B-Sens Shine at AHL Awards Night

BIRMINGHAM, ON -- Senators fans had something to cheer about at the conclusion of the RHL Awards Show yesterday. Despite some glaring omissions on the nomination ballot from the big club, the AHL club out of Belleville saw its leaders recognized and rewarded with hardware for their performance this season.

The headline: Nicolas Beaudin was awarded the Eddie Shore award as the AHL's top defenseman in the 2021 - 2022 season. Beaudin was easily the baby Senators' best player this season; anchoring the top d pair, top powerplay, and top penalty kill unit. He served as the team's alternate captain despite being the youngest player on the team to start the season, and lived up to the responsibility of the role. Beaudin played all eighty two games for the Belleville Senators this season, averaging 23:44 TOI per game and scoring 10 goals, 43 assists, and 53 points. In addition to the offense, he made significant contributions in his own zone as well. He finished second on the team with a +13 rating, 111 shot blocks (led team), 35 takeaways (2nd). It's no surprise he was the GMs choice for AHL defenseman of the year.

At just 22 years of age, the Sens are hoping Beaudin will elevate his game to the NHL level and hold down the Ottawa blueline for years to come. It's doubtful whether he'll make the big club next season, but he remains a key piece for the organization and for GM Noddan's future plans for the team.

The other Belleville connection up for consideration was Finn Kalle Kossila, who finished 3rd in voting for the Les Cunningham Award, aka the AHL's Heart trophy awarded to the league's most valuable player during the regular season. In a heartbreaking move for Belleville fans, Noddan moved Kossila to the Utica Comets at the trade deadline as a rental. It's rare for a league MVP candidate to be traded, especially when the Senators were nearly guaranteed a playoff spot by that point in the season, but it seems the organization was willing to sacrifice short term minor league success for some future potential. But as they say, hockey's a business and with Kossila now a UFA, getting something back for an expiring asset may prove necessary in the coming years.

While playing for the Senators, Kalle Kossila scored 60 points in 60 games, including 22 goals and 38 assists. Serving as the other alternate captain, Kossila led the baby Sens' forwards in ice time with 19:52, and was a fixture on the team's top line and #1 PP unit. He registered an astounding 4.8 shots per game, was the first star in 5 of his 60 games, and was absolutely Belleville's MVP before the trade.

In Utica, the deeper team saw his ice time drop a little, but Kossila continued his rapid scoring pace, potting 16 more points in 18 games with his new team. He also led the Comets in scoring during the playoffs, ultimately suffering a narrow 4-3 loss in the second round to Cleveland. Despite what the voters said, Kossila was absolutely the MVP for both organizations this season.