Ottawa Senators fans will have to wait a while, but in a couple of years they may be running for cover; that is, running to the Canadian Tire Centre to view Jaxon Cover.
Pronounced “Coh-ver,” the 18-year-old was selected 32nd overall by the Senators in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft Friday. But first, the well-traveled Cover will play out his second full season with the London Knights in the Ontario League, followed by a commitment to Penn State University in 2027-28.
As many have discovered, Cover’s backstory is unique as it comes.
Jaxon’s dad, Patrick grew up in the west-end Toronto suburb, Etobicoke. After meeting his future wife, Nan, a native of the Cayman Islands. The Covers made their home in the Caymans. They also spent time in Miami, where Jaxon was born. Returning to the Islands, the young Cover, like his dad and brother, Jaedan took up roller hockey, Jaxon excelled.
Jaxon strived to learn more about the sport, leaving for Toronto at the age of 13 to see if he could transform his inline skills to the ice.
The result was a success.
Cover went from the York Simcoe Express to St. Andrew’s College in Aurora, ON, and in just three years after hitting the ice, he was a fourth round pick by the OHL Knights.
After earning a pair of assists in three games for London in 2024-25, Cover was ready for his rookie campaign, registering 20 goals, 32 assists in 67 games this past season.
“I think the actual fact that I think five years ago he played roller hockey. It’s a great story, but we drafted him because we believe he’s got ability, we believe he’s got a skill level, we believe he’s got some, he’s going to have a chance to be an offensive guy, he plays in a good program, we know he’s going to get good coaching. He’s going to be managed well. He’s going to be held accountable for what he does, and how he performs. That’s all part of the package,” noted Senators head amateur scout Don Boyd.
Cover himself thought the adjustment wasn’t tough, “It was really great, just adjusting, just trying to take it day by day, just understanding from watching YouTube. Sometimes I watch YouTube videos, just to understand the stride, or just to keep developing my progression,” Cover said during his media availability post-Draft.
“It’s not that big of a difference, it’s just I’d say it feels a little weird on your edges, so that’s a little different, and the stopping and starting is really easy.”
Senators director of player development Sam Gagner also played competitive roller hockey as a teen and as a professional. Gagner compared to subtlties of the sport to on-ice and how it’s been beneficial for Cover.
“Yeah, I mean, there’s his offensive hockey IQ, you can tell it’s really high, I think roller hockey, it’s a possession game, it’s all about space and getting open, and I think that’s a huge component to being a successful ice hockey player, too, is keeping the puck. So you can see that he has that in his game, it’s a lot of fun to watch and continue working with him and continue to try to help,” Gagner told media at Senators Development Camp Tuesday.
“I think it’s a possession game, it’s four on four, so the spacing is different. You have to learn how to get open. I think there’s there’s really no dumping and chasing in roller hockey, so you have to make plays with the puck. You have to get open, so I think offensively it helps a ton.”
Cover concurred with his development director, “I believe it really helped, like creativeness and lateral movement a lot, just side to side, like using your shoulders a lot and trying to use your shiftiness a lot too. And then creativeness is trying to make plays, because, as Sam said earlier, there’s not really much dumping and chasing, so you got to make your own plays and work with your teammates.”
Cover who told Hockey Hot Stove he dons no. 87 for London due to his admiration for Sidney Crosby’s leadership, had an inkling he would land with the Senators on Draft Night.
“I just remember that it felt like they really did like me, and they really did want me to be there. So that was just from the jump, it felt really almost like another home, just talking to them. And I just loved the talks with them. And it was when I heard my name called, it was just a lot of mixed emotions, especially just seeing my mom. just giving her a big old hug, and then just getting to get all my family members and friends a hug. It was amazing.”
How high the ceiling is for Cover remains to be seen, but if the strides made in five short years tell one thing, the sky is the limit for the future Ottawa Senator.
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