Senators netminding prospect Elliot Lennon revealed what movie soundtracks he uses to help him warmup and how preparations for the SATs are going
ByAndrew Wilimek
October 14, 2026
Before Elliot Lennon steps onto the ice for a game, he first must listen to a movie soundtrack to clear his mind and focus on the task at hand. It might be from Gladiator, Interstellar, or even The Lion King.
Lennon has lots of movies he could find his next inspiration from. After a typical practice day with the USHL’s Madison Capitols, he’ll return home and watch a movie, which he’ll log in the Letterboxd app, a social platform where users can share their reviews with friends and the public.
Of course, Lennon leaves lots of time
Of course, Lennon leaves lots of time for schoolwork, as well. The 18-year-old — who was the first North American goaltender taken in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft, nabbed at 110th overall by the Senators — isn’t enrolled in classes right now, but he is studying, nonetheless.
Lennon is committed to Brown University for the 2027–28 school year, an Ivy League school that has an acceptance rate which hovers around five per cent.
He’s studying to take the SATs, and working on the applications and essays required to get into a program which will allow him to attend a prestigious university while playing for the Bears, who boast 19 NHL alumni.
I think it’s obviously a renowned school,
“I think it’s obviously a renowned school, and that was a big part of the decision to go there and commit there. It’s been a long application process. It’s a long application, and there’s essays you have to do, and there’s information you have to dig out from the bottom corner of your cupboard to find out what you need, and GPAs and all that stuff. So there’s a lot of stuff to submit,” said Lennon.
“Especially now, I have to submit an SAT score. But you know, it’s worth it. [And] I have a lot of time on my hands here, I’m done every day at 1:30, so it’s a good way to keep me active, and just grind out about an hour a day of working on applications, or essays, or rough drafts, and I love it. I love school, guys here probably think I’m a little strange for it, but I like to keep the mind going, so I’ve enjoyed the process.”
Because NCAA eligibility requirements did not originally allow him to play major junior in Canada, he decided to take the USHL route, where he is both the only Canadian goalie to have appeared in a game this season, and the only Canadian on the Capitols.
It wasn’t an easy decision, though, to turn
It wasn’t an easy decision, though, to turn down the chance to play for the Quebec Remparts, who have missed the playoffs just once since the franchise was revived in 1997.
“I think it was hard. It’s obviously such a historic franchise and such a well-respected franchise in the sport. And you know, they’re great over there. They treated me unbelievably. They treat all their players really well, and so nothing but respect for them,” said Lennon, who was drafted in eighth round by the Remparts in the 2024 QMJHL Draft.
“It was just, you know, at the time, the [eligibility] rule change hadn’t been made yet, and so I knew I wanted to get a degree from prep school and play NCAA. That was always the goal.”
Lennon and his family had been planning
Lennon and his family had been planning for years to give him the best chance to play in the NCAA. At the age of 15, he began attending Deerfield Academy, a prep school in Massachusetts. There, he improved his stats every season, finishing the 2025–26 season with a sparkling .936 save percentage and 1.84 goals-against average.
Moving to a different country at such a young age came with a variety of new challenges for Lennon, but he says he wouldn’t have traded the experience for anything.
“I think it’s like a bit of a culture shock. You’re down there and you live in the United States for nine months at a time,” said Lennon.
So it was different, you know
“So it was different, you know. I learned a lot of new slang, and started listening to some country music, and Noah Kahan. So that was a lot for me, but overall, it was great. You know, it was just a really unique experience.”
Those experiences prepared him well for the USHL, where he got into two games at the end of last season with the Capitols. On his team, he has teammates from Germany, Slovakia, and of course, many from the US, but no Canadians.
“It’s diverse, and it’s such a tight-knit group. I mean, I don’t think anyone cares about where everyone’s from, you know, we’re all just in it together, we’re one, so it’s a really tight group,” said Lennon.
You’re with each other so many hours
“You’re with each other so many hours of the week, they become your family, and I think we are a family right now. I mean, the only difference [from Deerfield] is the age gap on our team. There’s guys who are 16, and there’s guys who are 20. I’m kind of right in the middle there, but you wouldn’t know it, because everyone hangs out, everyone is kind of one, so it’s really cool to see.”
With Madison a four-and-a-half-hour flight from Montreal, where Lennon hails from — Kirkland, to be specific — that’s why Letterboxd is a perfect way for him to keep up with his friends from back home. This week, the movies of choice were the Hunger Games movies.
“I’d never seen them before, so I watched the first one. It was good, I mean, I think I remember seeing it as a kid, when I was really, really young, and it looked a little creepy. Like, it’s a little out there, so I don’t think I finished it. But I’ve watched it now, it’s great,” said Lennon.
I would say I’m into the intense movies
“I would say I’m into the intense movies. I would say, movies that [maybe] don’t psychologically mess you up… but are weird, like Shutter Island, Interstellar, Inception, Prisoners, I would say those are some of my favourite movies.”
When Christopher Nolan’s latest project, The Odyssey, released this summer, it was like “a holiday” for Lennon and his friends.
“July 17 became like Christmas for us. We were at the movie theatre at like 8:30 a.m. on July 17 to watch it. We watched it about five times to study it… for no one seeing our Letterboxd reviews,” laughed Lennon.
I think when you’re away from the rink,
“I think when you’re away from the rink, especially in junior hockey, it’s a long season. It’s high stress, high pressure, and so I think when you have the opportunity, it’s whatever works for you. It’s a long season, it just lets me decompress a bit, and just kind of ground myself back out of the rink a bit and just get back to normal for a couple of hours.”
Watching so many movies has also given Lennon ammunition for his pregame preparation. Right before a game, Lennon will sit on the bench and listen to a pre-guided meditation. Then, as he sits in his stall waiting to take to the ice, he’ll turn on a movie soundtrack.
“It’s usually like, Gladiator, or I’ll listen to Interstellar, or something like that. I even had The Lion King going a couple of weeks ago. The instrumental stuff, it just kind of gets me zoned in, which is a little strange, but it’s been working so far,” said Lennon, who spurns more traditional goalie superstitions like talking to his posts.
I’ve never understood
“I’ve never understood that. I don’t know, some guys I see them saying sorry, and thank you, and whatever, and having a conversation with them, I don’t think about doing that. Maybe I’ll give it a rub once in a while because I saw [Marc-Andre] Fleury do it a couple years ago, and I think it’s funny, but I’ve never talked to my posts.”
Standing at 6-foot-5, Lennon is a tantalizing talent for the Senators. He was also excited to get drafted somewhere close to home. He’ll take his time to develop, and soak in the experience in Madison this year before heading to Brown.
Maybe part of the reason he enjoys school so much is the pressure, which he says is his favourite part of being a goaltender.
It’s different being a goalie than being
“It’s different being a goalie than being a player, maybe. But I love it. I love that it comes down to you, and it’s really a singular position. It’s all on you, a lot of the time anyway. And so I kind of like that high pressure, I think it brings out the best in me,” said Lennon.
“I think maybe in the moment it’s a little stressful for my parents, or the people who know me watching. But for me, I love it. You know I think that’s what makes being a goalie in hockey so unique to many other sports.”
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