With the 2025 NHL Draft fast approaching, the Ottawa Senators are preparing to make their selection at 21st overall in the first round, set for June 27 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. As speculation heats up, one name consistently appearing in mock drafts near Ottawa’s slot is Blake Fiddler, another big right-shot defenseman from the WHL.
Fiddler checks many of the boxes that Senators general manager Steve Staios and his amateur staff seem to value. Last year, in his first draft as GM, Staios used his top pick on Carter Yakemchuk, a big, right-shot blueliner from the Calgary Hitmen. He followed that up by selecting 6-foot-7 Gabriel Elliason later in the draft, further reinforcing the club’s preference for bulking up their size and strength on the blue line.
Fiddler fits that mold all the way.
In a way, as big right-shot WHL defensemen go, Fiddler is Yakemchuk’s opposite. While Yakemchuk needs to work on defence and skating, those are Fiddler’s calling cards. Even though he had decent stats and got power play time, Fiddler probably needs a little more development on the offensive side, which probably won’t be an issue for Yakemchuk.
At 6-foot-4 and 209 pounds, Fiddler has the kind of smooth skating ability you don’t often see in a player that big. He played a key role in helping the Edmonton Oil Kings make the playoffs this season, and NHL amateur scouts took notice.
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Fiddler posted 10 goals and 23 assists for 33 points in 64 WHL games, which is pretty serviceable for a player with a rep for being more of a shutdown guy. He’s not shy about jumping up in the play, gapping up in the neutral zone or pinching in the offensive zone.
He represented Team USA at the U18 World Championship, tallying three points (2G, 1A) in seven games. The event was played in his hometown of Frisco, Texas. Fiddler was the American captain last summer at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup.
The draft rankings have him very much in play at 21. TSN’s Bob McKenzie (21), along with The Hockey News’ Ryan Kennedy (21), and Tony Ferrari (20) all have him pegged right around 21st overall, though TSN’s Craig Button places him as low as 39th. Some analysts wonder if Fiddler has enough on the offensive side of the puck to merit first round status.
But like the old beer ad used to say: Those who like him, like him a lot.
Fiddler’s defensive reliability, size and physicality could allow him to thrive in a top-four shutdown role at the NHL level, particularly at playoff time when you’re asked to contain the likes of Sam Bennett who really, really wants to fall hard on your goaltender. At the moment, Fiddler looks like he has a chance to be a right-shot version of Tyler Kleven.
Bloodlines are another factor that might appeal to Ottawa, although like Sens defenseman Jake Sanderson, his dad was an NHL forward. Fiddler is the son of Vern Fiddler, who played 877 NHL games before retiring in 2017.
Ultimately, if the Senators stick with last year’s trend of drafting big, particularly defencemen, Blake Fiddler could be a strong candidate at 21.
Steve Warne
The Hockey News-Ottawa
Banner image credit: Western Hockey League
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