Twenty-year NHL veteran Giroux still gets nervous ahead of Senators training camp

Ottawa Senators' Claude Giroux (28) carries the puck toward Carolina Hurricanes' Sean Walker (26) during the first period of Game 2 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series in Raleigh, N.C., Monday, April 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker)

Claude Giroux has gone through plenty of training camps through the course of his career but there’s still a sense of excitement taking the ice for the first time in a pre-season.

“Yeah, I don’t know how many years it’s been for camps for me, but I’m getting ready to go on the ice, and you’re a little nervous,” said the Ottawa Senators veteran forward on Thursday. “I don’t know why, but it’s fun.”

The 38-year-old Giroux is entering his 20th season and is still chasing his first Stanley Cup. Giroux signed a one-year contract extension in the off-season and is excited to get things started.

There was a solid pace to Day 1 of Senators camp and despite having a few years on some of his teammates, Giroux kept pace.

“I thought ‘G’ looked great today,” said head coach Travis Green.”To be honest, it looked like he was 25 again.”

There are a number of new faces that Green will likely want to take a closer look at.

The most notable additions include forwards William Eklund, Andre Burakovsky and goaltender Samuel Ersson, all acquired in the off-season after former captain Brady Tkachuk was traded to the Florida Panthers.

Fair or not, Eklund will likely be expected to help fill the void left by Tkachuk’s departure, but the 23-year-old winger isn’t getting caught up in the pressure that comes with those expectations.

“We’re two completely different players,” said Eklund. “I’m just coming in here to do my thing. Just trying to bring my game to this organization, and I’m gonna try and do it every day.”

Green was happy with the group’s performance overall but understands the interest in Eklund.

“He looked good, you know, as advertised,” Green said. “You can see he’s got high-end skill. He skates well, and you know it’s one day but I thought he looked good.”

Burakovsky had the opportunity to play with Tim Stutzle and Drake Batherson and will be looking to be considered as a top-six forward.

“It’s a great opportunity, but at the same time, you’ve gotta deliver, you’ve gotta play good,” Burakovsky said. “I mean, if you look at Ottawa’s roster it’s a lot of competition, and there’s a lot of really good players. So, you’ve gotta fight hard and not take anything for granted.”

Carter Yakemchuk will be among those competing for a regular spot in the lineup. The 20-year-old appeared in four regular-season games last year before playing in Ottawa’s fourth and final playoff game against the Carolina Hurricanes, where he picked up two assists.

Selected seventh overall in the 2024 NHL draft, Yakemchuk enters camp looking to prove he’s ready for a full-time role in the NHL.

Yakemchuk worked on his skating this summer and feels having a year of professional hockey in the American Hockey League under his belt helped him prepare for what’s ahead, but he knows he’s got much to prove.

“I think just being able to play every single day with them and at their skill level and trying to compete with, like, the best players on the ice and stay up with them,” Yakemchuk said.

With the first regular season game less than three weeks away Green is looking to implement a fast pace and establish structure early on.

“We’re working on our team game from day-to-day, some of the details in our game with our breakouts, our D-zone coverage today,” Green said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2026.

Lisa Wallace, The Canadian Press