Offseason Roster Update: Five new players among Senators dozen free agent signings so far

There has been a lot of movement on the Belleville Senators roster front as we near the end of the first month of hockey’s free agency period. 

Ottawa General Manager Steve Staios and Belleville GM Matt Turek have evaluated last season’s roster and performances, and identified the players they’d like to keep in the organization for continued development, as well as those they’d like to target to supplement the group, adding more skill and experience. 

Here’s a recap of the dozen or so signings that have been completed so far, along with some updates on who’s headed elsewhere to start the 2025-26 campaign.

Who’s back?

Among the returning players signed by the Senators so far this season, goaltender Leevi Merilainen is probably the biggest name to re-up. Merilainen was masterful for the Senators at both the NHL and AHL levels last season, and has earned himself an extra season to make his mark.

The Senators also brought back Hayden Hodgson on a two-year NHL contract, giving the 29-year-old veteran power forward some stability for a couple of seasons. And, the club brought back forwards Wyatt Bongiovanni and Xavier Bourgault on two-way NHL deals for another season. Bongiovanni will be relied upon to continue his consistent scoring pace, as he did in 2024-25, while Bourgault will look to rebound from a season impacted by injury and prove why he was a first-round draft pick to Edmonton a few years back.

While all of those players could stay in the Nation’s Capital, or make their way to the Friendly City, the Belleville Sens have also signed three returning players on one-year, one-way, American Hockey League contracts for the upcoming season. 

Forward Jamieson Rees will be back for his second full season with the Senators, after being picked up in a deadline day trade in 2023-24, Keean Washkurak returns for another season looking to continue in a leadership role and help Belleville get back to the Calder Cup Playoffs, and Phil Daoust looks to build off the busiest season of his injury-plagued career, after playing a career-high .

Who’s In?

A handful of players will become first-time Senators this season, either in Ottawa or Belleville, including the four signed by Ottawa GM Steve Staios to one-year, two-way NHL contracts.

Goaltender Hunter Shepard brings a pair of Calder Cup Championships, an AHL top goaltender award and a pair of AHL All-Star selections to the Bay of Quinte Region, helping to supplement the team’s goaltending depth. Fellow netminder Jackson Parsons will be in a different situation as he signed an entry-level contract to make his professional debut, after a standout OHL career that finished with the Kitchener Rangers last season. 

Up front, forwards Olle Lycksell and Arthur Kaliyev bring some offensive firepower and strong hockey sense, to a team looking to expand its offensive capabilities in 2025-26. Kaliyev will aim to make his way back to the NHL, where he played last season with the New York Rangers, while Lycksell gets a fresh start on his NHL journey, moving to a new organization for the first time since being drafted by Philadelphia in 2017.

The final new addition so far is former Owen Sound Attack standout (and captain), Landen Hookey. The 21-year-old from Sarnia, Ontario, will make his professional debut this season after an OHL career that saw him put up 137 points (65 goals, 72 assists) over 243 career games with the Attack, and the Soo Greyhounds.

Who’s in Limbo?

There are three players who were restricted free agents and received qualifying offers from the Senators at the start of free agency, but have yet to sign. Defenders Donovan Sebrango and Maxence Guenette, and forward Jan Jenik all had their qualifying offers expire and are currently in negotiations on new deals for the upcoming season. Forward Tristen Robins, and goaltender Malcolm Subban are both unrestricted free agents and have yet to sign new contracts.

Who’s Out?

A handful of players will be leaving the organization, some after extensive time spent with Belleville and Ottawa. Forward Angus Crookshank leaves as Belleville’s all-time goal scorer (77) and second on the club’s all-time points list (149), after signing a two-year contract with the New Jersey Devils. 

Belleville lost two players to the Vegas Golden Knights organization, with defender Jeremy Davies signing there after one season with the Senators, and forward Cole Reinhardt inking a two-year deal with VGK, after five seasons with Belleville/Ottawa. Reinhardt departs as Belleville’s all time leader in games played (270) and penalty minutes (275). He’s also the AHL Sens’ third-highest point getter (131), third-highest goal scorer (54), and fourth-highest assist getter (131). Davies was named the club’s all star representative and top defenceman in 2024-25, and finished the campaign tied for second on the team in points (48).

The Senators will also lose two players to AHL opponents, including goaltender Michael Simpson, who signed a one-year AHL deal with the Charlotte Checkers (AHL affiliate of the Florida Panthers), and defenceman Wyatte Wylie, who inked a similar agreement with the rival Laval Rocket (AHL affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens). Simpson made 10 appearances for Belleville in his rookie pro season (4-3-0), while Wylie had 13 points in 56 games in his first season in Belleville.

And, a one-year Senator is returning home to Sweden, as defender Filip Roos heads back overseas to join Färjestad BK after picking up 17 assists and 42 penalty minutes in 68 games with Belleville last season. The big defenceman played all but four games for Belleville last sesason (68) and had 17 assists. It was his first campaign in the Bay of Quinte after signing as a free agent last summer.

The Belleville Sens could also see an influx of rookie prospects in 2025-26, including Ottawa’s first round draft pick (seventh overall) in 2024, Carter Yakemchuk, and others. You can keep track of all of the club’s offseason moves via the Belleville Sens Offseason Player Tracker, which is updated weekly.

The full 2025-26 Belleville Senators schedule is available here. Details on single-game tickets for 2025-26 will be announced in the coming weeks, but for now, Information on season seat memberships, flex packs, premium seating, the Business Edge program, and more, can be found by visiting the Belleville Sens Website.