2025 first-round pick, Logan Hensler (23rd overall), is also competing in the showcase for Team USA, though he did not dress for the game against Elliason and Sweden. Hensler played in that Five Nations Tourney as well and Elliason recently told the Locked on Senators Podcast they had some chuckles about that game when they met for the first time as Ottawa teammates at this month's development camp at Sensplex.

As a defender, beyond his size and prickliness out there, one of the things I like about Elliason is his measured approach to gap control. He doesn't drift back or move up any more than he has to, seemingly using his extra long stick as a measuring device.  That usually puts him in a nice position to cut players off by taking the body or swatting pucks away with his long reach.

This week's Showcase features teams from Sweden, the U.S., Finland, and Canada, and helps each national program evaluate players for potential selection to their respective World Junior national rosters.

Both Eliasson and Hensler have yet to register a point through two games at the Showcase, but there are still two games to play. Sweden will face Canada on Friday afternoon and Finland on Saturday. Team USA will take on Finland on Friday and wrap up against Canada on Saturday afternoon.

By Steve Warne
The Hockey News Ottawa
Image credit: Senators on YouTube

This article orginally appeared at The Hockey News Ottawa, where you'll find all the latest Senators news:
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