Nine years after being selected by the Senators in the first round of the draft, Shane Bowers has quietly reconnected with the organization. Last week, he joined the Belleville Senators on a professional tryout just as the American Hockey League season began, and he made an immediate impact by scoring a goal in his first game back with the team.
The 27-year-old Bowers scored during Belleville’s season-opening game, a 5-2 loss to the Hamilton Hammers on Friday night. When asked about Linus Ullmark’s performance in Saturday night’s 3-2 win over Toronto, Travis Green provided insights (Senators YouTube). This storyline is particularly noteworthy because Bowers was once regarded as a promising part of the Senators’ future, even though his initial stint with the team lasted only a few months.
Bowers was originally picked 28th overall in the first round of the 2017 NHL Draft after impressing with 51 points in 60 games playing for the Waterloo Black Hawks in the USHL. However, before he could play a game for Ottawa, his rights were included in one of the franchise’s most significant trades. On November 5, 2017, Ottawa acquired star forward Matt Duchene from the Colorado Avalanche as part of a three-team deal. As part of that trade, Bowers, goalie Andrew Hammond, and draft picks were sent to Colorado, while Kyle Turris was sent to Nashville. Consequently, despite being a first-round pick, Bowers was with the organization for less than five months.
There’s another interesting connection to Ottawa from those days. After being drafted, Bowers played at Boston University, where during the 2017-18 season, he played alongside future Senators captain Brady Tkachuk. In that year, Bowers actually outperformed Tkachuk in scoring, tallying 32 points in 40 games compared to Tkachuk’s 31. Tkachuk moved straight to the NHL the next year, while Bowers stayed another season at BU before turning professional.
Unfortunately, Bowers’ dream of becoming a regular NHL player has yet to materialize. Now in his ninth professional season, he has only played one game in the NHL with Colorado and 12 with New Jersey, mostly spending his time in the AHL.
This brings his story back to Ottawa. His return to the organization last week was low-key and is not even under an NHL contract—instead, he was signed to a professional tryout by Belleville, which announced him alongside another player, Mark Duarte, during its opening-night roster reveal. Nevertheless, after scoring in his debut, Bowers’ second stint with the Senators organization appears to be off to a much better start than his initial chance.
Fan Take: This story is exciting because it shows how perseverance and timing can still give players a second shot in the league, reminding fans of the unpredictable nature of hockey careers. It also highlights how organizations value experience and potential, even after setbacks, which keeps the sport engaging and full of hope for underrated talents.
Source: sports.yahoo.com
