Senators Recall Defenseman From Belleville On Monday

The Senators have made their first recall of the 2026-27 season.

They brought up 22-year-old defenseman Jorian Donovan from Belleville on Monday morning, just hours before their second game of the regular season against the Boston Bruins.

The Sens announced their defensive pairings on Monday, and with Sanderson getting injured again on Saturday, they needed another body for their current road trip in Boston Monday and Detroit on Tuesday.

But Donovan will be a spectator on Monday as the Sens go instead with another Ottawa native. Right-shot defenseman Cam Crotty made the club's final 23 man roster out of camp and was the Sens' seventh defenseman in their opener on Saturday.

According to the Sens social media team, Crotty will move into Sanderson's spot on the left side alongside Nikolas Matinpalo. 

Donovan dealt with an undisclosed injury last month during Senators training camp, but returned to action in time for the start of Belleville's season. He played in both of the B-Sens' first two games over the weekend.

Now he's back in the NHL, which isn't completely unfamiliar territory for him. He made his debut with the Sens last spring after receiving his first NHL recall in late March. He appeared in two games for the Senators and logged roughly 20 minutes of total ice time. 

Donovan is a fifth-round pick, 136th overall, in the 2022 NHL Draft, and now in his third pro season. He established career highs with Belleville last season, finishing with four goals and 17 assists for 21 points, along with 89 penalty minutes.

*This story was updated after the Sens confirmed Crotty would suit up on Monday.

By Steve Warne
The Hockey News Ottawa