Three Senators Prospects Taking Centre Stage In 2026 OHL Final

Talk about going 0 to 60.

"It was definitely a lot of fun," Ellinas said in an interview posted on the OHL Facebook page. "I wanted to get back all year. So to be able to do that was a lot of fun, especially in such big games like this."

After the season he's had, the Senators probably just have their fingers crossed that Ellinas, who signed his ELC last summer, can get through this playoff run in one piece. Ellinas likes to play the game with some edge, and if he's going to do that at the next level, he'll need health and a full summer of training to prepare for it.

And speaking of edge, that brings us to 6-foot-7 Gabriel Elliason. Elliason signed his three-year, entry-level contract with the Senators, set to start in this fall.

Eliasson has spent the past two seasons with the Barrie Colts, a team I'm hesitant to write about because "nobody cares, work harder." The big man had eight points in 61 regular-season games, so he's clearly more of a shutdown defenseman who uses his incredible reach and physical play to make life miserable for opponents.

And he plays with such a chip on his shoulder that part of his focus this season was dialling it back and picking his spots a little better. He still led the OHL in penalty minutes (122) this year, but only because Andonovski, the 2024-25 OHL PIMS leader, played a partial season.

On Friday night, in the 35th OHL playoff game of his career, Eliasson recorded his first-ever OHL playoff point, drawing an assist in Game 2.

“Gabriel’s game has matured since we drafted him,” GM Steve Staios said in a club press release in March. “We’ve been pleased with his development, and his character and work ethic fit in perfectly with the team we’re building.”

The OHL final resumes Sunday night in Barrie (6 pm) with the hometown Colts down 0-2 and in a must-win situation.

But soon, when the dust settles on this battle and the season, it won't be long before these three young men are all pulling on the same rope together in Belleville this fall.

By Steve Warne
The Hockey News

This article was first published at The Hockey News Ottawa. Check out more great Sens features from The Hockey News at the links below:

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