Ottawa connection to a new chapter
Ottawa's own Alex Formenton is heading to Edmonton. The winger, who came up through the Ottawa Senators organization after being drafted 47th overall in 2017, has signed with the Oilers, according to the Ottawa Citizen. It's a significant move for a player whose name has been tied to Ottawa hockey for the better part of a decade.
Who is Alex Formenton
Formenton played parts of several seasons with the Senators, known for his speed and physical style on the wing. He was part of the Senators' 2018 World Junior gold medal winning roster, a tournament that later became central to a widely publicized legal case involving several players from that team, Formenton included. That case, and the discipline it triggered around the league, is why the Ottawa Citizen and other outlets describe him as a controversial figure heading into this signing.
Formenton stepped away from professional hockey for an extended period while the legal process played out. His return to an NHL contract with Edmonton signals that at least one organization is willing to give him another shot at the league.
The Ottawa angle
For Senators fans, the signing closes the loop on a player who was once seen as part of the team's young core. Formenton's rise through Ottawa's system, from prospect to NHL regular, made him a familiar name around the Canadian Tire Centre before his career took the detour that kept him out of the league. Now, with a fresh contract elsewhere, his Ottawa roots remain part of the story every time his name comes up.
The Senators organization has moved on in the years since Formenton last suited up for the team, but his path from Ottawa prospect to a name tied up in one of hockey's most closely watched legal proceedings, and now to a new NHL deal, is the kind of storyline that keeps resurfacing around the city's hockey conversation.
What comes next
Details on contract terms and Formenton's role with the Oilers were not included in the initial report. How he's received in Edmonton, and whether he can recapture the form that made him a promising young winger in Ottawa, will play out over the coming season.
Source: Ottawa Citizen, via Google News.
