For the second straight year, the Ottawa Senators have set their sights on the blue line with their top draft pick.
Last June, it was Carter Yakemchuk of the Calgary Hitmen, selected seventh overall. This year, having taken a step forward in their quest for contention — and as a result, a step back on the draft board — the Senators selected defender Logan Hensler out of the University of Wisconsin 23rd overall. Initially slated to select at the No. 21 slot, Senators GM Steve Staios moved two spots back in a deal with the Nashville Predators and still got his guy — a big win for Ottawa.
It’s not hard to see why the Senators so coveted Hensler, who has NHL reach, size, and skating and whose offensive upside remains largely untapped (but as his knack for passing suggests, it’s there).
Hensler, who just completed his rookie campaign with the Badgers, is still a few seasons away from joining the Senators, but once ready, is projected to be a strong shutdown rearguard capable of top-four minutes. While his offensive production doesn’t exactly jump off the page (yet!), his skating does.
Here’s what to know about Hensler, Ottawa’s newest d-man selected 23rd overall.
Team: University of Wisconsin (NCAA)
Position: Defence
Shoots: Right
Hometown: Woodbury, MN.
Age: 18 (Oct. 14, 2006)
Height: Six-foot-three
Weight: 198 pounds
WHAT THE SCOUTS ARE SAYING
Making the jump from the juniors to the NCAA Division-I circuit can bring a few challenges, and Hensler experienced that this year as a rookie at the University of Wisconsin. In his final prospect assessment of the season, Sportsnet’s Jason Bukala heaped praise on Hensler’s skating and projected him as a future second-pairing shutdown D-man.
“His agility allows him to pivot in small areas to front opponents defensively and walk the offensive blue line to open up shooting and passing lanes,” Bukala wrote. “It’s a heavy lift for young defencemen at the NCAA level, and Hensler went through some growing pains this year, but he’s a right-shot defender with size and decent poise with the puck on his stick. It will take time, but he has some Brandon Carlo to his game.”
His up-and-down draft year was reflected in Sam Cosentino’s monthly prospect rankings, where he opened the 2024-25 season ranked seventh and dropped to the middle of the pack towards the end of the year.
“Started to figure things out in the second half of the NCAA season, where playing defence as a freshman is a tall order,” Cosentino wrote in May. “Hensler gets around the ice smoothly and efficiently, and he passes it like a pro. He engages defensively and can be a threat supporting the rush as well.”
Despite a dip in production, Hensler’s offensive upside is there
Hensler is billed as a two-way defenceman with offensive upside. However, his 2024-25 stat line — both as a freshman at Wisconsin and during a third-pairing stint with Team USA at the world juniors — didn’t necessarily reflect that. Hensler tallied two goals and 12 points in 32 NCAA games this past season (with a jump in the second half of the season once he hit his stride), and had one assist at the world juniors as Team USA claimed gold.
But that doesn’t mean the upside isn’t right there. History shows that while he’s not a prolific goal-scorer, his playmaking from the blue line as a proficient passer is pretty elite. At the 2024 under-18 world junior championship, he put up a goal and five helpers in seven games while helping the U.S. squad to silver. He averaged a point every other game through 27 USHL matchups with the U.S. National Team Development Program that same season, plus 28 assists and 32 points in 61 matchups with the program’s under-18 team.
He has all the tools to hit his stride offensively. How he uses them as he embarks on his sophomore season and beyond in Wisconsin will be a subject of much interest for Senators fans in the seasons to come.
