Guenette enjoying breakout sophomore campaign

Sophomore defenceman Maxence Guenette is certainly making his mark with the Belleville Senators.

The 21-year-old native of Sainte-Foy, Quebec has become a consistent contributor from the backend. The right-handed shot rearguard has already set a franchise record for the most points in a single season by a defenceman. Through 68 games, Guenette has registered 38 points (four goals, 34 assists).

He has also shown consistent improvement away from the puck. This is a sure sign that the talented rearguard is committed to becoming a well-rounded professional.

“I just want to build my game around my five-on-five play and if I can add some points and some momentum to the team on the power play. That’s what I’m aiming for.”

Thus far, Guenette has shown the maturity and work ethic to make the necessary adjustments to the American Hockey League. While his offensive totals are impressive, Belleville Senators interim head coach David Bell is equally impressed with his overall development.

“He’s probably the most improved player on the team this year, to be honest with you. He’s run a pretty good power play all year. He’s killed penalties when we need him to, and his growth as a player, his confidence, his leadership; when I say that, I mean, being able to control the defensive zone and talk and sort things out has been great. He’s improved vastly in that. I think he’s probably the most improved player on the team. He’s trending in the right direction, his trajectory is good, so as an organization, that’s all we can ask for.”

While his ultimate objective is to make his National Hockey League debut, the Senators’ 2019 seventh-round selection is more than happy to stay the course as he works to improve daily.

“I think I’m making progress. I’m working on trying to crack through right now. I’m just starting my journey here. But this is going to be a goal for me in the next few years, and probably next season. We’ll see what my summer is going to be like, but yeah, it’s going to be a goal pretty soon for me.”

Ultimately, Guennette has played his hand perfectly by using his offensive strengths to good effect while at the same time building in areas where his game required more fine-tuning, much to the satisfaction of team executives and staff.