Wednesday morning, the Ottawa Senators made the announcement that David Bell was relieved of his duties as head coach of their American Hockey League affiliate in Belleville. Assistant coach Andrew Campbell has been elevated to interim head coach.
Ottawa Senators general manager stated in a media release, “We are constantly evaluating ways to improve our organization and felt the timing was right for a fresh voice and approach in Belleville. We thank David for his time and commitment in Belleville and the Bay of Quinte and wish him well in his next opportunity.”
As Staios stated, evaluation and timing were key in the organizational decision to make a coaching change. The “BSens” record is 2-6-2 over the past 10 games, and they are mired in fifth-place in the North Division standings. Their biggest issue is that each club in the Division possesses games in hand on Belleville. Cleveland Monsters trail Belleville by one point, but have played five fewer games. Four teams ahead hold two or three games in hand. The AHL Senators have allowed a league-high 105 goals.
Named an assistant for Belleville, July 1, 2024, Campbell served two years as an assistant with the Ontario Hockey League Hamilton Bulldogs after being hired by then President/GM Steve Staios under the ownership of Senators owner Michael Andlauer.
The Belleville Senators are retaining assistant Stefan Leigen and goalie coach Paul Gibson.
Bell leaves the Senators in the midst of seventh season with the organization, having joined then-Belleville head coach Troy Mann as an assistant in 2019. Bell took over as interim when Mann was relieved in February 2022 and was officially named head coach two months later. The 57-year-old compiled a 97-78-26 record during this time.
Kleven and Halliday are appreciative of Bell’s influence
Senators defenseman Tyler Kleven spent his first full pro season playing 53 games under Bell’s tutelage. Kleven spoke of how Bell assisted his transition from playing at the University of North Dakota to the professional game,
“I think my time down there, I thought “Bells” was a great coach. I thought that he really helped me out with the transition from college hockey to pro hockey. It wasn’t super smooth. It took time to understand how to play multiple games, more than two games every week, and how to manage your body and practice like a pro. And I thought that he was a big reason why I’m here in the NHL today, I thought that how he handled me down there was everything that I wanted.”
Kleven told Hockey HotStove, “We had conversations on a lot of topics, and how he thought that I should play. I thought that my game in Belleville and my time down there was beneficial. He was definitely a big reason of it in the video room and on the ice. I thought that he had a lot of passion for the game and really cared about the guys down there.”
Centre Stephen Halliday, who’s spent parts of three seasons under Bell in Belleville, including 17 games this season, explained AHL Senators head coach was beneficial in his development, “He meant a lot to me, so he helped me a lot throughout my career. So I owe a lot to him. Really sad to see him go. I’m definitely gonna keep in contact with him. He’s a guy that I helped me a lot, through my first season, especially. I didn’t have the greatest start, and he gave me a lot of confidence. I certainly wouldn’t be in this dressing room without David Bell.”
Halliday was appreciative of Bell’s assistance not only on the ice but off.
“He was really hard on me, and I learned a lot day to day how to be a pro from him. He was the guy I leaned on in the summer, he definitely helped me, kept it really honest with me, and how to get better. I owe a great deal of my success in hockey to David Bell.”
Senators Quick Hits
Per Ottawa Senators head coach Travis Green told assembled media post-practice Wednesday, defenseman Thomas Chabot will return to the lineup Saturday when the team faces the Chicago Blackhawks. Chabot has missed 15 of the Senators past 16 games after sustaining an upper-body injury originally on November 13 versus Boston. The d-man returned for one game in San Jose nine days later, playing 21:48, but re-injured himself in the late stages of the game.
Chabot said he was cleared to play against the Sharks, and sustaining the same injury occurrence was “sh**** luck.”
Green also announced Shane Pinto has started skating and was on the ice for the “Melnyk Skate for Kids” charity event held after Senators practice. Pinto was injured in a collision with New York Ranger Mika Zibanejad on December 4.
It was confirmed that centre Lars Eller sustained a broken foot blocking a shot in the Senators first of their latest three-game road trip in Columbus. Eller will miss another three weeks.
Goalie Linus Ullmark and blueliner Jake Sanderson each left practice early. Green noted there was no concern for either player.
Winners of two of three, the Ottawa Senators are home to Sidney Crosby, Erik Karlsson and newly acquired Stuart Skinner’s Pittsburgh Penguins Thursday.
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