In Friday’s NHL draft the Sens also chose Matt Puempel of the Peterborough Petes and Stefan Noesen of the Plymouth Whalers

After selecting Mika Zibanejad with the 6th overall pick the Senators still had another 1st round pick in the bag, number 21st overall.  But Murray then pulled a deal acquiring the 24th overall pick from Detroit for two 2nd round picks (No. 35 and 48 overall).

Matt Puempel, a 6-0 190 pound left winger, has been trumpeted as a scoring machine:

In his rookie OHL season with the Peterborough Petes in 2009-10, he scored 33 goals and 31 assists in 59 games. Last season, he netted 34 goals and 35 assists in 55 games, but his season was cut short due to a hip injury.

Meanwhile, Stefan Noesen, a 6-1 193 point right winger who describes himself as “skilled power forward and I thrive off the physical side”, is no scoring slouch:

Noesen, a right winger, scored 34 goals and 43 assists in 68 games and was also pivotal in Plymouth’s playoff upset over Kitchener. More than that, he was also a pain to play against, a chippy, determined presence who Senators general manager Bryan Murray likened to Anaheim Ducks star Corey Perry.

We won’t know how brilliant or wasted these moves were … but fans and the organization can’t help but be excited about walking away with three first round picks in the first draft in the Sens rebuilding process.