Belleville Senators

Lore & Background

In July 2016, Broome County officials stated that the Ottawa Senators intended to relocate their franchise, then known as the Binghamton Senators, closer to the parent club for the 2017–18 season despite still having three more years on their lease. On September 26, 2016, Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk confirmed that he had purchased the Binghamton team and would be relocating it to become the Belleville Senators for the 2017–18 season. In order to accommodate an AHL team, the City of Belleville approved more than $20 million in upgrades to Yardmen Arena once the Senators agreed to an eight-year lease.

The Senators kept Kurt Kleinendorst as head coach for the franchise's inaugural season in Belleville, but after a 29–42–2–3 record and missing the playoffs, his contract was not renewed. He was replaced by Troy Mann. The team improved in the 2018–19 season, finishing in fifth place in the North Division behind the play of younger players Drake Batherson, Logan Brown, Rudolfs Balcers, and Erik Brannstrom. Led by Josh Norris, Alex Formenton, and Drake Batherson, the B-Sens were leading the North Division when the 2019–20 season was cancelled on May 11 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The team had amassed a 38–20–4–1 record and were the best road team in the league having won 23 games and a .790 road win percentage. The B-Sens' 234 goals were the most in the AHL.

The start for the following 2020–21 season was delayed due to the ongoing pandemic. In December 2020, the Senators agreed to a seven-year lease extension with the city of Belleville through the 2026–27 AHL season. In January 2021, the league announced a temporary realignment due to the pandemic border restrictions and the B-Sens were placed in an all-Canada division, but had no set start date due to venue usage and restrictions in the province of Ontario. The Belleville Senators started on the road before announcing their home games would be played in Ottawa at the Canadian Tire Centre for the entire season.

During the 2022–23 season, Belleville fired Troy Mann as coach on February 2, 2023, while sitting sixth in the AHL's North Division. Assistant coach David Bell was named new head coach. After the departure of captain Dillon Heatherington in the offseason, on October 8, 2024, Belleville named Garrett Pilon the sixth captain in franchise history. In August 2025, the City of Belleville and the Senators agreed to a three-year lease extension through the 2029–30 AHL season, with the option to extend the lease another five years up to 2034–35. After going 11–14–3 to start the 2025–26 season, Belleville fired David Bell as head coach on December 17, 2025, while sitting fifth in the North Division. The Senators named assistant coach Andrew Campbell as interim head coach. The interim tag was lifted on June 22, 2026 when Campbell signed a three-year extension with Belleville.

Reader's Guide

The Belleville Senators represent a significant relocation in AHL history, moving from Binghamton, New York, to Belleville, Ontario, for the 2017–18 season to be closer to their NHL parent club, the Ottawa Senators. The franchise's early years were marked by struggles, including a last-place finish in their inaugural season, but they quickly rebounded to become one of the league's top teams. The 2019–20 season was particularly notable: the B-Sens led the North Division with a 38–20–4–1 record, were the best road team in the AHL with a .790 win percentage, and scored a league-leading 234 goals before the season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic also forced the team to play its 2020–21 home games at the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa due to Ontario restrictions. The franchise has seen multiple coaching changes, from Kurt Kleinendorst to Troy Mann to David Bell, and finally to Andrew Campbell, who was named permanent head coach in June 2026. The team's lease with the City of Belleville has been extended multiple times, most recently in August 2025 through the 2029–30 season with an option to extend to 2034–35, ensuring the B-Sens' long-term presence in the community. The team's radio broadcasts on 800 CJBQ, with commentators David Foot and Tim Durkin, provide consistent coverage, and Foot also hosts a weekly podcast on the team and the AHL.

Did You Know?

• The Belleville Senators were originally the Binghamton Senators before relocating for the 2017–18 season.
• The team scored a league-leading 234 goals in the 2019–20 season, which was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• During the 2020–21 season, the B-Sens played their home games at the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa due to Ontario restrictions.
• Garrett Pilon was named the sixth captain in franchise history on October 8, 2024.

From Binghamton to Belleville: A Franchise Reborn

The Belleville Senators did not arrive in their current home by accident. In the summer of 2016, Broome County officials revealed that the Ottawa Senators organization planned to move its American Hockey League affiliate closer to the parent club for the 2017–18 campaign, even though the Binghamton Senators still had three years remaining on their lease. On September 26, 2016, Ottawa owner Eugene Melnyk publicly confirmed that he had acquired the Binghamton franchise and would relocate it to Belleville, Ontario. The Binghamton Devils were subsequently announced as the team that would assume the vacated lease. To make the move viable, the City of Belleville committed to more than twenty million dollars in renovations to Yardmen Arena, which now operates as CAA Arena, contingent on the Senators signing an eight-year lease. The franchise, affectionately nicknamed the B-Sens by local fans, thus began its life in a small Ontario community with a fresh start and a clear mandate: to serve as a closer developmental pipeline for Ottawa's NHL roster.

Coaching Carousel and a Roster in Motion

The B-Sens have cycled through multiple head coaches since arriving in Belleville, reflecting a franchise still searching for its on-ice identity. Inaugural-season coach Kurt Kleinendorst guided the team to a 29–42–2–3 mark and a playoff miss before his contract lapsed. Troy Mann, recently released from the Hershey Bears, took over and oversaw a 2018–19 campaign in which the squad finished fifth in the North Division, buoyed by emerging talent like Drake Batherson, Logan Brown, Rudolfs Balcers, and Erik Brannstrom. The 2019–20 season saw Josh Norris, Alex Formenton, and Batherson lead a team that topped the division before the pandemic halted play. By the 2022–23 season, Mann was let go in February, with assistant David Bell stepping in. Bell's tenure ended on December 17, 2025, after an 11–14–3 start, and Andrew Campbell was named interim head coach. Campbell's interim status was removed on June 22, 2026, when he signed a three-year contract, bringing a measure of stability to a bench seat that had changed hands four times in under a decade.

Playing Through a Pandemic

The global health crisis of 2020 struck the B-Sens at a particularly painful moment. Entering the 2019–20 season with momentum, the team held a 38–20–4–1 record and led the North Division when the AHL suspended play on May 11. They had posted the league's best road record with 23 wins and a .790 percentage, and their 234 goals were the most in the entire league. The following campaign proved even more chaotic. The 2020–21 season's start was pushed back, and in January 2021 the league implemented a temporary realignment that placed Belleville in an all-Canada division. However, Ontario's public-health restrictions meant no games could initially be played in the province. The B-Sens began the season on the road, and the organization ultimately announced that every home game for the year would be relocated to Ottawa's Canadian Tire Centre. Despite the upheaval, the franchise secured a seven-year lease extension with the city in December 2020, signaling that the pandemic would not derail its long-term commitment to Belleville.

Roots, Radio, and the Road Ahead

Beyond the ice, the B-Sens have cultivated a tight-knit community identity anchored by local media and long-term planning. Radio station 800 CJBQ serves as the team's official broadcasting partner, with commentators David Foot and Tim Durkin calling every game. Foot also hosts a weekly podcast dedicated to Senators news and broader AHL coverage, giving fans a regular touchpoint between games. On the leadership front, the franchise has seen its captaincy evolve; after Dillon Heatherington's departure, Garrett Pilon was named the sixth captain in team history on October 8, 2024. The organization's future in Belleville appears firmly secured: in August 2025, the city and the Senators agreed to a three-year lease extension running through the 2029–30 season, with an option to extend another five years through 2034–35. The roster also includes players who have logged at least 100 games each for Belleville and the NHL, underscoring the franchise's role as a genuine stepping stone in professional careers.

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