Toronto Star
· collected 2026-09-17 · by Lisa Wallace The Canadian Press
Claude Giroux, a 38-year-old veteran entering his 20th NHL season with the Ottawa Senators, expressed nervousness ahead of training camp despite extensive experience. The article highlights Giroux's performance in Day 1 of the camp and introduces new players like William Eklund, Andre Burakovsky, and Samuel Ersson, who are expected to make an impact after the departure of Brady Tkachuk. Head coach Travis Green noted that while Giroux showed no signs of age, younger prospects like Carter Yakemchuk aim to secure regular roles through strong performances in camp.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-18,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Claude Giroux, a 38-year-old veteran forward for the Ottawa Senators, expressed nervousness ahead of his team's training camp despite entering his 20th NHL season. Despite years of experience, Giroux remains excited and prepared as he chases his first Stanley Cup. During Day 1 of camp, Giroux maintained a strong pace alongside younger teammates, impressing head coach Travis Green. The recent additions to the team, including forwards William Eklund, Andre Burakovsky, and goaltender Samuel Ersson, will be under close scrutiny by Green as he assesses their potential contributions following the trade of former captain Brady Tkachuk to the Florida Panthers.
Written for “NHL Training Camp Nerves” on 2026-09-18,
grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.
OTTAWA - 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.
asserted
Giroux → go → 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.
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forward → know → Thursday
“I don’t know why, but it’s fun.”
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it → know → ?
The 38-year-old Giroux is entering his 20th season and is still chasing his first Stanley Cup.
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Giroux → enter → Cup
Giroux signed a one-year contract extension in the off-season and is excited to get things started.
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things → sign → season
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.
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Giroux → be → pace
“I thought ‘G’ looked great today,” said head coach Travis Green.
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Green → think → ?
”To be honest, it looked like he was 25 again.”
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he → look → ?
There are a number of new faces that Green will likely want to take a closer look at.
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Green → be → look
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.
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Tkachuk → include → 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.
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that → expect → expectations
“We’re two completely different players,” said Eklund.
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Eklund → ’re → ?
“I’m just coming in here to do my thing.
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I → come → thing
Just trying to bring my game to this organization, and I’m gonna try and do it every day.”
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I → try → it
Green was happy with the group’s performance overall but understands the interest in Eklund.
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Green → understand → Eklund
“He looked good, you know, as advertised,” Green said.
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Green → look → ?
“You can see he’s got high-end skill.
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he → see → skill
He skates well, and you know it’s one day but I thought he looked good.”
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he → skate → ?
Burakovsky had the opportunity to play with Tim Stutzle and Drake Batherson and will be looking to be considered as a top-six forward.
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Burakovsky → have → forward
“It’s a great opportunity, but at the same time, you’ve gotta deliver, you’ve gotta play good,” Burakovsky said.
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Burakovsky → ’ → time
“I mean, if you look at Ottawa’s roster it’s a lot of competition, and there’s a lot of really good players.
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it → mean → players
So, you’ve gotta fight hard and not take anything for granted.”
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you → get → anything
Carter Yakemchuk will be among those competing for a regular spot in the lineup.
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Yakemchuk → compete → 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.
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he → appear → 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.
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he → select → 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.
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he → work → much
“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.
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Yakemchuk → think → them
With the first regular season game less than three weeks away Green is looking to implement a fast pace and establish structure early on.
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Green → look → structure
“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.
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Green → work → breakouts
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2026.
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report → publish → Press
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