The Ottawa Senators may have found an excellent young player in their notoriously thin list of NHL prospects.
The recent sports hernia injury to veteran David Perron left the NHL door open again for Stephen Halliday, who was recalled from AHL Belleville four days ago. Halliday has been up and down this season, appearing in 18 NHL games and posting 6 points. Halliday's latest promotion last week was his third of the 2025-26 season.
But the Ajax, Ontario native didn't just get his foot in the door this time; he kicked it wide open.
In the last three games in Ottawa, Halliday has three goals and four points, and could have had a lot more. The 23-year-old has suddenly found another gear in the NHL, which makes what happened on Sunday night all the more disappointing.
As the Senators were beating up on the Vegas Golden Knights, Halliday was having the finest game of his young NHL career with two goals and an assist in an eventual 7-1 Senators win.
But he wasn't around for the final horn.
In the third period, Vegas forward Tomas Hertl hit Halliday into the angled plexiglass and stanchion at the Knights' bench. Halliday hit his head, fell hard to the ice, and had to be helped off the ice towards the Ottawa dressing room.
While head coach Travis Green didn't have an update after the game, Sens captain Brady Tkachuk provided one when asked about Halliday.
"I mean, he played amazing," Tkachuk said. "And I just talked to him. He feels good, feels okay. So hopefully it's nothing too severe."
Tkachuk, who helped set up three goals against Vegas, also took a moment to give the rookie a glowing review.
"And yeah, I mean, every single game he plays, he just keeps getting better and better, the confidence, the poise. And he's a player who's gonna really help us moving forward."
Halliday is a classic late bloomer.
He was passed over in two NHL Drafts before the Sens finally scooped him up as a 20-year-old in the fourth round of the 2022 Draft. His 95 points in 62 games at Dubuque in his fourth USHL season were too good to pass up, especially that late in the draft.
The Pierre Dorion-led Senators never minded going after the odd overager or a player who was passed over in a draft or two. They also picked Drake Batherson, Egor Sokolov, Cole Reinhardt, and Mark Kastelic, to name a few.
At 6-foot-4, 212 pounds, Halliday was a fine scorer at every level, including Ohio State and then Belleville, but NHL scouts were skeptical about his skating. It's something he's worked on, and in the mould of a Mark Stone, his stride isn't elite, but it's way better than it was on draft day.
It was good to hear from Tkachuk that the first-year Senator was feeling okay after the game. From what we've seen lately, Halliday is not just a temp or a fill-in anymore. Whether the Sens jump back into this playoff race or not, Halliday is tracking to be an important player for the foreseeable future.
Steve Warne
The Hockey News Ottawa
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