Zack Ostapchuk, the 39th overall pick in the '21 NHL Draft, is turning heads at Ottawa Senators rookie camp.

When the Senators began rookie camp on Thursday, it was assumed that Ridly Greig and Tyler Kleven would be part of their leadership group over the next few days. Given that both players have live-fire NHL regular season experience, they seemed like easy choices. 

Sure enough, before the club played their first game at the Prospects Challenge in Buffalo on Friday (a 5-2 win over the New Jersey Devils rookies), Greig and Kleven were both in the mix as alternate captains, but Belleville head coach David Bell gave the "C" to someone else.

Bell opted for former Vancouver Giants captain Zack Ostapchuk, a 6-foot-3, 205 pound centre, who played twice for Team Canada at the World Juniors. Part of the decision was based on the fact that Greig and Kleven wouldn't be playing in every game in Buffalo this weekend. 

But, while Ostapchuk likely isn't in the Sens plans this season, it's clear that he has a big fan in Bell, who'll be the one deciding on his level of deployment in Belleville this fall.

"He doesn't take a shift off," Bell told the media after Friday's game. "I mean, it's 5-2 with two minutes left and he's still chucking up and down the ice. And he just works and works and works. He's intense and he knows the game. 

"Little plays that a lot of people don't see... he appreciates them. And (appreciates) when his teammates do them and he encourages them. Just a real smart hockey guy but his compete is outstanding."

It wasn't that long ago the Senators were organizationally thin at centre. In 2018-19, they had Matt Duchene, Chris Tierney, J.G. Pageau and Colin White. Today, it's Tim Stutzle, Josh Norris, Shane Pinto and Mark Kastelic, which is already an upgrade, well before they've hit their prime. You've even got Claude Giroux if you need him, one of the best face-off men of his generation.

Now, if you throw Greig and Ostapchuk into the mix, the Senators are suddenly in excellent shape at centre for the foreseeable future – even if things go sideways with Pinto.

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