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Belleville Senators 2023 Offseason Player Tracker

May 19, 2023

The American Hockey League offseason can be tough to keep track of, so like last offseason, we’re making it easier for you to keep tabs on your favourite Belleville Sens players, to see if they return to the Friendly City or take on new opportunities elsewhere.

Our 2023 Offseason Player Tracker was last updated on August 18, 2023, but continue to check back throughout the offseason for updates!

Definitions:

Before we get to the tracker, here are some key definitions that you’ll need to know in order to easily navigate the AHL offseason:

  • Entry-level Contract (ELC):
    All new players, under the age of 25, are required to sign an ELC. ELC’s last three years if the player is age 18-21, two years if age 22-24 and one year if age 24.
  • Restricted Free Agent (RFA):
    A player that has reached the end of their initial entry-level contract but is not yet an unrestricted free agent. Their rights are still held by the NHL team.
  • Unrestricted Free Agent (UFA):
    A player that is older than 25 (or after 7 years, whichever comes first) and his contract ends. UFAs can sign with any team.
  •  American Hockey League Contract:
    If a player signs an AHL contract, they are ineligible to play in the National Hockey League. Players on AHL contracts become UFAs once their deals expire.
  •  Two-way contract:
    Players on a two-way contract have their pay dependent on if they are assigned to the NHL or the AHL. All entry-level contracts are two-way contracts.
  •  One-way contract:
    Players on a one-way contract are paid the same amount of money regardless of whether they play in the NHL or AHL.

The following players had their contracts with the Belleville Senators expire at the conclusion of the 2022-23 season:

Name Position Contract Status
Matthew Boucher LW UFA
Cole Cassels C UFA
Jake Lucchini C Signed w/Minnesota (NHL)
Scott Sabourin RW Signed w/San Jose (NHL)
Matthew Wedman LW UFA
John Quenneville RW UFA
Dylan Blujus D UFA
Zachary Massicotte D UFA
Antoine Bibeau G Signed w/AIK (Allsvenskan)
Egor Sokolov RW RFA
Jonathan Aspirot D UFA
Dylan Ferguson G Signed w/Dinamo Minsk (KHL)

The following players are prospects who were drafted by the Senators organization but have yet to sign professional contracts. Prospects who don’t sign by the deadlines indicated below will become free agents and can be signed by any club:

Name Position 2022-23 Team(s) Must Sign By Signed
Jakov Novak LW Northeastern Univ. /Allen (ECHL) 15-Aug-23 No
Carson Latimer RW Prince Albert/Winnipeg (WHL) 01-Jun-23 No
Ben Roger D Kingston(OHL)/Belleville (AHL) 01-Jun-23 No
Chandler Romeo D Sarnia /Guelph (OHL) 01-Jun-23 No

The following players are under contract with either the Belleville Senators (AHL) or Ottawa Senators (NHL) and are eligible to play in the American Hockey League in 2023-24:

Name Position 2022-23 Team(s) Current Contract Years Remaining
Tyler Boucher RW Ottawa (OHL) ELC 3
Roby Jarventie LW Belleville (AHL) ELC 2
Ridly Greig C Belleville  (AHL) / Ottawa  (NHL) ELC 2
Zack Ostapchuk C Vancouver/ Winnipeg (WHL) ELC 3
Angus Crookshank LW Bellevile  (AHL) ELC 1
Philippe Daoust C Bellevile  (AHL) ELC 2
Cole Reinhardt LW Bellevile  (AHL) ELC 1
Jiri Smejkal LW IK Oskarshamn (SHL) ELC 1
Josh Currie RW Metallurg Magnitogorsk (KHL)  NHL (two-way) 1
Rourke Chartier C Belleville (AHL) / Ottawa (NHL)  NHL (two-way) 1
Matthew Highmore LW Springfield (AHL) / St. Louis (NHL)  NHL (two-way) 1
 Bokondji Imama LW Arizona (NHL) / Tucson (AHL)  NHL (two-way) 1
Garrett Pilon C Hershey (AHL)  NHL (two-way) 1
Brennan Saulnier C Belleville  (AHL), Trois-Rivieres (ECHL) AHL 1
Graham McPhee LW Belleville (AHL), Bakersfield (AHL) AHL 1
Nikolas Matinpalo D Ässät (Liiga) ELC 1
Tyler Kleven D  North Dakota (NCAA) / Ottawa  (NHL) ELC 2
Lassi Thomson D Belleville (AHL) / Ottawa (NHL) ELC 1
Tomas Hamara D Kitchener  (OHL) ELC 3
Maxence Guenette D Belleville  (AHL) / Ottawa  (NHL) ELC 1
Dillon Heatherington D Belleville  (AHL) / Ottawa  (NHL)  NHL (two-way) 1
Jacob Larsson D Belleville  (AHL) / Ottawa  (NHL)  NHL (two-way) 1
Ryan MacKinnon D Bridgeport (AHL)/ Worcester (ECHL) AHL 1
Mads Sogaard G Belleville  (AHL) / Ottawa  (NHL) ELC 1
Leevi Merilainen G Karpat (Liiga)/ Belleville (AHL) / Ottawa (NHL) ELC 3
Mark Sinclair G Cincinnati (ECHL)/ Belleville (AHL) AHL 1
Kevin Mandolese G Ottawa (OHL)/Belleville (AHL)/Allen (ECHL)  NHL (two-way) 1

Key Dates:

  • NHL Draft – June 28-29, 2023
    The NHL Draft will be hosted by the Nashville Predators at the Bridgestone Arena with the first round on June 28 and the second-through-seventh rounds on June 29. The Ottawa Senators have a total of five picks throughout the draft, with one pick each in rounds four and five, along with three picks in round seven.
  • Qualifying Offers – July 3, 2023
    In order to retain the rights of any restricted free agent, NHL teams must send a qualifying offer by the Monday following the NHL Draft (July 3, 2023). A qualifying offer is considered to be “on the table” for two weeks and if a player signs, they are under contract to the NHL club for one more season. RFAs who do not receive qualifying offers become UFAs on the opening day of NHL free agency (July 1, 2023). Additionally, other NHL teams can send an RFA an offer sheet, which is for a contract with a certain term (years) and dollar amount. The RFA’s current team has seven days to match the offer sheet.If the team matches, then the player remains with their team under the terms of the offer sheet, but if the team does not match, the player goes to the team that signed him to the offer sheet and his former team receives compensation in terms of draft picks based on the financial terms of the offer sheet.
  • Free Agency Begins – July 1, 2023:
    As of July 1, 2023, The Ottawa and Belleville Senators can sign any unrestricted free agent who is available.