Ottawa Signs Cornell Defenseman Hoyt Stanley to Entry-Level Contract

The right-shot defenseman Ottawa identified three years ago is now a professional. Hoyt Stanley, the Senators' fourth-round pick (108th overall) from the 2023 NHL Draft, signed a three-year entry-level contract with Ottawa on Monday and will report immediately to the Belleville Senators on an Amateur Tryout Agreement, forfeiting his senior year of NCAA eligibility to begin his pro career ahead of schedule.

Ottawa's decision to lock up Stanley now rather than wait for a fourth Cornell season reflects what scouts flagged in him at the draft: a 6-foot-3 right-shot defenseman who moves pucks with his edges rather than just his positioning, and who can carry the zone himself through neutral ice. That profile is specific. Right-shot puck-movers at 6-3 are not an annual commodity in the NCAA pipeline, and Stanley's career plus-32 rating across 105 games at Cornell, where he helped the Big Red win back-to-back ECAC championships in 2024 and 2025, confirmed his gap control translated against competitive collegiate competition. He posted career highs this season with three goals and 12 assists for 15 points as Cornell finished 22-11-1.

The three-year ELC term, which begins in 2026-27, signals a longer development horizon than an immediate NHL assignment. Prospect analysts project his ceiling as a bottom-pairing NHL defender within four to five years, with a realistic floor as a top-four AHL blue-liner. The ATO in Belleville is the first test of that trajectory.

Where Stanley slots on the Belleville blue line immediately is the practical question the next several weeks will answer. Observers should watch which returning B-Sens defender he is paired alongside: a veteran shutdown partner would suggest the coaching staff wants to leverage Stanley's breakout reads while sheltering him from heavy defensive zone starts, while a pairing with another young defenseman would signal more symmetrical development minutes. His power-play deployment on the second unit is the clearest early indicator of how much offensive trust Ottawa's staff extends right away; his edge-work and puck-carrying ability make him a candidate for the right-side bumper role. On the penalty kill, zone reads and gap discipline will be the specific things to monitor, given that his physicality at Cornell grew more assertive each year across 95 career penalty minutes.

General manager Steve Staios announced both Stanley and Penn State goaltender Kevin Reidler on the same Monday afternoon, making it two ATO signings on the final day of March. The Reidler deal is two years and is primarily pointed toward ECHL time given Belleville's goaltending depth. Stanley's signing, at three years and with a higher organizational ceiling, is a different kind of commitment: Reidler filled a depth spot, while Stanley is being tracked toward a real roster role.

That distinction separates this from a routine late-season body add. Stanley is only the second Cornell player Ottawa has ever drafted, after Colin Greening in 2005. His father, Graham Stanley, played professionally in the AHL, ECHL, and IHL, giving the family direct context for the adjustment from college pace to pro. The April games remaining in Belleville will tell Ottawa's staff more about the speed of that adjustment than three seasons of collegiate production alone ever could.