The Senators' best prospects will play three games in Buffalo again this year as part of the Prospects Challenge.
It's been three and a half months since the Ottawa Senators played a hockey game. So, with the calendar flipping to August, it's comforting for die-hard fans to be able to say that Sens training camp begins "next month."
Along with the main training camp and the exhibition schedule, the club's top prospects will participate in the annual Prospects Challenge, a five-team event to be held in Buffalo the weekend of September 13th.
Prospects from the Senators, the Boston Bruins, the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Columbus Blue Jackets, and the New Jersey Devils will participate in a mini-tournament, with each club playing three of the four other teams.
The just-released Prospects Challenge schedule sees Ottawa in action on the following dates:
Friday, Sept. 13: Ottawa vs New Jersey 3:30 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 14: Ottawa vs Pittsburgh 12 p.m.
Monday, Sept. 16: Ottawa vs Columbus 1:30 p.m.
This year’s tournament will again be held at the LECOM Center, and at least some of the games are usually streamed live online. It will be the third time the Senators participate and the first appearance for the Columbus Blue Jackets. Last year, the Senators faced off against the New Jersey Devils, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Montreal Canadiens.
The event's roster will be announced later this summer but will almost certainly include Carter Yakemchuk, the Sens' seventh overall selection in June. The best prospects will then head to the main training camp in Ottawa.
Ottawa Senators 2024 preseason schedule
Sunday, Sept. 22: Ottawa at Toronto, 7 p.m.
Tuesday, Sept. 24: Toronto at Ottawa, 7 p.m.
Thursday, Sept. 26: Buffalo at Ottawa, 7 p.m.
Sunday, Sept. 29: Ottawa vs Pittsburgh at Sudbury, 7 p.m.
Tuesday, Oct. 1: Ottawa at Montreal, 7 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 4: Ottawa at Detroit, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 5: Montreal at Ottawa, 7 p.m.