2024 Ottawa second-rounder Gabriel Eliasson was officially traded on Wednesday to the Barrie Colts.

In the first few days of Ottawa Senators training camp, defenceman Gabriel Eliasson was noticeable on every shift. He did some good things out there, and he was physical, but primarily stood out for his size at six-foot-seven. Not many guys can make Brady Tkachuk seem like an average-sized player.

But big only counts if you actually use your size, and Eliasson adores the physical part of the game. It's hard not to envision the horror an undersized 16-year-old OHL winger will feel this season when Elliason arrives to separate him from the puck along the boards.

Eliasson was the Senators second-round draft pick in June, selected 39th overall and was returned to junior a few days ago. Yesterday, his rights were traded by the Niagara Ice Dogs to the Barrie Colts, quite cheaply, for a third rounder (2028) and a 15th rounder (2027). The Colts' season opener is tomorrow in Sudbury.

The fact that Eliasson is in the OHL at all marks something of a turnaround. There was some local sports symmetry when the Ottawa pick was initially slated to play for the RoughRiders this season (the USHL's Cedar Rapids RoughRiders), before heading for the University of Michigan in the fall of 2025. There was also talk he might go back to Sweden. 

But after conversations with the Sens and his agents, they eventually decided the CHL route was best. Niagara had taken him in the import draft, but with all of his playing options, Elliason's people, presumably, had the leverage to encourage a trade to what they felt was the best situation for the kid.

When Eliasson was drafted by the Senators, it was an interesting call since he seems like a repeat of what they already have in Tyler Kleven. Both project to be big, physical, third-pairing, left shot, shut down defencemen and Kleven might end up blocking Eliasson for a long time. 

That said, you can never have too much depth at any position, which is currently one of the flaws the organization is trying to correct. And with Eliasson just turning 18 a couple of weeks ago – one of the youngest players in this year's NHL Draft – he has tons of time for development. 

Like everything else about Eliasson, the potential is big.