Earning it at home: Crotty ready for year two with Senators

For Cam Crotty, wearing the Ottawa Senators crest has never been just another jersey.

After growing up in Ottawa surrounded by Senators memorabilia, the hometown defenceman spent his first season with the Belleville Senators in 2025-26, living out a childhood dream, one that became even more meaningful with family watching from the stands almost every night. He also made an impact for Ottawa in what was a surreal experience he’ll never forget.

“It was good! It was obviously super special as a kid who grew up in Ottawa; every second so far has been pretty cool,” Crotty told the Belleville Sens Entertainment Network. “Having family at every game, wearing those colours, and even thinking back to my childhood room still being all done up in Sens attire, it’s been awesome. Both in Belleville and then, of course, to go up and play at the CTC (Canadian Tire Centre) for Ottawa was amazing.”

Crotty’s first year in the organization wasn’t just memorable personally, it also came during one of the busiest injury stretches the Senators have experienced in recent years. With players constantly moving between Belleville and Ottawa, the organization’s depth became one of its biggest strengths as the NHL club pushed toward a playoff berth.

“I mean, I still can’t fully wrap my head around how many injuries there were. It was a really crazy situation with Donovan, Yakemchuk, Thomson, myself and others coming up. It just felt like every week someone was coming up and helping out. You rely on those guys to make a difference, and although we did not reach the ultimate goal, another goal was to make the playoffs, and we did.”

On the AHL side, however, the ending wasn’t quite what Belleville had hoped for. Finishing the year with a 28-35-8-1 record, the collective Calder Cup Playoff goal was missed by seven points, leaving a sour taste throughout the locker room. While Crotty viewed his Senators debut season as a positive learning experience, he believes the standard inside the dressing room is much higher heading into year two.

“It was nice to play teams that I had not seen before, and that goes for the rinks and cities as well. I think most guys would’ve agreed that we wanted to have a more successful season, and I think that’s the big goal for next year. Just to improve and go win something. Obviously, we saw that Toronto got it done this year, and I felt we played them well last season. I thought it was a good year in many ways, but there are also some things that need to be improved upon.”

When asked about his favourite moment of the season, Crotty didn’t point to a goal or a big hit. Instead, it was stepping onto the ice at Canadian Tire Centre with his family watching from one suite.

“I think personally the coolest one was getting to play at CTC against Utica back in January. I had a suite full of my family, including my grandparents and others who usually can’t come to games as often. Having them all there at the same time was pretty special, so on a personal note, that was the highlight for me.”

Like many professional players, Crotty finds not seeing family regularly one of the toughest parts of the job, but playing close to home has changed that. Having family nearby hasn’t changed the way he approaches games, but it has made the experience of professional hockey much more meaningful.

“I think so. I mean, I don’t think it changes how you play the game, but it does change everything else, for sure. I started my career pretty far from home and then slowly moved closer, which I am very fortunate for. Knowing that support is closer is nice, but also being able to pay it back by having them out to games and getting them around is great.”

Away from the rink, Crotty’s offseason has been spent much closer to home than many of his teammates. Between training in Ottawa, golfing whenever possible and making a quick trip to visit teammate Scott Harrington in Nashville, the summer has been a relatively simple one.

“A lot of golf, though I haven’t gotten out as much as I have hoped. I made a quick trip out to Nashville to see Scott Harrington and visit his family for a few days, which was really nice. I also had some extended family in town for a couple of weeks because my brother was getting married, but mostly everything has been in Ottawa!”

With another season approaching, Crotty isn’t expecting his mentality to change simply because he’s now a returning player.

For the 25-year-old, familiarity doesn’t guarantee opportunity. Every player, regardless of experience, still has to earn his role each season. Crotty sees it exactly that way and intends to keep it that way.

“I don’t know! I’m not going to change my approach, but I am always looking to get better and make more strides in my game. I’ll continue to provide leadership in the ways that I can, lead by example, and prepare every day. Whether you’re a returning guy or not, I think the mindset at the start of the year is the same: you have to go and earn it, compete with your teammates, and push guys. You have to earn things every year; even with some familiarity in your own role, you always want to get better- at least that’s my mindset.”

The same approach applies to the influx of new faces joining Belleville this season. While the additions look impressive on paper, Crotty believes chemistry, not talent alone, will determine how far the group can go.

“I have a bit, but I wouldn’t say I’m glued to it at all. What you have on paper is one thing, but then what you play like as a team is something different. I think the names are great, but at the end of the day, we have to play as a team, and I look forward to playing with and battling them. I’m honestly just looking forward to having a good season!”

Fortunately, hockey has a way of bringing people together quickly. Spending months around one another on and off the ice, through the highs and lows of a season, is often the glue that brings a team together.

Crotty believes one of the sport’s greatest strengths is how naturally teammates become friends, especially during the early weeks of a season filled with road trips, practices and team events.

“I think it just happens naturally; you make fast friends in hockey, I find. You lose some guys but add others, and you just grow and come together pretty quickly. It will be interesting with the short training camp. I was talking about this with someone last year; you’ve got to be a good person to last in hockey. I think that’s why it’s so easy to be friends and gel with them because I think they aren’t bad guys because they don’t last long. Through early road trips and team events, you get to know them, and then it’s off to the races.”

With just over a month remaining before the regular season, Crotty’s focus stays firmly on preparation. Training at Canadian Tire Centre has become part of his daily routine, with an emphasis on gradually increasing intensity while making sure both body and mind are ready for opening night.

“Nothing will change for me. I’ve just been driving to CTC for training, and in doing so, I’ll continue to lean on the training staff to do my workouts and make sure things feel good. Things will start to ramp up and feel more like practice. Most guys I find used to focus on skill work early on, but now it’s skating. The other thing is managing the load; it’s a good balance between ramping back up and not going so quickly that you burn out. Everyone is different, so it’s something that comes with experience, but my goal is to get the body and mind feeling good once the season gets up and going.”

For Crotty, returning to Belleville isn’t about hometown comfort; it’s about earning another opportunity. With family close by, another year of experience behind him and a team determined to return to the playoffs, the hometown defenceman enters year two with the same mindset he’s carried throughout his career: nothing is given, and everything is earned.

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