Belleville Senators updates: March 2021
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It's been a slow start for Troy Mann's squad, that included a delay to the start of the season as the Canadian division took shape as well as an 11-day break between games, but they're starting to settle into a groove now.
"Players in general obviously want to play and do what they love," Mann said. "It's certainly tough with the transitional period between the NHL camp and the American League camp because there were a lot of unknowns whether we were even going to play so you're running practices with lower numbers and trying to keep guys motivated.
"We've got a lot of young kids who have been great to deal with and have really wanted to get better so that's certainly a positive. It's been an interesting process for sure and a lot of obstacles but as I tell the guys, it's about adaptation and flexibility and I certainly think we've seen our fair share of that."
On the ice, it's been a tough start for the Sens. After being one of the best teams in the AHL last season, the Sens have started 3-8 this year. Their struggles have been highlighted by a lack of goals with just 21 in those 11 games (they led the league in scoring last season) but that was to be expected with the graduation of Drake Batherson and Josh Norris to Ottawa while Erik Brannstrom (who did play for Belleville last night) and Christian Wolanin have also spent the season in the NHL.
"We've lost a lot of offence from our defence which is huge," Mann said after referencing the departures of Batherson and Norris. "It's tough to replace those kinds of guys. You add all that up and we're a little more offensively challenged."
Logan Shaw leads the team with six points while rookie Egor Sokolov has five. Vitaly Abramov, Alex Formenton and Parker Kelly have four points, as does rookie defenceman Lassi Thomson. Formenton's four goals leads the Sens.
Mann and his coaching staff (that also features assistant coaches David Bell and Ben Sexton as well as goaltending coach Justin Peters) named Shaw the franchise's fourth captain on March 1.
"His demeanor, his personality fit the group really well," Mann said. "He leads by example, he works hard, he's a pro. The fact he was under contract for next year certainly helps and we felt it was the right decision at that time.
"I think we have a good leadership core with Cole Cassels, Jack Dougherty, Cody Goloubef Hubert Labrie and Joseph LaBate [so] we've got a good supporting cast."
While the team looks to get back to winning ways, Mann has been delighted with the development of the team's youthful core. With that in mind, he gave some more detailed breakdowns of some key Sens prospects.
Mann on Ridly Greig (4GP, 0G, 2A)
He's got really good hockey IQ. As an 18-year-old who was just drafted he's going to have to get stronger, as everybody does, because he's a little bit on the small side in terms of his muscle mass but that will certainly come as he gets more mature and gets older. He was real impressive in the games as well. The adaptability to the league, the pace, it's not easy. Major junior to the American League is a really big jump. In terms of having him back, it depends on the WHL season. Certainly, if there's enough games to get him back and play in our season, I'm sure he will return but a lot is up in the air with when the WHL season ends and the quarantine factor has to be taken into account as well.
Mann on Mark Kastelic (10GP, 1G, 1A)
I don't know if there's anyone that works as hard as him. He's a big kid. Once he realizes how strong he really is he's going to be able to control his space on the ice a lot more. He's getting a feel for the league and the players but once he starts to feel confident with his presence out there he's going to get a little more ice. He's got a real nice touch around the net as well. You don't score 40 plus goals in any league without having any type of touch and you can tell his goals are all going to be in that blue paint area. He's also tremendous on faceoffs. We started him on the wing but after the third game, in fairness to him he was drafted as a centre and has played mostly centre his whole life, [we said] let's get him in the middle. I do feel he's better suited to play that position. He's really strong and good down low which you like as a coach and most nights he's very good on faceoffs. He's getting into that 50/55 per cent range and I do feel that since we moved him to centre, and Logan Shaw, our faceoff percentage as a team has really increased. It's important in this type of season, where it's primarily about development, that we leave him in his natural position and see where it takes us over the coming games.
Mann on Cole Reinhardt (10GP, 1G, 2A)
Love his speed. I think once he realizes how strong he is, because he's not scared to get to the dirty areas on the ice in terms of competing in the blue paint or getting in on the forecheck and being physical, he [will] bring an all-round game. He's been a little bit of a surprise for me in terms of maybe not anticipating him adapting this well. He's had his moments, like every first year player, with inconsistencies and up-and-down, and that's what we try to work on. I think getting his first goal was important as he's had some opportunities and it's not gone in for him, and like any player, when they find some offensive confidence, whether it's a goal or an assist, it takes the weight off their shoulders and they relax a little bit more. His speed certainly stands out as someone who can skate very well and I'm looking forward to seeing how he progresses over the coming weeks.
Mann on Egor Sokolov (11GP, 3G, 2A)
Sokolov had a bit of a slower start but he played a very methodical game early, the first four games for sure, and you could tell that his brain was thinking a lot and that usually slows you down in the game. But he's had a big adjustment not just from a system standpoint but a different league too. Different teammates and linemates and he went through a stretch after that (11-day) break where I felt his game was really coming along and then obviously he's had some goals and points which ultimately is going to be his strength. He's got a tremendous shot, the puck seems to find him in that blue paint area and he should be a good one in terms of his scoring ability. It's just a matter of getting him to a point defensively where a coach can completely trust him on a game-to-game, shift-to-shift basis, and that's going to have to be something he's going to have to continue to work on at this level and if he's going to play in the NHL.
Mann on Lassi Thomson (11 GP, 0G, 4A)
He is fearless. The adjustment within the game and the size of the rink is certainly not something that we're worried about. Sometimes the European player comes over and you shrink the ice all of a sudden and maybe they're not as brave in some areas of the ice and things happen much quicker. The pace of the game is something he's continuing to improve on. I think his poise is something that stands out right off the hop that's gotten better. He's just not turning pucks over. He's got a real good head for the game. His work ethic is tremendous. He's in David Bell's office every day looking for clips and looking for ways to get better. There are days where we have to tell him to get off the ice. Some of these kids, they think they have to be on the ice for two or three hours working on their game and not realizing that sometimes you've got to take a step back and rest your body because at the end of the day, you need to perform during the games. But it's an adjustment to the American League and the North American style of pro hockey and moving to a different country. His English has gotten better, even from the first time I met him at development camp after he was drafted. He's got a great future. We're just going to have to be patient with him. He's not going to be one of those defencemen that all of a sudden graduates to the NHL quickly. It's going to be a process but I'm really glad he came over this year and he'll be that much better for it come September.
