Who is Beckett Sennecke?

The Montreal Canadiens have an array of options at the 2024 NHL Draft with their fifth overall selection. 

Because each team's draft list differs, there may be names high on one list that aren’t on another. The rule of thumb is generally to draft the best player available rather than picking for need. But if the scouting staff deems one player better it can throw things off. 

A good example is Beckett Sennecke, a forward who has come on strong late in the year. The product of the Ontario Hockey League’s Oshawa Generals has shot up the draft board after a strong regular season and impressive playoffs. The Athletic’s prospect guru Scott Wheeler sees him as a 15th overall range pick, while some see him as a top 10 talent. 

Needless to say, he has the scouting world divided. He is a lanky forward, with great individual skill to beat opponents clean with dekes or burn past them with his skating. Sennecke will need to add some weight to his frame, but that isn’t uncommon for draft-eligible players who still have room to mature physically. 

After Macklin Celebrini, Ivan Demidov seems to be in the second tier of talented forwards. But Sennecke could be considered in the third tier alongside Tij Iginla, Cayden Lindstrom and Berkly Catton. If that’s the case then there is a good chance that Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton will have done their due diligence on scouting Sennecke. 

Sennecke isn’t that small at 6 foot 2 and 180 pounds, and he has the skill set to thrive in an NHL top six down the road with the right coaching. With 10-15 pounds of muscle added to his frame, he would address the need for size and skill in the Canadiens forward core. Ultimately, the way the first four selections go will be the determining factor of who Montreal will draft and they may deem a defender as the better value than a forward, if their top targets are picked, but Sennecke is a notable option. 

Being that he is a right shot, that may discourage the Habs from picking him. Since they already have Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield and Kirby Dach that shoot right it may be a deal breaker, but the talent is there and if belief is that he has a high ceiling, his handedness may not be all that important. With 22 points in 16 postseason games, Sennecke was brilliant, despite his Generals falling short to the OHL Champion London Knights. 

Hughes has a tall task on his hands to figure out who he will ultimately pick, but it would be surprising if he didn’t consider Sennecke in some form.