Arthur Kaliyev scored 39 goals and was a star player on a Belleville Senators team that didn’t have much around him.
The American Hockey League announced its first and second teams this week, recognizing the best players at every position this season. The only player to make the list who won’t be playing the Calder Cup Playoffs is Arthur Kaliyev. He was a star this season and carried the Belleville Senators' offense. The problem is that the rest of the team struggled and finished in last place in the North Division.
Kaliyev Kept on Scoring
On the Senators team that didn’t have much help around him, Kaliyev carried the offense. He was driving play and both finding open skaters while finding the back of the net himself, oftentimes. His 39 goals and 28 assists say a lot but hardly tell the full story.
What makes his season better is that he was producing at a high level on a team where everything around him was falling apart. The Senaotrs got off to a slow start and replaced their head coach midseason. By the end, the team was checked out and playing out the string. Not Kaliyev. He kept playing at a high level to ultimately lead the league in goals.
Kaliyev Helped Bring Along The Prospects
Kaliyev fueled an offense that was above average, scoring 3.1 goals per game. However, he also helped out the younger and developing skaters on the team. While the Senators don’t have a surplus of prospects, the few who were on the team benefited from Kaliyev’s offense, notably the scoring defenseman Carter Yakemchuk.
He also emerged as one of the leaders on the AHL team. The Senators had a leadership void following the coaching change, with Andrew Campbell catching up and relying on the veterans to help him out. Kaliyev did just that.
The Senators didn’t have a great veteran presence, which explains in part their last-place finish in the North Division. It set them back and prevented key prospects from developing. Kaliyev was a bright spot and proved he’s a building block in the AHL, a key player to build around in the future.
Kaliyev’s Path Back to the NHL?
Kaliyev struggled early on in his NHL career. He wasn’t a good player on the Los Angeles Kings and struggled to carve out a full-time role. He’s also had plenty of off-the-ice issues that have prevented NHL teams from giving him a chance.
That said, he’s still a young player in the big picture, a 24-year-old who, like the prospects he mentors, is still learning the game. There’s enough time for him to return to the NHL, and he’s talented enough on the offensive end to do so. This season proved it.