Four Jr. Senators alumni on NHL Central Scouting final rankings

OTTAWA, ON – National Hockey League Central Scouting released their final rankings for the 2021 NHL Draft on Thursday and four former Jr. Senators players earned their way on the list.

“We’re obviously really happy to see four of our alumni on the NHL Central Scouting’s final rankings of North American skaters for the 2021 draft,” said Jr. Senators head coach and general manager Martin Dagenais. “These four young men are not only exceptional hockey players, but they’re also great people. We understand that this doesn’t mean they’ll be drafted, but I think just to have your name on that list is a great honour.”

Jacob Guévin – 56th ranked North American skater

A native of Drummondville, Québec, Guévin only appeared in a handful of games for the red, white, and blue during CCHL Developmental Scrimmage action earlier this season before moving on to the USHL’s Muskegon Lumberjacks. In 53 games with Muskegon, the 5’11” rearguard notched 45 points this past season. Guévin spent the 2019-2020 season with Northwood in the USHS-Prep League. He was also a member of Team Canada Red at the 2019 IIHF U17’s and won a gold medal with Team Québec at the 2019 Canada Winter Games. Guévin will move on to NCAA hockey with the University of Nebraska-Omaha next season.

“Jacob is a gifted offensive defenseman who also recognizes the importance of playing sound defensive hockey,” said Dagenais. “For a defenseman, he’s on the smaller side, but he makes up for it with an incredible hockey IQ.”

Kyle Jackson – 158th ranked North American skater

The 2018-2019 CCHL Rookie of the Year was a third-round pick in the 2018 OHL Priority Selection to the North Bay Battalion from the Toronto Red Wings Minor Midgets. The Ottawa native scored eight goals and earned 14 assists for 22 points in 62 games in 2019-20 before the rest of the OHL schedule and playoffs were scrapped. He had three points, including two goals, in 12 games the previous year. During his time with OJS, Jackson recorded 54 points in 51 games, playing big minutes as a 16-year old. Jackson rose to the occasion in the playoffs scoring 13 points in 14 games to help secure the Jr. Senators’ second straight Bogart Cup. Jackson’s biggest goal of the playoffs came in the series-clinching fifth game, where he tied the game at two early in the third period. At the Fred Page Cup tournament, he tallied four points in three games as OJS captured their second straight Eastern Canadian Championship. In the National Junior A Championships, Jackson also produced at a point-per-game pace, scoring five points in five games, as OJS fell in the semi-finals to the eventual champion Brooks Bandits.

“Kyle made big strides during his only season with OJS,” added Dagenais. “He has a ton of confidence in all aspects of his game and really matured as the season went on. He was huge for us late in the season playing on the top line and scoring big goals. I’m so happy for him and can’t wait to see his career continue.”

Ranvir Gill-Shane – 163rd ranked North American skater

Gill-Shane was selected in the first round of the 2018 CCHL Bantam Protect Draft and quickly blossomed into a stand-out defenceman on the junior A blueline. After a strong showing at the u18 level under Steve Mallette, Gill-Shane was selected in the fourth round by the hometown Ottawa 67’s in the 2019 OHL Draft. In early December, he signed with the 67’s, appearing in 10 games during the 2019-2020 season, and was atop the rookie scoring leaderboard at the CCHL level. At the CCHL trade deadline, Gill-Shane was moved to the Kanata Lasers for Julian Recine and Curtis Fabbro.

“Ranvir’s a hard-working kid who comes to the rink every day with the right attitude,” explained Dagenais. “He quarterbacked our powerplay in his time here and played a lot of big minutes against top units. He’s going to play a big role for the 67’s going forward and the sky is the limit for him.”

Chandler Romeo – 169th ranked North American skater

Romeo joined the Jr. Senators for the tail end of CCHL Developmental Scrimmage games this past year. Originally scheduled to play for the OHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs, he made the trek to Ottawa and the CCHL to get games in. The 6’4″, 173 lb defenseman, played the 2018-2019 season for the Toronto Red Wings Minor Midgets where he scored five goals and added 22 assists for 27 points in 71 games. He also played seven games in the OHL Cup where he scored a goal and added three assists for the Red Wings as they advanced to the finals of the OHL Cup. He made his junior debut with GOJHL’s Brantford Bandits scoring 21 points in 44 games and also affiliated with the OJHL’s Brantford 99ers.

“Chandler didn’t spend a lot of time here, but he improved every day to keep himself in game shape,” highlighted Dagenais. “He’s a big body who’s tough to get around and I’m sure he’ll go on to have a great junior career.”

The 2021 NHL Draft is currently slated to be held July 23-24.