Ottawa Senators Top 25 Under 25, #6: Jake Sanderson

Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty Images#6. Jake Sanderson (Reader Rank: 6th, Last Year: 7th)

Spoiler alert, but for the second year in a row, Jake Sanderson is our highest-ranked player who’s never played an NHL game.

And it’s not even the slightest bit surprising.

Ever since the Sens went a bit off the board to draft him 5th overall in 2020, the hype around Sanderson has been steadily growing, to the point where many expect him to step right into a top-four role this coming season. It’s not hard to see why.

Sanderson was initially billed as a defensive defenseman with some offensive upside. Elite in transition, physical, and with good hockey sense was the initial scouting report. Since being…