LONDON, Ont. - As rookie forwards Mark Stone and Mike Hoffman were helping the Ottawa Senators on their improbable run to the playoffs last season, Matt Puempel was getting his first taste of the NHL.

Called up just after his 22nd birthday, Puempel became a mainstay in coach Dave Cameron's lineup until a lower-body injury ended his season. Now that he's healthy, the Senators brought him to their rookie tournament to get him going before training camp.

"That really was a big decision to bring him here to get a bit of a jumpstart for this year's training camp and see if he can get that confidence back where he was playing with the Senators at the end of last season and give him a really good shot at training camp this year with the big club," Binghamton Senators coach Luke Richardson said Friday.

After playing 13 games for Ottawa last season, Puempel stands a good chance at making the Senators out of training camp. General manager Bryan Murray likes having rookies around because they progress throughout a season, and the left-winger from Windsor, Ont., could fit that bill.

Puempel has been feeling better since mid-May and spent the summer working out in Ottawa hoping to maximize his opportunity.

"You want to be an everyday NHL player, and you want to compete against the best players in the world," Puempel said. "What a better way to start off in training camp and try to make the opening day roster is everyone's goal, and mine's no different."

Puempel has the most NHL experience of anyone at the rookie tournament in London, which also features prospects from the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens and Pittsburgh Penguins. His ceiling isn't as high as Leafs prospects like Mitch Marner and William Nylander, but he has the tools to stick at that level.

Richardson, who coached Puempel when he was a 30-goal scorer for Binghamton of the American Hockey League in 2013-'14, believes the next step is refining an all-around game.

"I think that's something that he had worked on and really tried to emphasize his play at the end of last season with the Senators, and I think they showed confidence where he started to play a little bit more and more and got a few goals for them and unfortunately got hurt," Richardson said. "Definitely Matt Puempel is a dangerous goal-scorer, and he's working at his game to be a complete player. If he can do that, he'll be an everyday NHLer."

Puempel, the 24th pick in the 2011 draft, scored 35 goals in the 2012-'13 season for the Ontario Hockey League's Kitchener Rangers. He had two goals in his 13-game NHL cameo despite averaging eight minutes a game.

Cameron spent time after practices and morning skates helping Puempel along, and the difference was noticeable. After seeing Stone and Hoffman grow with more games, Puempel is confident he can follow the same path.

"I think each and every game that went on, you feel more comfortable," he said. "When the coach trusts you a little more and you're playing a little bit more throughout the lineup, it's exciting. ...

"I think it's, if anything, more motivating to know you played with those guys in the minors and they've worked their way up and now you want to work your way up."

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