Hype around Ottawa Senators' top prospect Jonas Lagerberg Hoen intensifying

Jonas Lagerberg Hoen on the ice during Ottawa Senators rookie camp practice on Friday. Photo by Tony Caldwell /Postmedia

Article content

Amongst all the red, white and black ripping up and down the ice at Canadian Tire Centre on Friday morning, Jonas Lagerberg Hoen’s yellow jersey served as a spotlight for those getting their first in-person glimpse of the Ottawa Senators‘ top forward prospect.

Article content

The 18-year-old, who had ACL surgery in December, will be held out of weekend Prospect Challenge games against the Toronto Maple Leafs (Saturday, 6 p.m.) and Montreal Canadiens (Sunday, 6 p.m.) at Slush Puppie Centre in Gatineau. But the fact that he was nearly a full participant on Day 1 of rookie camp was extremely encouraging.

Article content

Article content

Article content

“You want to compete with the best guys that are here, so it’s a bit boring,” Lagerberg Hoen said. “You see the guys competing and you want to join, but you’ve got to be patient. I know I’m going to get more chances.”

Article content

Article content

For the first hour of practice, Lagerberg Hoen confidently pushed the pace with the main group through flow drills, easily looking like one of the most offensively gifted players on the ice. He stayed on after the session, showing off his explosive speed with quick stops and starts, perhaps further testing his knee.

Article content

He’s come a long way in a short period of time.

Article content

After scoring 27 goals in 38 games for Leksands IF Jr. in 2024-25, Lagerberg Hoen was off to a brilliant start in his NHL draft season. He had 16 points (nine goals, seven assists) in nine games and had even got called up to play in two games with Leksands’ pro squad in the Swedish Hockey League.

Article content

Then disaster struck.

Article content

“I was going for a puck in the corner. We were skating fast and I fell before,” he recounted. “And, on my way up, the guy hit me from behind. He took my leg into the boards.

Article content

“It hurt very much, so I thought it was bad. But, like, hours after, it felt pretty good and some doctors said that there was no problem. But then we found out later that it was bad.”

Article content

Article content

Lagerberg Hoen has been skating all summer, but there were many months prior that he was trapped in a gym. He learned a lot about himself.

Article content

Article content

“You’ve got a lot of new emotions,” he admitted, “but you learn to control them and find other stuff to make you happy.”

Article content

The injury undoubtedly impacted his overall National Hockey League draft ranking, but not so much with Ottawa. The Senators had him at No. 16 on their big board, and he fell into their lap at No. 25.

Article content

General manager Steve Staios believes the winger has “home-run potential.” Chief scout Don Boyd has claimed Lagerberg Hoen owns “one of the better releases in Europe for his age group.”

Article content

European amateur scout Anders Östberg watched the young Swede for years before Ottawa made the pick, raving about his skating and offensive abilities the night of the draft.

Article content

“He’s not the typical Swede, so to speak, you know?” Östberg chuckled, giddy about the player’s potential. “He’s more like a North American goal scorer. Like, he’s not going to make too many high-end plays in traffic and speed. It’s more like he’s going to work hard, he’s going to win pucks, he’s going to go to the right areas and score a lot of goals.”