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“He had a really good year last year in the American Hockey League and he’s really starting to go now and from what I saw (in Calgary) it looks like he’s right on the cusp.”

Hogberg is confident he can play at this level and was buoyed by his effort.

“I had good practises before we went on the road and I was really excited for this opportunity,” Hogberg said. “I saw the puck pretty good and I liked the way our defence played and we played really hard.

“I felt pretty good except for the second goal but I’m just going to try to work hard and we’ll see. I was happy to get this opportunity and I was just really excited.”

The Senators were pleased with what they witnessed.

CLOSING IN ON A RETURN

It’s not clear when Anderson will return from the lower body injury he suffered in a 1-0 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets last Monday at Nationwide Arena, but it may not be much longer and there’s a good chance he plays before the end of this trip.

Anderson was placed on injured-reserve retroactive to last Tuesday and under league rules he has to stay there for at least seven days. That means he’s eligible to come off IR before the Senators face the Vancouver Canucks Tuesday night at Rogers Arena, but it certainly sounds like the club isn’t going to rush to make a decision.

Photo by Jean-Yves Ahern / USA TODAY Sports

Yes, Anderson, who accompanied the team on this trip, skated Saturday morning in Calgary, but Smith noted he needs to have a couple of practises with the team and take some shots before a decision can be made on what’s next. The Senators play Wednesday night in Edmonton and then face the Philadelphia Flyers next Saturday to close out this lengthy tour.