SENSNEWS

Stephen Halliday had a tremendous finish to his season with the Belleville Senators. After finishing his college career with the Ohio State Buckeyes, Halliday joined the Belleville Senators and exceeded all expectations by a landslide.

Stephen Halliday’s NCAA Season

Stephen Halliday’s Ohio State Buckeyes struggled this season in the NCAA. However, Halliday was able to lead his team in scoring for the second straight season, scoring 36 points in 38 games. This led the Buckeyes by 10 points, showcasing the amount of heavy lifting Halliday did for Ohio State.

Halliday concluded his NCAA career putting up an impressive 77 points in 78 games, 58 of which were assists. After being eliminated from the NCAA Tournament, Halliday would go on to sign a 2-year ELC with the organization. For the time that remained this season, he was signed to an ATO (AHL tryout).

With that, Halliday was able to join the Belleville Senators for their playoff push, and eventually their actual playoffs. Halliday began playing on the team’s fourth line, but his performances quickly saw him shoot up the depth chart.

Stephen Halliday Season With Belleville

Halliday was able to suit up for the last 10 games of the Belleville Senators’ season. In these games, Halliday got himself five assists. His playmaking playstyle had clearly translated to the AHL, and Halliday continued to improve with more experience and opportunity.

Where Halliday made the most of his opportunity was on the power play. The extra ice seemed to open up the game for Halliday to utilize his vision and creativity on another level.

On a number of occasions, Halliday was able to set up his teammates for golden opportunities that most players couldn’t see, let alone make.

Wyatt Bongiovanni and Josh Currie both seemed to have good chemistry with Halliday. Especially in the playoffs, after Ostapchuk went down with an injury for a couple of games, Halliday stepped up with those linemates to continue providing high-end offense for the Senators.

As I hinted at above, Stephen Halliday really stepped up his game in the playoffs. While Zack Ostapchuk’s injury was very unfortunate, it did allow Halliday to get an opportunity in the team’s top six as a center. Luckily for Belleville, Halliday really made the most of this opportunity.

Halliday finished the playoff season scoring two goals and seven assists for nine points in seven games. Prior to the Belleville Senators being eliminated from the playoffs, Halliday was sitting second in AHL playoff scoring behind only Mavrik Bourque of the Texas Stars.

To step up his game when the lights were brightest speaks volumes about Halliday as a player. He continued to improve with time and really began to excel after developing some familiarity and chemistry with his teammates.

At just 21 years old, Halliday had already established himself as an on-ice leader in Belleville. Head coach Dave Bell spoke highly of the rookie, comparing his skill level to that of prospect Roby Järventie. Bell also described Halliday as someone who has “elite skill”.

Well, his (Stephen Halliday’s) skill set is elite. He gets better and better every game. I know everybody watches the goals and the passes, but he’s winning some face-offs in the defensive zone and winning stick battles that he wasn’t winning 10 or 12 games ago.

He’s just getting better every day and learning the league. When he learns the league and the pace of the league, he’s going to be a really dangerous player. Dave Bell

Dave Bell

Is Stephen Halliday A Dark Horse To Make The Ottawa Senators

After the season that was for Stephen Halliday, I think it is fair to say that he has an outside chance at making the NHL squad next season. His hot stretch in the playoffs with Belleville should inspire confidence as he goes into the Ottawa Senators’ camp.

Not to mention, Halliday has already made a good impression on the Senators’ management team. During the last development camp, Halliday was noted as having one of the strongest camps among the prospects in attendance.

With the bottom six needing to be revamped this offseason, it isn’t impossible to imagine Halliday earning a spot on the wing.

Depth scoring has been an issue with the Senators for the past couple of seasons. Halliday has proven he can provide in the AHL, and perhaps has the offensive capabilities to provide secondary scoring in the NHL next season.

Down the middle, it would be very difficult for Halliday to crack the roster. The Sens already have center depth with Tim Stützle, Josh Norris, and Shane Pinto for the top three lines. With the type of game Halliday plays, he is not your prototypical fourth-line center either.

But if the Senators struggle to add in free agency, or if they run into injury struggles again, a spot could be open for the taking. You would have to assume prospects like Roby Järventie and Zack Ostapchuk will also be pushing for a bottom-six role with the team.

While it will be difficult for Halliday to crack the NHL team this year, it won’t be impossible. If he is able to have a stellar camp and/or pre-season with the team, we could see him sneaking his way onto the NHL team out of camp.

If not, expect Halliday to be a key contributor with Belleville this season. As an AHL player, Halliday should be able to rack up the points while playing a top-six center role. He should also provide some strength to the power play unit as the main setup option.

The ball is in Stephen Halliday’s court this offseason. Hopefully, the young center is able to make the most of his opportunities, and at the very least force management into a very tough roster decision.