Senators sign Hoyt Stanley to three-year, entry-level contract
The Ottawa Senators have agreed to terms on a three-year, entry-level contract with defense prospect Hoyt Stanley, the club announced Monday afternoon.
Stanley, 21, collected three goals and 15 points in 34 games as a junior at Cornell University in the 2025-26 season. The 6’3″ right-shot defenseman became the second Senators prospect to sign with the club on Monday, after goaltender Kevin Riedler put pen to paper in the morning.
The Senators originally selected Stanley in the fourth round (No. 108 overall) of the 2023 NHL Draft. He was their first pick of that draft class and now joins fifth-rounder Matthew Andonovski in having signed with the team.
Not done with today’s signings yet ✍️ The #Sens have agreed to terms on a three-year, entry-level contract with defenceman Hoyt Stanley!
A product of West Vancouver, B.C., Stanley played his junior hockey with the BCHL’s Victoria Grizzlies before making the jump to the NCAA with Cornell in 2023.
Stanley played three full seasons with the Big Red, steadily increasing his point production and taking on incrementally larger roles each year. He helped Cornell win the ECAC in both 2024 and 2025.
Over the course of his three years at Cornell, Stanley collected seven goals and 38 points, to go along with 95 penalty minutes and a plus-32 rating, in 105 games. Prior to that, he racked up four goals and 39 points in 66 career agmes with the Grizzlies.
According to the Senators, Stanley’s entry-level contract will not take effect until the 2026-27 season. In the meantime, he and Riedler will both join the AHL’s Belleville Senators on amateur tryout deals.
The NHL’s Senators currently sit just two points back of the New York Islanders for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with a 38-25-10 record and 86 points in 73 games. Their AHL counterparts are in last place in the North Division with a 25-31-8-1 record and 59 points in 61 games.