The Ottawa Senators will select No. 4 in the upcoming NEFHL Entry Draft. The draft order was determined after the lottery on Monday night. Ottawa entered the lottery with the most-likely odds of landing the No. 4 pick.

"Not unexpected, but with the lottery you never know what might happen," said GM Mike McMahon. "We had some hope, but we expected to remain 3-5 and that's where we ended up, so it's no big surprise."

The Senators will likely have a big decision to make at No. 4. Connor Bedard is expected to go No. 1 and Adam Fantilli will likely go No. 2 in the draft. Ottawa will likely be choosing between NTDP center Will Smith, Orebro forward Leo Carlson, or Russian forward Matvei Michkov.

"Anyone we get at No. 4 is going to be an exceptional talent," McMahon said. "I genuinely believe that all five players who should go in the top-5 are foundational pillars for an organization. They're all someone you can build you franchise around. They all have vary skill sets and they all play a bit differently in terms of style, but all five of those players are foundational pieces for a contending team in the future, there's no doubt."

Michkov is the wild card. He's under KHL contract through 2026. Plus, there are passport issues and an ongoing Russian war in Ukraine.

McMahon was asked on Monday night if he was afraid of drafting Michkov.

"He's in a unique situation," he said. "We'll see what happens at No. 3. We think we know what will happen with No. 1 and No. 2, but a lot can happen. Personally, I don't like the idea of drafting for need. Players are a ways away from playing big minutes in our league when they're drafted at 18 years old. At least, most players are a ways away. We'll have our draft board and we'll stick to that board. I don't believe in drafting for need or anything other than just taking the best player available at the time you pick. Michkov has some other circumstances we need to pay attention to, but the same could be said for other players as well. Whoever drafts Smith isn't going to get him next season either, because he's going to Boston College."