Ottawa Senators: Top 10 Prospects Entering 2018

7. Filip Chlapik, C [21] (2-48, 2015)

Stats (Belleville Senators, AHL); 52 gp, 11 g, 21 a, 32 p, 3 PPG (9 A), 2 GWG, 1 ENG, 96 SOG, .62 pts/g; 20 gp, 1 g, 3 a, 4 p. Ottawa Senators, NHL

Filip Chlapik was a mid-second round pick in 2015, one that is falling down this list of prospects. He scored just 11 goals in 52 AHL games this past season, adding 21 assists for 32 points. That’s still a respectable amount, even if it means Chlapik is more likely to be a third-line center than approaching anything near the top six. Chapik was good on the power play, scoring 12 points, and found two game-winning goals. He was also decent in terms of shot production but was not great.

He’s got the ability to make smart, creative plays for the other forwards to score on

There are other centers in the Ottawa Senators’ system who should be top-six players. Chlapik doesn’t have that pressure and shouldn’t. He’s a playmaker first, goal scorer very distant second. He’s got the ability to make smart, creative plays for the other forwards to score on. Whether that means he gets the third-line role eventually or takes on the wing is up to Ottawa’s management, but he could do either well. Chlapik did decently in 20 games, but again, showed bottom-six numbers. Four points in 20 games are better from a fourth-line center than anything else, but he can improve in the next few seasons.

Chlapik doesn’t have great faceoff numbers and didn’t play a ton of minutes in his 20 NHL games, averaging 10:04. He won the turnover battle, though, and scored an assist on the power play. He got just 21 shots in 20 games, even with a hefty offensive zone start rate. Chlapik’s ceiling still remains in the NHL, but every year he gets farther from that ceiling. He needs to start making a more noticeable impact at the AHL level to earn another chance in the NHL.