Exit Interviews 2024-25: #11 Jorian Donovan

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 get a season update from Senators’ 2022 5th round draft pick (136th overall), defenceman Jorian Donovan, who played his first professional season in 2024-25:

DF: First pro season for you and you played a lot, how was your first year in this league overall?

JD: It was good. Definitely a learning experience, obviously coming in as a first-year pro, there’s a lot to learn and a lot of different things that have changed and new things to pick up, both on and off the ice. Living by yourself, coming on the ice and playing against men, it’s a big change, but it’s been fun.

DF: You got into 64 games this year. Were you expecting to see that much ice time?

JD: I was just trying to get as much ice time as I could. My goal was to play as many games as I could, so I’m happy I got into 64.

DF: You set a Belleville Sens franchise record for penalty minutes by a rookie, with 83. It just seemed like you weren’t afraid to jump into things and learn what the physical side of the AHL is about.

JD: For sure. I think that helped me to get in the lineup more and to work on my game, learning the physical side and playing against tough guys is a big part of it. If you can find your way around that side of the game, I think it makes things a little easier on the skill side.

DF: There were some good veteran defenders in this group as well. What were you able to learn from those guys and take into your game through the season?

JD: Every guy has their skill set, and every guy is good at different things, so I took a lot away from each guy. Davies is super skilled, a good power play guy and can walk the line pretty well. Then you’ve got Filip Roos, Donovan Sebrango and Max Guenette, who are steady two-way guys that play penalty kill and a little more my game. So, it’s been good learning from each guy and every guy has a different skill set that I wanted to take away from; they’ve been super helpful for me.

DF: Any area of your game that you’re particularly proud of this year?

JD: Coming in, I was just trying to figure things out, play more and learn different things, then get the coaches’ trust a bit more by the end of the year. I think, overall, that’s all grown.

DF: It was your first year in the AHL, were there any favourite spots on the circuit?

JD: I think Cleveland was a cool spot. Great rink and a beautiful city, so I think that was probably one of my favourite spots.

DF: What’s the offseason look like for you? How will you spend your time outside of training?

JD: We live on a farm, so there’s obviously lots to do, and my parents always chirp me that I don’t do enough, so I’ll try to help them as much as possible. So, yeah, I think just spending time with family and friends, a little bit of golf here and there, and maybe some other fun activities.

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