Senators Draft Jaxon Cover 32nd Overall – The Hockey Writers – Ottawa Senators

With the 32nd pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, the Ottawa Senators select Jaxon Cover from the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL).

About Cover

Cover’s story is unique among all other draft prospects. An accomplished roller hockey player from the Cayman Islands, he played his first competitive ice hockey game at 13.

Still, with the London Knights of the OHL, Cover burst onto the scene this season. Through 67 games, he had 20 goals and 32 assists. He was second in points to Pittsburgh Penguins’ 2025 first-round defenseman Hunter Brzustewicz.

“Every game this year, he made you notice him,” central scouting chief Dan Marr said. “He did the small things, the little things that make scouts notice him. So he might have been a hidden secret going into the season. He’s not now.”

Cover is a total boom or bust selection for the Senators. However, considering his rise to this point and his attitude, he’s got time on his side. He has great puck-handling skills with good puck vision and a good goal-scoring touch, playing like Tyler Toffoli. However, his raw abilities will take some time to mature and mold him into an NHLer.

THW Prospect Profile Excerpt

A few skills have translated very well from his time as an inline player to his role as a full-time OHLer, including his stickhandling and puck-handling. When given the time and space, Cover has the hands to make a defender look silly and can make shifty plays with the puck on his stick to move either down the ice or create even more space in the offensive zone. Another aspect of his game that has translated well has been his “natural” goal-scoring ability. He has the shot and accuracy to be a true threat with the puck on his stick from plenty of spots on the ice as a shooter. He plays the bumper spot on the power play for the Knights and has shown the release and accuracy to be a strong power play player (five power-play goals).

Away from the puck, Cover has zero issue with going to the corners or the front of the net to make a play and battles really well. He sees the ice well and can position himself offensively to become an option. Defensively, he processes the play around him well and positions himself to be a responsible player in his own end. With a solid frame and the willingness to play physical, he has gotten better at realizing how to and when to use his physicality and will only get better as he continues to mature. He does not see a ton of ice time with the Knights, but when he is on the ice, he makes it count at both ends. 

Overall, Cover’s upside is very high, and he has all the tools to become an impact player in the NHL at some point. The one area where he needs a bit of work is his decision-making, where he tends to force a play or fail to see another option. This is yet another area of his game that will continue to improve as he gets more ice time and matures his all-around game.

How This Affects the Senators

The Senators need wingers after trading away Brady Tkachuk. They did well with acquiring William Eklund, and Jonas Lagerberg Hoen brings goal-scoring pop. However, Cover should provide some great secondary scoring and playmaking if he develops into an NHL player.

I could see him becoming a second-line forward who eventually complements a line with Dylan Cozens, a high-checking, goal-scoring forward, along with Drake Batherson. Cover is a raw player, but he’s also young in the class, so the hope is that he can develop more in the NCAA at Penn State.