Frosh Week is over for the Ottawa Senators.
The Senators closed out the Prospects Showdown in Montreal with a 1-0-1 record after a 3-2 overtime loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday night at the Bell Centre.
Now, the players invited to the club’s full training camp that will get underway on Wednesday with medicals at the Canadian Tire Centre will have to get ready for the next challenge.
Prospects Carter Yakemchuk, Stephen Halliday, Jorian Donovan, Xavier Bourgault and Tomas Hamara — all of whom had strong efforts in Montreal — used the tourney to prepare for a difficult camp ahead.
“I wanted to go out there and show that I had improved in the summer by getting stronger and faster,” said Halliday, who led the club’s American Hockey League affiliate in Belleville last season in scoring with 19 goals and 51 points.
“I thought I did that. Maybe my draws weren’t as good, but I’m going to continue to chip away (at that). It was a step in the right direction and now the real camp starts on Wednesday.”
Halliday is right. By the time the players hit the ice on Thursday under the watchful eye of head coach Travis Green and Steve Staios, the club’s president of hockey operations and general manager, the club’s efforts at the rookie tourney will be a distant memory.
This is all about what you have done for me lately and the players won’t have a lot of time to make an impression. The club’s first exhibition game is scheduled for Sunday at 3 p.m. against the Toronto Maple Leafs at home and Belleville’s training camp is expected to open on Sept. 28.
A strong performance in the rookie tourney is good for confidence, but that’s about it. Guys like Yakemchuk, Halliday, Donovan, Hamara and Bourgault should have been dominant in the two games the club played against newcomers from the Jets and Leafs.
“The biggest thing is the competition. We asked them to compete,” Belleville coach David Bell said. “Travis spoke to them before the tournament started and told them that to be an Ottawa Senator, you have to compete for a full 60 minutes.
“I thought both games the guys did that. I thought we outplayed (the Jets) for the most part, but didn’t get the result. I applaud them for the effort from start to finish. In all situations, 5-on-5 and the penalty kill, I thought that our compete was extremely high.”
A player who impressed was Bourgault. The 5-foot-11 winger had 12 goals and 26 points in 61 games with Belleville last season. He was acquired from the Edmonton Oilers in a minor-league deal that sent Roby Jarventie the other way in July 2024.
“It wasn’t my first rookie tournament and I’ve got some experience,” the 22-year-old Bourgault said. “I wasn’t the most stressed guy out there and I was just there to help the young guys stay calm on the ice, trying to make plays and having poise. That comes with experience.”
Bell was impressed with what he saw from Bourgault in the club’s 4-3 win over the Leafs.
“He’s been really good since the start of camp,” Bell said on Saturday. “He put a lot of work in this summer. He’s finally healthy, he’s stronger, and he’s probably been the best player at camp. He’s been really strong this year.
“He will 100% be an offensive guy for us. He wanted to be a penalty killer and give it a try. This is the perfect platform to try it. Offensive guys come into my office and ask to play with Xavier because he’s good at distributing the puck.”
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Since there aren’t many openings in the club’s camp, the players who participated in the rookie tourney were trying to show the organization that even if they get sent down before the Senators face the Tampa Bay Lightning on Oct. 9, they can be counted on.
Injuries are inevitable during the regular season and call-ups from Belleville will be necessary. A player like Halliday or Donovan can put themselves on the radar screen. There has been a lot of talk about Yakemchuk and he has left little doubt he’ll push for a spot.
That’s why Yakemchuk only suited up once because he’ll get a lot of opportunities to suit up in the exhibition games.
The message from Bell before the players left Montreal for the short bus trip back to Ottawa was simple.
“Just continue with the high compete,” Bell said. “It’s a big advantage for them to be in game mode, having played twice. It’s totally different than practicing. You can practice hard, but they are game-ready. Take that into camp with a high compete level.”