Jaxon Cover gave Penn State hockey fans plenty to look forward to during the Ottawa Senators’ Rookie Showcase this weekend.

The future Nittany Lion finished with three goals and four assists in two games at the Prospect Challenge in Gatineau, Quebec, recording a point on seven of Ottawa’s eight goals. His weekend included an overtime winner against the Toronto Maple Leafs and a four-point performance against the Montreal Canadiens.

Cover committed to Penn State back in April and is expected to arrive for the 2027-28 season after another year with the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League. Ottawa selected him with the No. 32 overall pick in June’s NHL Draft.

Cover opened the weekend with a goal and two assists in Ottawa’s 4-3 overtime win over Toronto.

After helping set up Kasper Halttunen’s power-play goal, Cover found Lucas Bakke Olsen across the crease for the tying goal with just over three minutes remaining in regulation. He then finished the comeback himself in overtime.

JAXON COVER GOES END-TO-END TO WIN IT IN OVERTIME FOR THE SENS!!!

(: @Senators) pic.twitter.com/Ip47FjwLRO

— NHL (@NHL) September 13, 2026

“I was trying to go for a rush at first, and then he kind of knocked it off my stick. So just kind of improvised from there,” Cover said during his postgame availability.

It was Cover’s first overtime winner, capping a game in which he also hit the crossbar and became increasingly comfortable after some early nerves.

Cover said he initially focused on keeping his game simple before feeling comfortable enough to bring more creativity into his play. He also credited his teammates with helping him settle in and sticking up for him throughout the game.

Ottawa used him in several situations, including on the power play and penalty kill. Cover said he had little experience killing penalties but enjoyed the responsibility, pointing to his shot-blocking and puck-clearing as ways he could contribute and energize his teammates.

Belleville Senators head coach Andrew Campbell, who ran Ottawa’s bench for the tournament, had plenty of time to evaluate Cover during the opener.

“I mean, he was phenomenal, right? With the amount of penalties, he played a lot of PK, played a lot of power play, a little bit of five-on-five that was out there,” Campbell said after the Toronto game. “He was really good in all situations.”

The Senators gave him another adjustment Sunday against Montreal, moving him from wing to center. Cover responded with two goals and two assists, contributing to every Ottawa goal in a 5-4 shootout loss.

During his postgame availability against Montreal, Cover said center wasn’t his usual position, but he felt he adapted well. He hadn’t entered the weekend with a point total in mind, hoping instead to show his vision and playmaking.

The games also gave him a chance to test those skills against older, more physical competition. Cover credited his teammates with having his back and said that practicing against a 6-foot-8 teammate in junior hockey had helped prepare him to navigate bigger opponents.

“Well, he’s so smart, right? So, he doesn’t put himself in compromising positions,” Campbell said. “He’s elusive. He’s shifty. He’s fast.”

Even after his seven-point weekend, Cover saw room for improvement when reflecting on his first two games in a Senators jersey.

“Just the different level that it is, and just knowing that I can’t always use skill, and I have to adapt my playstyle sometimes, and just enhance my game a lot.”