The excitement continues to ramp up in Ottawa, as the Sens’ regular season is officially underway. And for once, the optimism will mostly be focused on the NHL ready talent as opposed to dreams of brighter days ahead.
Since the rebuild began in 2018, Ottawa’s prospects were at least a reason for optimism while the NHL team struggled. Now that the big league club’s window to compete is slowly opening, most of the attention will be on the nation’s capital and their on ice product. But don’t sleep on Belleville this year.
Plenty of great prospects will suit up in Belleville this year, as the club will field a strong AHL roster. In fact it wouldn’t be a stretch to label the B-Sens as one of the best teams in the league. The roster is filled with 2018-2020 draft picks, and surrounded by complimentary veterans.
Let’s start off with their forward core:
Angus Crookshank-Viktor Lodin-Egor Sokolov
Roby Jarventie-Ridly Greig-Jayce Hawryluk
Philippe Daoust-Jake Lucchini-Cole Reinhardt
Matthew Wedman-Rourke Chartier-Scott Sabourin
5 of the top 6 forwards are all of aged 20-23. In the AHL, that’s essentially the sweet spot. They’re much more refined than they were at 18, but still have some development left to become an everyday NHL player.
The first line should receive the most responsibility this year, and rightly so. They may not be the highest of draft picks, but their scoring in the AHL warrants top billing. Angus Crookshank and Viktor Lodin have both produced great results in their small sample size. Egor Sokolov had a quiet NHL training camp, but we all know he can bring it at the AHL level. His 50 points in 64 games last year were second on the team. With another year of growth at age 22, look for a year of dominance for Sokolov. Out of all players here, his NHL futuremight be the closest in sight.
On the second line, you have arguably your two best prospects on forward with Jarventie and Greig. Both just turned 20 this August, so they still have a long way to go in their development. Having them slotted in with 26-year-old Jayce Hawryluk makes the most sense, with his pro experience and scoring ability. With Greig and Jarventie, it’s important to not force them into a role too big for them. That’s why a second line role will be best for their development in the early part of the season.
The third line consists of energy, and some skill. But the fact that Jake Lucchini is the 3rd line center, should show the depth this team possesses. Lucchini led Belleville in scoring last year, with 51 points in 72 games. Daoust, a 5th round pick in 2020, has some nice playmaking ability that should translate well in a sheltered role to start off his AHL career. Cole Reinhardt will be 23 in January and should see an increased role this year. He hit 30 points in 70 games last year, and could see a jump in production.
The 4th line staples should be Rourke Chartier and Scott Sabourin, along with Matthew Wedman. Wedman is the only player in this forward group that doesn’t have an NHL deal, which means he cannot be called up to the big leagues. All three have physicality and bring tons of energy which will be vital for a long season up ahead.
While the forwards aren’t filled with elite skill, this is the best group they have had since 2019-20. The only newcomers are Ridly Greig and Jayce Hawryluk. That means 10/12 forwards have played at least 1 AHL season together, so they’ll know what to expect. Another year of growth and chemistry will not only help their production, but their will to play for each other as well.
Now, let’s move on to their defense. Here are the expected pairings:
Jacob Larsson-Jacob Bernard-Docker
Dillon Heatherington-Lassi Thomson
Jonathan Aspirot-Maxence Guenette
Extra: Kristians Rubins
The first unit was paired together in preseason and should be the pairing that logs a lot of the toughest defensive matchups. Larsson has a sizable amount of NHL experience, so this role should be no surprise to him. Bernard-Docker, a 1st round pick from 2018, had a very impressive camp. If there’s a right defense injury on the NHL side, then you can expect him to be the first call up. While I expect the Larsson-JBD to be the first pair, the second duo isn’t far behind them.
Captain Dillon Heatherington played a good amount with Lassi Thomson last year. They’ll complement each other well, with different playing styles. Heatherington is a physical, defensive defenseman who will allow Thomson to activate his offensive game. Last year, Thomson had 26 points in 44 AHL games as a 21-year-old.
The third pair grows one year older. Guenette had an impressive training camp and is progressing very well for a 7th round pick in 2019. Aspirot is more of a two-way defenseman that will use his good hockey IQ to help Guenette to be a more complete player.
All eyes will be on Bernard-Docker and Thomson this year, as they were 1st round picks in 2018 and 2019. The Senators are still looking for a top four defenseman to play on the right side, so they’ll be competing for that spot. Heatherington, Aspirot, Guenette and Rubins should be in the AHL the entire year. If the NHL team needs a player to play a couple games whenever injuries arise, I would expect Larsson to be the first called up.
Goaltenders:
Mads Sogaard
Kevin Mandolese
Antoine Bibeau
Mads Sogaard had a decent rookie season in the AHL last year. He’s still only 21 though, which is young for a goaltender. The 2019 2nd round pick will be the starter, and probably won’t see too much NHL time. Ideally, the Senators would want him in the AHL the entire year to maximize his development.
Kevin Mandolese has had a rocky start to his pro career. It’s not all his fault though, as there hasn’t been a chance for him to play consistent minutes at any one level. He’s even had stints in the ECHL, mostly due to the number of goaltenders the Sens had last year.
Antoine Bibeau will be the third stringer, but there’s a reason the Senators brought him in. If there’s an injury to Sogaard or Mandolese, then the 28-year-old will slide right in. If there’s a short-term injury to an NHL goaltender, then expect Bibeau to be called up to keep Sogaard and Mandolese focused on the AHL task at hand.
Of course, the lines could shuffle around this year and the roster won’t look like this every night. But right now, there are 21 players with NHL contracts. The Belleville Senators have never had that much depth before. Not only that, but they have the ability to add center Mark Kastelic if he gets sent down from the NHL. I don’t think they’ll be as good as the 2019-20 roster, which had the likes of Josh Norris and Drake Batherson. But with no glaring holes in the NHL lineup, there’s less of a chance of any of these players getting called up. You could see many of these players play full seasons (barring injuries) which will only be a plus chemistry wise. Sure, the Ottawa Senators will take a big step this year. But the Belleville Senators may have their best season yet.
-Damian Smith
Twitter: @Damian__Smith