8. Alex Formenton, LW (2-47, 2017)
Stats (London Knights, OHL): 48 gp, 29 g, 19 a, 48 p, 7 PPG (6 A), 3 SHG (1 A), 6 GWG, 175 SOG, 1 pt/g (4 pgp, 5 g, 2 a, 7 p, 3 PPG (1 A), 1 SHG, 21 SOG, 1.75 pts/g); 2 gp, 0 g, 0 a, 0 p. Belleville Senators, AHL; 1 gp, 0 g, 0 a, 0 p. Ottawa Senators, NHL
Alex Formenton was a top 50 pick in last year’s draft and is just barely 19 years old. He was excellent in a shortened regular season, scoring 48 points in 48 games, and is a great goal scorer. He was better than a goal-per-game in the postseason (contributing to his best in the league point-per-game pace) and was good at shot production (3.65 shots per game in the regular season, 5.25 in the postseason). Formenton was a threat to score on both the power play and while shorthanded, good news for his ability to transition to the pro game effectively.
Formenton has impressed in pre-season camp so far this season, wowing with his speed and his goal-scoring combination
Formenton has impressed in pre-season camp so far this season, wowing with his speed and his goal-scoring combination. That could be a dangerous skill set down the road, as Connor McDavid has demonstrated in his NHL career.
Guy Boucher has already likened Formenton to the aforementioned best player in the world, at least in terms of speed. He’ll try and make the Ottawa Senators roster out of camp, but most likely will head back to the OHL for another (hopefully healthier) season. A full year in the OHL with the paces he set for himself would be incredibly impressive and could net him top 10 rankings across the board.
Formenton has already played professional games in both the AHL and NHL. He’ll likely get a chance to play for the Ottawa Senators full time sooner rather than later and has a chance to prove himself more NHL ready than he currently is in the OHL this season. His NHL ceiling is hard to determine, but with his talents, it would not be hard to see him as a middle-six forward.