Ottawa Senators Prospect Update and Belleville Recap - April 17th

While I owe the Ottawa Senators some credit for at least ending this miserable season with a victory, I can mercifully say this NHL season has finally come to an end for us. And while I can certainly say I'll miss some things about NHL hockey, a few months apart will do a lot of good for my relationship with Sens hockey. Fool me for the seventh time, shame on me (again).

For the absolute gnarliest of you, however, you can still find ways to suffer Sens hockey in other capacities now that the parent team has cleaned out its collective locker. As Spencer will explain, a play-in victory over Toronto would earn the BSens a postseason matchup against Syracuse if Belleville can hold their current place in the standings. Although they currently don't have any Sens prospects on the roster, ECHL Allen will face Idaho in round one of the postseason.

In NCAA tournament play, only Hoyt Stanley and Cornell made it past the first round and they subsequently bowed out to eventual champions Denver. In the USHL playoffs, Kevin Reidler and Dubuque earned a bye as the one-seed in their division while Filip Nordberg and Muskegon also earned a bye as a two-seed. Owen Beckner and Tri-City find themselves down early in their first-round series against Sioux Falls.

In Canadian hockey, with the 67s having eliminated the Brantford Bulldogs, Tomas Hamara could tentatively join Belleville for the stretch and/or the postseason. In round two of the OHL playoffs, London has taken a 2-0 series lead over Matthew Andonovski and Kitchener. Jorian Donovan and Saginaw currently have a 2-1 series lead over the Soo in round two. And finally in the BCHL, it seems Vladimir Nikitin lost the starters job with Chilliwack for the time being after their first round series against Langley.

Belleville Update

While the season in Ottawa is over, the Belleville Senators still have a chance at postseason hockey. In very dramatic fashion, I might add. The BSens managed four of a possible six points last week against Toronto and Rochester (x2), which has them occupying the final playoff spot in the North.

What makes this dramatic is that Belleville has three games left. One against Syracuse tonight and then two against Laval this weekend. Laval happens to be the team right behind Belleville in the standings, sitting just two points back. Belleville can make things a little more comfortable with a win against the Crunch tonight but that's far from a guarantee, given that Syracuse has proven to be the best team in the division - having locked up the top seed with a 38-23-8 record.

If Belleville can manage a win tonight, it will bring them to 78 points, forcing the Rocket to take both games this weekend in regulation in order to pass them. Of course, if the BSens aren't up for the task tonight, the back-to-back against Laval will be must see TV for Sens fans longing for some meaningful April hockey.

The good news is starting goaltender Mads Søgaard is back in action after missing some time with a nagging injury. While Leevi Meriläinen and Kevin Mandolese held down the fort in his absence, having Søgaard back provides stability for Belleville. The Great Dane™ has a .915 SSV% on the season, ranking him the top goaltender in the North Division this season amongst those who have started a minimum of 20 games.

Another big piece to the puzzle has been the emergence of Stephen Halliday as a legit AHLer very quickly into his professional career. Usually, it takes some time for a prospect to leave the NCAA and get comfortable in the American League but, for Halliday, he's on a five game point streak. While he's still searching for his first AHL goal, his five assists in seven games looks a lot like the player who just left Ohio State after posting 58 assists in 78 games through two seasons with the Buckeyes.

On a more minor note, the Senators have assigned Tomas Hamara to Belleville following the end of his season with the Brantford Bulldogs. It's not yet apparent if/how Hamara will draw into the lineup, but having the extra legs on the back end can't hurt.

All eyes are on Belleville tonight against Syracuse. A win will make things slightly more comfortable. A loss will tee up the team for a dramatic finale this weekend against Laval.