The changes continued off the ice for the Ottawa Senators on Thursday.
Steve Staios, the club’s president of hockey operations and general manager, continued to put his stamp on the Senators by naming former Ontario Hockey League executive Matt Turek as the GM of the club’s American Hockey League affiliate in Belleville.
The Senators also started to rebuild their player development department by naming former NHL forward Sam Gagner as the director.
Staios is heading into his second full season as the club’s GM after the Senators made the post-season for the first time in eight years this spring.
Turek, who was Staios’ box during the playoffs, will take on the role left vacant by the departure of associate GM Ryan Bowness from the club last week.
As Postmedia reported 10 days ago, the two sides mutually agreed to part ways at the end of the season, and mentioned then that Turek was a name to watch.
Turek was hired by Staios when he ran the Brantford Bulldogs franchise owned by Senators owner Michael Andlauer.
Matt Turek.
Andlauer sold the franchise to Edmonton Oilers forward Zach Hyman and his family, but the Bulldogs announced last month that the club wasn’t able to get a deal done with Turek. He played a role on Staios’ staff when the Bulldogs won the 2021-22 J. Ross Robertson Cup as the OHL champions.
Andlauer has stated publicly that the organization needs to spend more time working on the market in Belleville. Turek also worked as an OHL scout for the Montreal Canadiens. Bowness had split his duties between work with Belleville and Ottawa.
“Matt has managed a successful Ontario Hockey League team, and he has gained critical management skills and experience at that level,” Staios said. “In addition to his experience, Matt will bring passion and leadership to our organization.”
What the decision will mean for the future of Belleville head coach David Bell remains to be seen. He has one year left on his deal, and Turek will likely have the green light to make whatever changes he feels are necessary.
By all accounts, Bell has done a standout job in Belleville, especially with the injuries in Ottawa which left the AHL team with little depth. Belleville missed the AHL playoffs this spring.
Gagner, 35, is an interesting hire and has a lot of work ahead of him.
He wrapped up his National Hockey League career after suiting up for nearly 17 seasons with Edmonton, Arizona, Philadelphia, Columbus, Vancouver, Detroit and Winnipeg. Gagner was selected No. 7 overall by the Oilers in the 2007 NHL draft.
Gagner signed a professional tryout agreement as an unrestricted free agent last season with Belleville and suited up for 19 games. He finished with no goals and 10 assists in that stretch.
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“Sam had an incredible career as a player, and we look forward to launching his next chapter,” Staios said. “A true character individual, Sam has contributed to the success of his organizations, both on and off the ice.”
The Senators need to bolster their player development after former Ottawa forward Jesse Winchester left the organization before the start of last season and Wade Redden only was used in a limited role.
Shean Donovan was the club’s director of player development, but he is no longer in that position and mainly skated injured players when the club was on the road.
League executives say having a strong player development department is paramount because you need someone to keep in regular touch with the prospects and make sure they’re making the proper steps in their careers.
“It’s crucial because these guys establish a relationship with the players, and it gives the players someone to call,” a league executive said on Thursday. “These guys can give the kids feedback.”