Belleville Sens GM Admits Team Fell Short, Vows Organizational Improvement
Belleville GM Matt Turek admits the team fell short despite leading the AHL in goals scored, citing a -16 goal differential and mid-season coaching change as proof more work remains.
Belleville Senators general manager Matt Turek issued a pointed open letter to season-seat members on March 31, acknowledging the 2025-26 campaign failed to meet organizational standards, while committing to measurable changes heading into the club's 10th season in the Bay of Quinte.
The math tells the story bluntly. Belleville scored 151 goals, the most in the entire AHL, yet surrendered 167, the most allowed in the circuit, leaving the club at 19-19-8, 46 points, and sixth in the North Division. "We know that our performance this season did not meet the standard that you expect, and that we expect of ourselves," Turek wrote, naming three areas season-seat holders should hold the organization against next season: roster construction after the trade deadline, coaching stability, and net-run improvements at both ends of the ice.
That coaching instability is already a matter of record. David Bell was fired on December 17, 2025, after the team opened 11-14-3, with assistant Andrew Campbell stepping into an interim role. No permanent hire has been announced, making that decision the most visible promise Turek must fulfill before pucks drop in 2026-27.
Turek framed the developmental ledger as genuine progress. Forwards Stephen Halliday and Xavier Bourgault and defenders Carter Yakemchuk and Jorian Donovan all made their NHL debuts this season. Seven additional players, including Arthur Kaliyev, who led Belleville with 28 goals, Tyler Boucher, Oskar Pettersson, Lassi Thomson, Dennis Gilbert, and goaltenders Mads Søgaard and Leevi Meriläinen, were recalled to Ottawa or practiced with the NHL club. Philippe Daoust paced the team with 26 assists.
The letter landed alongside the launch of 2026-27 season-seat renewals, with memberships starting at $20 per game. For the franchise entering its anniversary season, Turek's public accountability pledge sets a clear standard: the pipeline is producing, but a -16 goal differential and a mid-season coaching dismissal demand a different result on the standings page.
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