Belleville Sens talk community connection with Belleville Chamber of Commerce

The Belleville Senators have been a proud member of the local business community since 2017. With a fresh lease extension signed and the new season just a couple of weeks away, the club reinforced that commitment at the Belleville Chamber of Commerce’s monthly breakfast event this past week.

Senators Head Coach Dave Bell and Vice President of Business Operations John Mathers chatted with Chamber CEO Jill Raycroft about team-building, community connection, and how the hockey club and local businesses can help push each other further. Raycroft began by referencing an early conversation with Mathers, after he arrived in Belleville at the start of last season, touching on the importance of having an AHL team in the city.

“You brought in members from the City of Belleville and Belleville Economic Development, and talked a bit about what you bring to the community, and I think it’s something that may have been overlooked amidst a lot of other things. But with a firm commitment through the new lease extension, and the emphasis from your leadership to empower your team members to get involved and stay committed to the community, we’re really excited.”

And Mathers added that the commitment to Belleville and the Bay of Quinte comes right from the top, and owner Michael Andlauer.

“When I took this job, I asked flat out if I should be buying a home here, and he said, ‘Yes, the team is going to stay,'” Mathers told the group. “And the first thing he told me to do when I got here was to renegotiate the lease, and establish that we’re going to be here for the long haul. He wants the team to be here, he wants this team to connect with the community, and he wants us to embrace the past (the Bulls, McFarland’s, etc.) while defining a new future for the Belleville Sens.”

The 40-minute conversation continued to emphasize the importance of integration between the hockey club, local businesses, and Bay of Quinte hockey fans. And Coach Bell told the group that the messaging of getting involved, making a difference in the community, and doing more than just focusing on hockey, extends from the front office, right down to his dressing room.

Bell shared stories about some recent players in the organization, like goaltender Malcolm Subban, who spent time here in their junior days and know what Belleville and the Bay of Quinte community are all about, but that’s something that new players will have to pick up quickly.

“You’ll see them out at hospitals, or community and charity events and that’s what being a Belleville Senator is. That’s the expectation we’ve built and that’s the bar we’re going to raise,” said Bell. “We tell our players, once you step foot in this city, you’re a part of this community by representing the Senators.”

Coach Bell added some insight on building his roster for the upcoming season, on how to bring the best out of leaders in your workplace, and on how to develop employees as people, more than just workers.

When it came down to the question of ‘how can local businesses support the Sens’? Mathers said there are two easy ways to do that.

“We’re trying to build greater awareness,” he said. “So, helping us promote the games, the players, all of the cool things that are happening at CAA Arena, is critical. The second part is coming to a game and supporting us in the stands.”

Mathers added that getting people into the building is only half of the battle.

“Coming to games and having fun. That’s the key to us on the business side,” Mathers explained. “So, we spend a lot of time and energy making sure that the experience is a 10 out of 10, even if it’s not always. But, what we’re going to do and have done, is listen to our fans and find out how we can improve on that feedback.”

On the flip side, Coach Bell added that the hockey club can support local businesses through its coroporate partnerships and ticketing, but also through the players, and the fact they (and their families in some cases) are living in the region, and doing all of the typical things that anyone would in their home town.

“We have new players come in here with wives, or children, and they want to know things like where to get their hair cut, or send their kid to daycare, or get their winter tires on,” said Bell, noting the increase in community connection that he’s seen over his seven-plus years in the Friendly City. “When I first started, all of that information was basically on cue card. Now, it’s about three pages long of information from our players that we’ve had in the past of where to do these things and their favourite spots.”

He added that this type of connection has also become a major factor in attracting new players to the organization.

“For us to compete with Chicago, or Los Angeles, we’ve had guys beg to come back to play in Belleville because they love it here,” Bell said. “They come into town in the summertime and surprise me sometimes and we’re just trying to get the secret out about what a sneaky good spot we’ve got here.”

As the morning closed out, and in sharing the ‘613 Country’ connection to the parent club in Ottawa, Mathers noted that there’s one thing that this community and that in the National Capital Region do really well as smaller markets in their respective leagues, and that’s ‘punch above our weight’.

“We are one of the smallest communities to host an AHL team and we have the second smallest building in the league,” said Mathers. “These things impact the economics, but what makes this city and region incredible is how you want to punch above your weight. I use the not-for-profit segment as an example, that this is a community that wants to be connected and do the right thing. And, when you combine doing the right thing, as Coach said, with ‘punching above your weight’, you can really drive success.”

“We all want to win, on the ice, off the ice, and as a community,” Mathers added. “And, we’re all part of that right now.”

The full 2025-26 Belleville Senators schedule can be found here, with preseason action taking place next weekend (October 3-5) at CAA Arena in support of the Belleville General Hospital Foundation. Tickets for the preseason games are just $12 each, with $5 from each ticket going towards the BGHF’s Fracture Clinic fundraising campaign.

The Senators open the new campaign on Saturday October 11, 2025 in Allentown, PA, against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms (AHL affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers) and will begin the home portion of the schedule on Saturday, October 18, 2025, at CAA Arena, against the Toronto Marlies (AHL affiliate of the Toronto Maple Leafs)

Single-game tickets for the first half of the 2025-26 season are now on sale via Ticketmaster or at the Belleville Sens Box Office located inside the Quinte Sports & Wellness Centre. Details on season seat memberships, flex packs, premium seating, the Business Edge program, and more can be found by visiting the Belleville Sens Website. 

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