Belleville's Arthur Kaliyev has been ripping it up in the AHL, leading in scoring and on Thursday, earning an All-Star nod.
The Ottawa Senators don’t exactly have the deepest prospect pool in the world, but Belleville Senators winger Arthur Kaliyev is one prospect who's doing everything he can to earn a return to the NHL this season.
Kaliyev has been crushing it in the American Hockey League, leading the AHL in a number of offensive categories through 37 games. The 24-year-old has piled up 24 goals, including 12 power-play goals, along with 42 points and 150 shots on goal; all league-leading totals.
For his efforts, Kaliyev was named to the American Hockey League All-Star Classic on Wednesday. The event will be hosted this year by the Rockford IceHogs.
Kaliyev will take part in the skills competition on Feb. 10, followed by the All-Star Challenge on Feb. 11, which pits the league’s four divisions against each other in a round-robin, three-on-three tournament.
The timing isn’t ideal with hockey fans fully focused on the start of the men’s Olympic hockey tournament on Feb. 11 in Italy. However, there isn’t much direct conflict, as Italy is six hours ahead, meaning the Olympic Games will all be played in the morning or afternoon Eastern Time.
Kaliyev becomes the latest Belleville Senator to be named an AHL All-Star, joining the likes of Jeremy Davies (2025), Angus Crookshank and Max Guenette (2024), Igor Sokolov (2023), and Drake Batherson (2019).
Kaliyev has appeared in just two games with the parent club in Ottawa this season, recording one assist. He’s best known for his elite shot release, a weapon that would immediately help any NHL power play. However, his overall quickness still needs refining, which remains the primary hockey reason he’s in the AHL, despite having already logged more than 200 NHL games in his career.
Another factor could be the news that broke back in early November, after Kaliyev's ex-girlfriend accused him online and in the New York Post of conning her out of money. The league was said to be looking into the matter, but after two and a half months, nothing seems to have come of it.
The B-Sens will host the Rochester Americans on Friday night. Then on Sunday, while Ottawa is in Detroit, Belleville will make a cameo appearance at Canadian Tire Centre, hosting Utica. Unfortunately, for fans who wanted to see Kaliyev and some of the Sens' AHL prospects, Ottawa's game is at the same time in Detroit (5 pm).
Steve Warne
The Hockey News Ottawa
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