Frosh Week is over for the Ottawa Senators. Read MoreCarter Yakemchuk, Stephen Halliday, Jorian Donovan, Xavier Bourgault and Tomas Hamara all had strong efforts at prospect tournament.
Carter Yakemchuk, Stephen Halliday, Jorian Donovan, Xavier Bourgault and Tomas Hamara all had strong efforts at prospect tournament.
Article content
Frosh Week is over for the Ottawa Senators.
Article content
The Senators closed out the Prospect 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.
Article content
Article content
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.
Article content
Story continues below
Article content
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.
Article content
Sports
Article content
“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.
Article content
“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.”
Article content
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.
Article content
Story continues below
Article content
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.
Article content
Read More
-
Senators prospects drop 3-2 OT decision to Jets to close out rookie tourney
-
Carter Yakemchuk leads Ottawa Senators rookie to victory over Toronto Maple Leafs
-
Advertisement embed-more-topic
Story continues below
Article content
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.
Article content
“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.
Article content
“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.”
Discover more from World Byte News
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
