Youth will be served by the Ottawa Senators.
The rebuild for the Senators started in Feb., 2018 when Eugene Melnyk and general manager Pierre Dorion sat down at the owner’s home in Barbados to determine the best path to get the club back to respectability.
It was there the concept was hatched to tear it down and build it back up again.
Now, as the Senators prepare for the start of the 2020-21 campaign, they’re confident they’ve got the right pieces in place and some of those prospects that have been knocking on the door with the club’s American Hockey League affiliate in Belleville should be ready to make the next step to the NHL level.
Of course, it will be up to Dorion, assistant GM Peter MacTavish, chief scout Trent Mann, coach D.J. Smith and the rest of the staff to determine where everyone fits.
Belleville was sitting in first place in the North Division with a 38-20-5 record and 81 points in 63 games when the AHL went on pause March 12. The club would likely have gone into the post-season as the top seed in the division and even though they were the second-youngest team in the AHL, it was widely believed this group of Senators was poised to have playoff success.
That would have assisted the development of prospects like Josh Norris, Vitaly Abramov, Drake Batherson, Alex Formenton, Logan Brown, Erik Brannstrom along with goalies Marcus Hogberg, Filip Gustavsson and Joey Daccord. Many of these players will push for spots in Ottawa so here’s a look at what Belleville coach Troy Mann thinks of what it will take for some of these players to make it to the next level.
DRAKE BATHERSON, RW
Heading into his third pro season, the club’s No. 121 overall pick in the fourth round of the 2017 draft, it looks and feels like the time is now for Batherson.
He’s a two-time AHL all star with 36 goals and 115 points in 105 career games with Belleville.
Mann feels Batherson is ready to make the next step.
“His skill set is there,” Mann said. “I’ve said this a number of times, but for me there’s nothing left for him to prove at the American league level. He’s done everything he can except for leading a team to a Calder Cup or show that he could (perform) in the playoffs.
“Mentally, he’s just got to be ready to be more consistent and, at the same time, continue to move his feet because the game is so fast at that level so his skill sets can show. He’s certainly got the Hockey IQ and the skill set to be an NHL player.”
In an interview with this newspaper last week, Batherson said he’d been skating in Halifax three or four days a week with a group of pros, including Ottawa draft pick Egor Sokolov. Mann said one area Batherson has been focusing on is his skating and he’s been working with Halifax-based coach Jill Plandowski.
“His conditioning needs to be at another level for him to be more consistent at the NHL level,” Mann said. “I know he’s been working with power skating instructor (in Halifax) and maybe just that extra half-step will help him through the neutral zone or helps him get up the ice after making a play on the wall.
JOEY DACCORD, G
The Senators like what they saw from Daccord in his first pro season.
And, down the road they believe he’ll be ready for prime time.
He started last year with the club’s ECHL affiliate in Brampton and then was called up to Belleville when Hogberg was summoned to Ottawa because of an injury to Anders Nilsson.
Last month, Daccord, a restricted free agent, was signed to a three-year deal by Dorion.
The contract will be a two-way deal in the first two years that will pay Daccord, 24, $700,000 in the NHL and $125,000 if he’s with Belleville. The third year is a one-way deal at $800,000, and at that point Daccord should be ready to be the full-time backup or push for the starting job.
“I’m a huge fan of Joey Daccord. I like his confidence and his demeanor in the net,” Mann said. “As a head coach, from the bench, you always want to feel good and have a goalie that has a presence and he does that. The development plan we put in place for him came to fruition.
“As far as starting in the ECHL, where there’s a lot more breakdowns, and it’s a great learning experience for any goalie to play in that league. I think that made him a better goalie. He came up here and got off to a great start. It’s safe to say Joey was a big reason we were in first place when the pandemic hit.”
Daccord has lots of upside and when Mann watches him he see similarities to the style used by former Washington goalie Braden Holtby.
“I’m not going to say he’ll have the career of (Holtby) but I had him in Hershey for a couple of years and (Daccord) just reminds me of him,” Mann said. “It’s funny because Drake Batherson is one of those hockey nerds that just watches so much hockey.
“I didn’t mention it to anybody last year, even though in my head I was, ‘Geez, this kid reminds me of Holtby’ and one day in practice Batherson was just finishing taking a shot and he comes back and says, ‘Geez, he reminds of Braden Holtby’. That’s from a player that’s watched a lot hockey. I’m just talking from my experience with Holtby in Hershey and the year where he was the No. 1 there before eventually going to Washington.”
ALEX FORMENTON, LW
This will be interesting to watch when camp does begin.
At the end of last season, it would have been easy to predict Formenton will make the next step to the NHL level. But, with the changes made, it’s going to be more difficult for him to push for a spot and, let’s be honest, another year in the AHL wouldn’t be the worst-case scenario for the 22-year-old.
He had 27 goals and 53 points in 63 games with Belleville last season and there’s no question he’s got great wheels which help him tremendously at the AHL level. A No. 47 overall selection in the 2017 draft, he has spent some time skating with the Mississauga Ice Dogs of the OHL in the last couple of months.
“He’s another guy just on the cusp,” said Mann. “He’s no different than any other kid that dominates at the major junior level, they just come in with some habits that they just can’t get away with at the pro level.
“I was pleasantly surprised at how coachable he was and how determined he was at becoming a better player and learning the finer details of the game. I was also surprised and just how much he was able to bring offensively. I thought ‘Geez, if (Formenton) can score 15 (goals) for us and be a great penalty killer it would be a great season.’ From an offensive perspective, he exceeded expectations and he earned it.
“His speed is certainly going to translate at the NHL level. For me, it’s has he learned enough of the smaller details of the game to play at that level. That’s the debate: Is he better of coming here and playing another season?”
Formenton has to play with more discipline. He had 65 penalty minutes last season and, yes, he’s tough to play against because he’s a competitor but he can’t afford to spend too much time in the box .
“If he’s back with us, discipline, is another area we’ll be working on,” Mann said. “He shouldn’t be leading the American league in minors or being in the top five. He’s just too good a player but he gets himself in trouble (playing) with that edge and with that stick work. That results in minor penalties.”
JOSH NORRIS, C
When Dorion returned from the world junior tournament in Vancouver in Jan., 2019, he couldn’t say enough good things about Norris. Acquired in the deal that sent Erik Karlsson to the San Jose Sharks in Sept., 2018, Norris was a piece the scouting staff insisted be part of the deal.
A No. 19 overall selection of the Sharks in the 2017 draft, Norris turned some heads in Belleville last season with 31 goals and 61 points in 56 games. And, Norris enjoyed that success coming off shoulder surgery he had after suffering the injury while playing for Team USA but still opted to leave the University of Michigan after two seasons.
He has a chance to be the club’s No. 2 centre and when camp starts he’ll have the opportunity to push for a spot in Ottawa.
“He’s just a fantastic kid. I’ve been around the AHL a long time and he’s one of my favourite kids to be around and coach,” Mann said. “He’s so coachable and fantastic to deal with on a daily basis. This kid’s a player and I’m just excited to watch him in training and see if he can make the team this year.
“I do believe there’s opportunity there for one of our young centre’s and I’m really looking forward to having Norris and (Logan) Brown battle it out and see how that goes. I don’t know if we could have asked anything more of Josh last year in his development.”
Much of the focus in Belleville was trying to help Norris improve his defensive game.
“Defensively, was something we talked about before we left with Ottawa with the NHL staff, they just felt from watching him in exhibition games and at Michigan that we were really going to have to hone in on and work on that part of the game,” Mann said.
“It came a long way last year and the kid deserves a lot of credit because he did a lot of individual video with Colin Chaulk and he was in tune with our video sessions and how we wanted to play and what he had to do as a centre. He was able to adapt and I’m looking forward to him being in a great battle. It’s difficult to say he’s completely ready because, at the same time, it’s a tough league.
“With the type of player he is, when you’re playing against (Sidney) Crosby and (Evgeni) Malkin and they’re the No. 1 and No. 2 and you’re a first or second-line centre, maybe D.J. can protect you early in your career. But Norris is a great kid and he’s going to have a great NHL career.”
Copyright Postmedia Network Inc., 2020
