Exit Interviews 2024-25: #20 Phil Daoust

With the 2025 Calder Cup Playoffs well underway and the Belleville Senators wading into the offseason, David Foot sat down with the players to reflect on a year filled with challenges, growth, and standout moments. In this exclusive series of year-in-review interviews, players open up about their personal journeys, team milestones, and what it meant to represent Belleville and the Bay of Quinte this season. From locker room highlights to on-ice battles, these conversations offer a behind-the-scenes look at the season that was — and a glimpse at what’s ahead.

Today, we check in with forward Phil Daoust, who, after a couple of injury-riddled seasons, played the most games in a season in his pro career so far, and the most games at any level since the 2019-20 season.

DF: You finally get to play a lot of games, getting into 52 this year. How did it feel to have an ‘extended’ season?

PD: It felt good. I’ve been itching to get that many games for a while, so to finally play a good chunk of games this year, it felt really good, and towards the end of the year, it felt like I was really starting to play my game again. I was happy to get a full year in and be healthy.

DF: Like you said, you had a really nice finish to the season. How much of that was trying to get back to that high level, and how much was just dealing with the tough defences that exist in the American Hockey League?

PD: Not playing hockey for two years was obviously tough, and it feels like every player gets better, and better, every year. The first half of the year, I was kind of just getting my feet wet a bit, but in the second half, I don’t know what clicked in my head, but the game started slowing down a bit. And I think just playing with a little bit more confidence. The staff, Bellzy (Head Coach Dave Bell), and Lege (Assistant Coach Stefan Legein) did a great job helping us with the skills work and extra work. So, yeah, I think all of that came together at the end of the year, and that was huge for me.

DF: Aside from the durability, is there an area of your game where you were happy with the growth this year?

PD: It’s hard not to say ‘just being healthy,’ so I would say that. But I think it was just having more confidence with the puck. I felt like, towards the end of the season, I was playing a bit more like I did in junior hockey, making some good moves and plays, and just not panicking with the puck. I feel like with that strong finish, I’ll try to bring that into next year.

DF: What’s your offseason look like?

PD: I’m going to go back home to Barrie, all my family and my girlfriend are there. Just relax, take a couple of weeks off, and then get back in the gym to be ready for next year.

DF: I know last summer you were bouncing back and forth to Belleville, will you do that again, or is that just because you were rehabbing?

PD: I’ll do the same thing. It’s always good to see familiar faces, see our strength coach Justin (Hyland), or get a skate or two in. It worked for me last year, so I’m going to do the same thing this summer.

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