A few years ago, the Ottawa Senators went into the 2017 NHL Entry Draft with just four picks as a result of trades made to prepare for the team’s playoff run that year. Though their first-round selection of Shane Bowers didn’t pan out, second-rounder Alex Formenton and fourth-rounder Drake Batherson have turned that draft into more of a success than virtually all that immediately preceded it.
Owing in part to their limited draft capital, 2017 was therefore a year that the Sens were particularly active with non-drafted players. Every year teams will invite a few undrafted players to their annual development camp, and for those who impress the brass enough, the next step is typically an invite to the main training camp.