It should be noted that Formenton's final season in London before joining the BSens was interrupted by a knee injury at Team Canada's World Junior Camp in 2018 but he was able to return to the Knights prior to the playoffs. Since joining Belleville this year, there were some questions about how his game would translate at the next level but he has amassed a truly impressive rookie season in the American Hockey League and currently sits third in team scoring with 53 points (27G, 26A) in 61 games.
"They've been helping me a lot off the ice with things like video sessions and are trying to help me expand my game. The skills coaches have done a great job with us on the ice too," Formenton said of working with Troy Mann and his staff. "Overall, I think they've helped a lot of the young guys in our line-up develop and improve this season."
While Formenton waits for his shot in Ottawa, he continues to rely on the lessons he learned as an 18 and 19-year-old who skated in 10 games combined with the Senators where he made his NHL debut in 2017 and appeared in 9 games last season.
"Looking back, those were big games for me," he said. "I think having that experience and being able to learn from guys that have been in the league for a long time has definitely helped me out coming into this season."
Formenton's personal success has been fun to watch this year but he's equally proud of the season that Belleville was putting together before the hiatus with a team that relies on their younger players to fill out big roles. With so many first and second year players filling out the roster in Belleville, Formenton shared that it's made the transition even easier.
"It's a young group so it's pretty common for us to hang around each other away from the rink too," said Formenton. "I think that's helped us gel and develop chemistry and we've seen that translate on the ice."
