#5 Wyatt Bongiovanni – Belleville Sens

With the 2025 Calder Cup Playoffs well underway and the Belleville Senators wading into the offseason, David Foot sat down with the players to reflect on a year filled with challenges, growth, and standout moments. In this exclusive series of year-in-review interviews, players open up about their personal journeys, team milestones, and what it meant to represent Belleville and the Bay of Quinte this season. From locker room highlights to on-ice battles, these conversations offer a behind-the-scenes look at the season that was — and a glimpse at what’s ahead.

Today, we check in with forward Wyatt Bongiovanni, who completed his first full season with Belleville, after being acquired at the 2024 trade dealine.

DF: You joined the team at the deadline last year but got a full year as a member of the Belleville Senators. How did you feel about your year?

WB: It was fun. It was good being a part of this group. Coming in last year, I was just trying to get my feet under me, and I did a pretty good job of getting acclimated to the city and my surroundings pretty quickly. So, it gave me a little bit of a head start coming into this year. I had some ups and downs with injuries, but my play on the ice saw some major improvements from seasons prior. Overall, I thought it was a positive experience for me. I definitely developed as a player and as a person, and I think that’s all you can ask for.

DF: You set a career high in points and in goals, even with those injuries that you talked about. What were the keys to staying consistent even through having to take those breaks to rehab?

WB: It’s just taking things day by day. I think having a really good process allows you to trust the work that you’ve put in. You just have to have confidence in your day-to-day, your everyday nutrition, etc., and you stay consistent, and the results will follow.

DF: I know you and Stephen Halliday room together, and one of the things we heard a lot about at this time last year was how tight the group was. It seemed like that was prevalent again with this season’s edition of the Senators.

WB: No question. Stephen and I got along from the moment we both arrived last year. We had some success on the ice, and he’s a fun guy to be around. We learned a lot from each other, which made for a conducive environment for us. We had a lot of fun at the house; there are definitely a lot of memories. And that only allows us to get closer in the locker room and on the ice. We can…