Andlauer: Senators’ development in Belleville helps Ottawa clinch Stanley Cup Playoffs berth

Even though the regular season schedule is winding down, April is always a busy time around the American Hockey League and its parent clubs in the National Hockey League.  

That’s especially true this season with the Senators, as the AHL club in Belleville makes a push for a second consecutive Calder Cup Playoffs appearance and third in franchise history, and the parent club in Ottawa just qualifying for the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in eight years. 

With all of the excitement surrounding both Senators clubs, Owner Michael Andlauer was at the Belleville Sens 5-0 win over the Rochester Americans last week and stopped by the Belleville Sens Entertainment Network to chat with David Foot about another full season at the helm, and how Belleville and the Bay of Quinte are a critical part of the Senators organizational success. 

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DF: As we draw closer to the end of another season for both Senators clubs, how have things been this year, and how have they been different from the previous season? 

MA: I spent a lot of time on the NHL side of things. Obviously, last year was an education in understanding our market and our team, and to me, the importance was to focus on what drives the fans. A winning hockey club is definitely the lowest-hanging fruit, so that was the day’s first order. We brought on Steve Staois to lead that effort and surrounded him with some good support. That included bringing back Jacques Martin as our coach to teach the players how to play the right way because I think we were the youngest or second-youngest team in the NHL last year. Those efforts are paying off this year, and we’ll be making the playoffs for the first time in eight years, so that’s a good thing for the lifeblood of our team, which is our fans. 

DF: It’s some nice progression over just a couple of seasons, and hopefully, that can continue to grow. 

MA: Absolutely. And part of that has been the benefit of having the AHL Sens players graduating. I think of (Nikolas) Matinpalo and seeing how well he’s done. In the game last night against Tampa, he and (Tyler) Kleven looked so strong together as a tandem. It’s very gratifying to see the development in Belleville showing, when you look at how well they’re doing in the NHL. 

DF: The AHL is such an important piece for all NHL clubs, but it really seems like between Ottawa and Belleville, the players that are going up have been so impactful. The path seems to be as it should be. Players spend a couple of years in Belleville or a year and a half, and then you’re up in the NHL helping the Ottawa Senators to qualify for the playoffs. 

MA: To me, the American Hockey League affiliate is such an important part of our hockey club, and as Steve Staois would say, this is not ‘another team’; you’re part of the Ottawa Senators organization. We like to talk about loaning players rather than sending them up or down, and it’s all part of the same organization. It all starts with drafting right and then developing right, making sure we surround ourselves with people with the right attitude and character, and creating that team identity that we want, which needs to be the same in Belleville as in Ottawa. It’s a process, but our strides are forward. 

DF: And it does seem like that ’613 connection’ or ‘613 Country’ are starting to pick up steam, and we’re showing people that Belleville and Ottawa aren’t that far apart. They’re in the same area code, and just like the players who make the jump up to Ottawa, fans can follow that progression as well. 

MA: It’s wonderful. That whole ‘613’ thing came about because of the speculation I was going to move the team, but that’s not the reality. When things happened with the Bulls, I didn’t own the Ottawa Senators, and I was trying to be loyal to Hamilton because I’d been there since 2003. Now, my loyalties are with the Senators, and if nothing else, from a hockey operations standpoint, it makes total sense because our players, coaches, doctors, GM, and myself can be back and forth. But, from a brand standpoint, it makes total sense as well. This is a great venue; the facilities are great, the fans are loving it, and it’s only going to get better, as far as I’m concerned. 

DF: What do the next few months look like from an ownership perspective? How do you handle that progression and continue to build? 

MA: Well, like we said, it is a progression. Our work is cut out for us here in Belleville if you look at the standings, but we’ve had a lot of injuries, and a lot of guys called up. Especially (Angus) Crookshank, who’s playing in Ottawa but missing critical games here in Belleville to steal some points and make the playoffs. But there’s still hope. On the NHL side, it’s highly likely we’ll make the playoffs. Hopefully, we’ll clinch next week sometime, and that’s going to be a great learning curve for our players. We’re still one of the youngest teams in the NHL, and it gives them an opportunity to taste what it’s like to be in the playoffs and take that moving forward. 

Click here to listen to the full interview.

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