Roster Notes:
The parent club Ottawa Senators were active ahead of yesterday’s NHL trade deadline and at least one move is going to have a significant impact on the AHL affiliate in Belleville. Among his moves yesterday, Ottawa General Manager Steve Staios made a deal to acquire forwards Fabian Zetterlund and Tristen Robins from the San Jose Sharks, for a package that included current Belleville forward Zack Ostapchuk, and Noah Gregor. Ostapchuk leaves Belleville after playing 84 games for the club over the past two seasons, registering 39 points (19 goals, 20 assists). While Zetterlund is headed to Ottawa, Robins is headed to Belleville and will join the AHL Sens here in Pennsylvania. The 23-year-old, UK-born forward was drafted by San Jose in the second round of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft and has put up 18 points (seven goals, 11 assists) in 41 games with Sharks AHL affiliate the San Jose Barracuda this season. Inactives for Belleville tonight include Wyatt Bongiovanni, Jamieson Rees, Mads Sogaard and Donovan Sebrango. You can
click here for a full list of up-to-date transactions, with full lineup details ahead of game time via the Belleville Sens social channels (@BellevilleSens).
Who to Watch:
Senators blueliner Max Guenette has scored empty net goals in both games so far this week and while a couple of insurance goals into an empty cage might not seem like a big deal, those two tallies have helped the fourth-year Senator take the lead in another of Belleville’s all-time defensive stat categories. Guenette already tops the club’s all-time defensive list for games played (221), points (111), assists (86) and now goals (25), passing Lassi Thomson to take over the record. The 23-year-old from Sainte-Foy, Quebec has three points (two goals, one assist) over his last two games and had that empty net goal, an assist, and a +3 rating on Wednesday in Hershey.
Meanwhile, Penguins rookie Rutger McGroarty lived up to his top prospect status last night in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s 7-1 win in Hartford. The 20-year-old, who was taken 14th overall in the 2022 NHL Draft by the Winnipeg Jets and traded to the Penguins, had three points last night (one goal, two assists) and sits eighth in scoring among AHL rookies with 34-points (11 goals, 23 assists). The former University of Michigan Wolverines star is also fourth on the Penguins in in scoring and has three assists in three games against Belleville this season.