Belleville Senators Prospect Update - January 15th

Having gone 2-2-1 over the last two weeks, Belleville continues to be the Islanders of the AHL (yes, even more so than the actual Bridgeport Islanders) with a 15-11-5 record. They're 5 points back of the Syracuse Crunch for the final playoff spot in the North Division, but they've got 4 games in hand.

• Tuesday, Dec. 31st: VS Utica Comets - 4-3 Loss (OT)
• Friday, Jan. 3rd: @ Syracuse Crunch - 3-2 Loss
• Saturday, Jan. 4th: @ Utica Comets - 7-2 Win
• Friday, Jan. 10th: VS Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins - 6-1 Loss
• Sunday, Jan. 12th: VS Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins - 4-3 Win

Notable Performances:

• Perhaps the most satisfying part of Leevi Merilainen's success this season is that, while the Sens are leaning on him quite a bit at the moment, they only need him as a backup during the next four years. They're being patient with a young goaltender and providing him with, frankly, some of the best defensive support any goalie in the league has had this season – albeit in a small sample size.
• Stephen Halliday is now second on the team in scoring, having added 3 goals and 3 assists to his total since the last update. This has been consistent over the last several weeks, as he has 18 points in his last 17 games.
• Maxence Guenette had a goal and assist in the 7-2 victory over Utica, and has been called up to Ottawa for the first time this season. We could see him get into a game soon, but for the time being, he's serving as a seventh defenseman behind Nikolas Matinpalo.
• Forwards Jan Jenik and Xavier Bourgault, along with defenseman Donovan Sebrango, all had 3 points in the team's previous 5 games. All three could be seen as reclamation projects of sorts, with the former first-round selection Bourgault not likely to be brought back at this point with only 12 points this season. Jury's still out on Jenik and Sebrango, but it'll be hard to bump the likes of Zack Ostapchuk and Tyler Kleven from those coveted NHL jobs.
• Tomas Hamara has made good use of an overage season in the OHL, and for the longest while, it was looking like Jorian Donovan made a mistake by not doing the same. After a strong showing with a Memorial Cup-winning Saginaw Spirit squad, the 5th-round selection from the 2022 NHL Entry Draft has struggled to produce in the AHL. Despite notching his first 2 assists in the last 5 games, he went pointless in 20 games prior. Hopefully, finally finding the scoresheet will allow him to build some momentum into the new year.
• I don't necessarily consider him a prospect, but 25-year-old Wyatt Bongiovanni scored a hat-trick in both of Belleville's recent victories, and has 16 points in 21 games. He had great chemistry with Halliday down the stretch last season, and I'd like to see him get a game with the big club to get some insight on whether or not his increased production since joining the organization, is an indicator of some untapped potential.