GARRIOCH: Senators prospects go winless, but gain experience with main camp set to open

Published Sep 16, 2024  •  4 minute read

A fourth-round draft pick a couple of years back, Stephen Halliday is the oldest player in Ottawa Senators development camp. Photo by Tim Baines /POSTMEDIA

It was a long way home for the Ottawa Senators rookies from Buffalo on Monday night.

The Senators wrapped up the six-team Prospects’ Challenge with a 4-1 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday afternoon at the LECOM Harbourcenter and closed out the tourney with a winless 0-3 record, but now some of this group will get ready for the opening of main camp.

Only a small portion of the 27 players that took part in the three-game tourney for the Senators will be invited to be part of the club’s camp that will get under way with medicals Wednesday at the Canadian Tire Centre and then the first on-ice session Thursday.

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After getting knocked off 9-1 in the opener Friday against the New Jersey Devils, the Senators bounced back with a much better effort in 4-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday. The reality is the results don’t mean much because this is all about getting experience for these young players.

“This is huge (for these players),” Ottawa assistant GM Ryan Bowness said Monday from Buffalo. “It’s a long summer, you’re thrown right back and you get to play three games, get your touches, confidence and timing back so that you’re ready to come main camp.

“These kids that are here, come main camp have to take that as a positive, and they have to carry it over into next week.”

One player that will be under microscope is defenceman Carter Yakemchuk, the club’s first-round pick in June’s draft. He’ll get the chance to skate with the National Hockey League players for the first time in his career and it’s a chance for him to see where he measures up.

He had 30 goals and 71 points in 66 games with the Western Hockey League’s Calgary Hitmen last season. Yakemchuk tied up Monday’s game 1-1 by chipping in down low to fire it home in the second period.

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“His instinctual play is very noticeable,” Bowness said. “For an event like this, the first game everybody wasn’t comfortable with the systems and stuff like that, but with him you could see the instincts he has.

“He has poise with the puck, the little plays he makes with the puck, he got better as the first game went on and he carried that over into the second game. We’re anxious to see improvement. The biggest thing that stands out for me is the way he sees the ice and the plays he has the ability to make.”

One player that wasn’t able to suit up in the rookie tourney was Belleville goaltender Leevi Merilainen. He suffered a lower-body injury before the Senators left Ottawa and the decision was made that a lengthy bus ride may not be the best idea.

Bowness said he doesn’t anticipate that Merilainen will be out long.

HALLIDAY MAKES AN IMPRESSION

One player we’re going to have to keep an eye on is centre Stephen Halliday.

He left Ohio State University last spring, signed with the Senators and made his presence felt while suit up for the club’s American Hockey League affiliate in Belleville.

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A fourth-round pick, he had two goals and seven points in seven playoff games with Belleville. He earned the trust of coach David Bell and that’s pretty impressive for a 22-year-old with no AHL experience.

Halliday scored a goal in the club’s loss to the Penguins.

“Bell did a really good job with him because he didn’t hand him everything right away,” Bowness said. “He started him on the fourth line, gave him some secondary power play and let him get comfortable a bit. That was big for him because he really quickly learned the pro game.

“Come playoff time, he was one of our best forwards. That series against Cleveland (in Round 2) he was outstanding. The offensive instincts are there, and he was great on the power play. The difference from when he got to Belleville to when he left, it was almost like two different players.”

Making that transition can be difficult, but you have to think Halliday has an opportunity at this camp to put himself on the radar screen of Steve Staios, the club’s president of hockey operations and general manager, along with senior VP Dave Poulin as a possible call-up during the regular season.

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Halliday is going to need more time in the AHL, but you can make a name for yourself with a strong camp.

“He sees the game so well,” Bowness said. “His offensive instincts, the way he handles the puck, the poise and the way he protects the puck with his body, he just has good hockey sense. He doesn’t get phased by anything out there. He plays his game and plays with confidence.

“He just goes out there and performs. He was at the point last year where our veteran guys (in Belleville) were asking Bell if they could play with him because they saw the impact he has on the game.”

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