Ian Andriano has risen through the ranks with the Ottawa Junior Senators, continuing to live up to the standards of the team and the culture of winning they have built.

The ’96 born and Barrie, Ontario native began his time with the Junior Senators backing up Alexandre Savard-Belanger. In his first season with the club (2013-14), Andriano appeared in 17 regular season games, while appearing in 24 the following year.

Andriano on his first two seasons with the Junior Senators:

“It was really good to have that first year as a seventeen year old, get my feet wet, see how the game is played. It was good to have that second year as a backup, get more games, Savvy helped me a lot, showed me how to work, get ready for games.”

The rise of Andriano was accelerated a bit earlier than expected when, in the semifinals of the 2014-15 CCHL Playoffs, Savard-Belanger suffered an injury, throwing Andriano into action. The transition was seamless, with Andriano appearing in five games and helping the Junior Senators force a game seven after being down 3 games to 1.

“I came in for game three, and to just have those games where I can be a guy who plays every day, knowing that I can play at this level, that was huge for me,” said Andriano. “It helped my confidence over the summer.”

And it showed. The following year (2015-16), Andriano appeared in 43 games and had a GAA of 2.35 with a 91% save percentage. This performance also earned Andriano a spot on Team Yzerman for the Eastern Canada Cup All-Star Challenge.

“Ian paid his dues, worked his butt off and learned as a back-up,” said Junior Senators goaltending coach Stephane Levere. “He came in and got the job done when we needed him. Last year he didn’t just become a number one goalie, he became an elite goalie.”

As Andriano took the next step, the team did as well, with the Junior Senators reaching the CCHL Final, falling in seven games to Carleton Place.

Andriano on the team’s success:

“It’s been a culture of where you start winning; all three years I’ve been here we’ve won the division, lost twice in game seven in the semis, once in game seven in the final. We’ve been right there, knocking on the door. Everybody is motivated to take that next step and finish the job, which translates from the vets to the rookies.”

From year two to three with Ottawa, the individual and team success for Andriano has taken off; playing in more games and gathering a larger and better sample size by which to judge his play while being named to an all-star team, while helping the Junior Senators take the next step in the playoffs.

Andriano is gunning for a move to the next level with a Division I scholarship, and hopes to play professionally.