Ottawa Senators general manager Steve Staios got most of his offseason business done early this summer. But with the start of training camp now just days away, one of the items still on his to-do list was re-signing 23-year-old restricted free agent defenseman Donovan Sebrango.
According to PuckPedia, Sebrango agreed on Wednesday to a one-year, two-way deal with the club for $775,000 (NHL) or $140,000 (AHL), and the Senators made it official on Thursday morning. That leaves defenseman Max Guenette as the last man standing among 2025 RFAs the Sens are still likely to re-sign.
Sebrango played 50 games for the Belleville Senators last season, putting up eight goals and 20 points. He also made his NHL debut in Ottawa, appearing in two games. The Ottawa native was acquired in 2023 as part of a package deal with the Detroit Red Wings for winger Alex DeBrincat, who had made it clear he wasn’t planning to re-sign in Ottawa as he entered the final year of his contract.
Sebrango’s early development as a pro may have been affected by the circumstances of COVID.
With the OHL shutdown for 2020-21, Sebrango jumped right into the pros as an 18-year-old playing for Detroit’s AHL team in Grand Rapids, where he spent most of the next three seasons until his trade to Ottawa. If a newly drafted 18-year-old doesn’t make his NHL team, his development is not only better off (usually) with a return to junior, but the rules of the CHL-NHL Transfer Agreement demand it.
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That said, Sebrango’s re-signing, along with his brief ascension to the NHL last season, suggests he may now be coming into his own at 23. At 6-foot-2, 220 pounds, he certainly brings good size to the table, and Staios has a fondness for big. Sebrango’s athletic bloodlines are strong as well. His father is Eduardo Sebrango, a former MLS star with the Montreal Impact.
Donovan was among the best of his peers in junior, representing Team Canada at the 2022 World Junior Hockey Championship and was a third-round pick by the Red Wings in the 2020 NHL Draft. The Senators are set to have five players from that 2020 Draft on their opening night roster: Tim Stützle, Jake Sanderson, Ridly Greig, Tyler Kleven, and Leevi Meriläinen.
Perhaps Sebrango will one day emerge as another key NHL piece from that class.
By Steve Warne
This article was first published at The Hockey News-Ottawa
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