2025 Belleville Senators Review - Forwards

Lost in all of the excitement of Ottawa playoff hockey, the Belleville Senators' season ended back on April 19th with a 5-4 loss to the Laval Rocket. With a record of 34-26-11 and 79 points on the year, they ended up just two points back of the Cleveland Monsters for the 5th and final divisional playoff spot.

Coincidentally, our report cards for the NHLers are set to begin soon, so I thought I'd give you a rundown of the performances of Belleville's individual efforts – starting with the forwards. Not just prospects here, but veterans. We're looking at both positive development and sources of improvement through free agency.

Notable Forwards:

Stephen Halliday (Signed)

• 71 GP, 19G, 32A, 51P, 158 SOG, 49 PIM

After an incredible playoff performance last year, Belleville's top rookie and the people's champ recovered from a slow start (5 points in 14 games) and finished the season with 18 goals and 28 assists in his last 57 games. He's rounded out his two-way game to complement his NHL-caliber vision and playmaking, the next step will to be to continue to get his legs to catch up with the rest of him. For an Ottawa Senators team whose expectations will go beyond a playoff berth next year, Halliday is definitely a player you want starting in Belleville, feeding a hungry top-line scoring winger, waiting in the wings to be called up at the first sign of trouble.

Garret Pilon (Signed)

• 68 GP, 11G, 37 A, 48 P, 119 SOG, 61 PIM

He'll return as Belleville's captain and a valuable top-six forward next season, but Pilon may not be the best choice on Halliday's wing, with only 11 goals on the year and under 2 shots per game. I'd definitely bring in another RW to play on the top line, and have Pilon settle into a second-line role.

Angus Crookshank (UFA)

• 62 GP, 22G, 18A, 40 P, 190 SOG, 36 PIM

It's hard to say how much of an NHL opportunity Crookshank will have next season, having led the B-Sens in goals once again albeit with smaller numbers. I don't see a reason to move on, as at the very least he'll be a key contributor in Belleville, but from the perspective from a UFA with the goal of playing in the NHL, he may be inclined to sign with a non-playoff team for next year.

Wyatt Bongiovanni (UFA)

• 54 GP, 22G, 11A, 33 P, 154 SOG, 27 PIM

Belleville's other leading goal-scorer did so in less time, backed by 2 hat-tricks in a 3-game span. He was also one of the club's best players after last season's trade deadline, with 14 points in 21 games across both the regular season and playoffs. I wouldn't mind seeing him back next season, to potentially compete with Blake Montgomery for second-line minutes, should the 20-year-old decide to begin his pro career.

Cole Reinhardt (UFA)

• 45 GP, 14G, 18A, 32 P, 106 SOG, 40 PIM

Despite a relatively slow finish, 2024-25 was a breakout year for the 2018 6th-round pick. Not only did he reach a new career-high in points per game, he also took part in 17 NHL games, including a victory over the Calgary Flames in which he scored his first NHL goal. Like Crookshank, he's an established pro entering his prime, so he may also look for an opportunity with a different organization in pursuit of NHL paychecks.

Jan Jenik (RFA)

• 52 GP, 12G, 17A, 29 P, 97 SOG, 75 PIM

Feels like that 4-point preseason game was forever ago. Jenik was close to making the opening night roster in Ottawa but was outperformed by Adam Gaudette, who went on to lock down that spot for the entire season. Combine that with a significant injury, and Ottawa's center depth, and it wasn't going to be easy to gain momentum throughout the year. As he's an RFA, I'd bring him back to center Belleville's third line.

Xavier Bourgault (RFA)

• 61 GP, 12G, 14A, 28 P, 126 SOG, 14 PIM

Acquired for Roby Jarventie last summer, Bourgault proved himself to be a valuable bottom-six player through stellar discipline and a high volume of shots. Still, not quite the player I think the Edmonton Oilers envisioned when they used a late 1st on him back in 2021. With his lack of production, as well as Tyler Boucher and Oskar Pettersson under contract as bottom-six right-wingers, I'd move on from Bourgault.

Philippe Daoust (RFA)

• 52 GP, 6G, 16A, 22 P, 58 SOG, 14 PIM

Despite finally avoiding a month-to-month injury in an AHL season, Daoust had already lost a ton of valuable development time since his strong showings in junior. He was a decent bottom-six contributor this past season but isn't likely to be much more in the future.

Keean Washkurak (AHL)

• 71 GP, 10G, 9A, 19 P, 82 SOG, 55 PIM

This depth centerman spent most of the year on Belleville's fourth line, putting in significant work on defensive matchups and the penalty kill. He was recognized by the coaching staff in the – get this – Coaches' Choice Award, and will likely return on another AHL-only contract next season.

Oskar Pettersson (Signed)

• 67 GP, 9G, 6A, 15 P, 65 SOG, 26 PIM

Pettersson's settled into a checking role for the time being, and is still young enough to realistically develop some of the offensive skills we saw from his D+1 season in Sweden a few years back.

Jamieson Rees (RFA)

• 42 GP, 4G, 10A, 14 P, 42 SOG, 10 PIM

Acquired last season for future considerations, Rees was one of countless reclamation projects that managed to contribute in a depth role with a new organization, but not quite enough to warrant another deal.

Hayden Hodgson (UFA)

• 43 GP, 5G, 6A, 11 P, 46 SOG, 156 PIM

This guy's job was to be all out of bubblegum, hence the team-leading 156 penalty minutes. He was chosen over several better players to play a couple of NHL games, largely because said players would be ineligible for the AHL playoffs in the off-chance they would qualify. There's definitely a niche to fill next season, but seeing as how Belleville needs to add more skill on the wings, I'd try to get him to sign an AHL-only deal.

Tyler Boucher (Signed)

• 47 GP, 5G, 5A, 10 P, 66 SOG, 34 PIM

He did more than I expected. Just wish he was drafted later – then he'd be just another prospect derailed by injuries, as opposed to an eternal meme.

Not Mentioned: Zack MacEwen, Matthew Highmore, Jake Chiasson, Tristen Robins

Mock Lineup (Forwards):

Angus Crookshank - Stephen Halliday - Martin Frk*

Blake Montgomery - Alex Barre-Boulet* - Garret Pilon

Wyatt Bongiovanni - Jan Jenik - Oskar Pettersson

Hayden Hodgson - Keean Washkurak - Tyler Boucher

* hypothetical UFA signings