Maxence Guenette

Maxence Guenette (born April 28, 2001) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman. He is currently playing for the Belleville Senators of the American Hockey League (AHL) as a prospect for the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL). Guenette was selected 187th overall in the seventh round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft by the Ottawa Senators.

Playing career
Guenette played his entire major junior hockey with the Val-d'Or Foreurs of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). He was selected fifth overall in the 2017 QMJHL entry draft by the Foreurs. Guenette joined the Foreurs during the midst of a rebuild. He established himself as a reliable defender with the Foreurs with good mobility and size.

Guenette was drafted by the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL) in the seventh round, 187th overall in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. He returned to Val-d'Or and improved his defensive game. He signed a three-year entry-level contract with Ottawa on April 3, 2021. Guenette was assigned to Ottawa's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Belleville Senators. In his first two seasons with Belleville, Guenette's numbers improved year over year. Guenette was recalled by Ottawa in April 2023 and made his NHL debut in the team's final game of the season versus the Buffalo Sabres on April 13, 2023.

Guenette had a strong 2023 training camp and was one of the final cuts, being assigned to the AHL on October 8. In February, Guenette and teammate Angus Crookshank represented Belleville at the 2024 AHL All-Star Classic. He was recalled by Ottawa for the first time on an emergency basis on February 15, 2024 after Artem Zub suffered an injury. He made his NHL season debut that night against the Anaheim Ducks. He was recalled again on an emergency basis on March 2 and played that night against the Philadelphia Flyers before being returned to Belleville again. He was recalled again on March 7. After Thomas Chabot returned from injury, Guenette was returned to Belleville on March 17. He finished the season in Belleville and appeared in all seven of their Calder Cup playoff games, registering an assist. On June 18, 2024, it was announced the Guenette had signed a one-year two-way contract extension with Ottawa.

International career
Guenette played with Team Canada in the 2018 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, where he won a gold medal after defeating Sweden in the final.