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 Stephen Halliday, who completed his first full professional season by leading the Belleville Sens in scoring:
DF: Congratulations on your club rookie of the year award. 52 points is a pretty good campaign for a first-year player in this league, and you finished among the top scorers in rookies in the AHL. How did you feel about your first full season in the American Hockey League after joining the team late last year?
SH: There were a lot of things to learn in terms of the number of games you play, I think I played 71, so almost a full season, and a lot of things to learn from the older guys, how to take care of my body. Overall, I thought I got better as the year went on, but we didn’t make the playoffs, so that was disappointing. Especially after getting a taste of it last year, it just shows how hard it is to make it. I wouldn’t say it was an entirely successful season, but I definitely got better at the game of hockey.
DF: How different was this season and playoff push from last year, or was it different at all?
SH: Last year, I just didn’t really know what to expect, and I kind of took it for granted. I didn’t realize how hard it was to make the playoffs because we jumped a couple of teams right at the end and won the first round. So I’ve realized how special that was in hindsight. But it’s good to add fuel to the fire for next year to come back and make the playoffs. We have a really good group of young guys here, so I think we can really push next year.
DF: You talk about adding fuel to the fire or what motivates you. You got a couple of call-ups to Ottawa to practice this season. What was that experience like, and how much more fuel does that add to making that next step to the National Hockey League?
SH: It was cool for them to reward me like that and to be able to practice with Timmy (Tim Stutzle) and G (Claude Giroux) and learn…
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