It's hard not to like a six-foot-four, 213-pound centre who can jump right into the AHL playoffs as a rookie and score nine points in seven games.
Over the course of the offseason, the Ottawa Senators made several depth additions to bolster their forward depth. The additions of Nick Cousins and Noah Gregor to the fourth line will improve the team's depth, but one of the roles that remains unclaimed is the fourth-line centre role.
Assuming everyone's healthy, Tim Stützle, Josh Norris, and Shane Pinto should stake claims to the first three spots on the depth chart. Behind that, things get murky.
Cousins took 32 faceoffs last season, while Noah Gregor took 24. An opportunity exists for a prospect like Halliday to build off the momentum of last season's AHL playoff run and parlay that into an opening day roster spot.
After leaving Ohio State last season, Stephen Halliday tallied five assists in 10 regular season AHL games.
In the postseason, however, Halliday led the B-Sens in playoff scoring with two goals and nine points in seven games. The centre discussed how he was feeling on day one of Sens rookie camp, and ahead of the team's 2024 Prospects Challenge tournament in Buffalo.
Tell us about your first day of training camp here...
"It was pretty good. A lot of the guys have been here for a while, just a couple of the AHL guys last year. Obviously, the NHL team has been pretty cool, just to be around those guys, and then obviously, today was pretty tough for the last two days with (Belleville head coach David Bell) but it's going to pay off hopefully tomorrow."
How did the feeling on the ice today compare to just the other couple of weeks in prep for you?
"It was good. It was good to get into some flow drills and back to (a regular) practice and stuff. So it's been a little bit more skill work and stuff with the last skates the last two weeks, but overall, it's been pretty good."
After your playoff run at the end of Belleville's season, did it change your approach coming into this camp?
"I wouldn't say it changed my outlook, but I kind of went into Belleville trying to think of what I could work on in the summer to prepare me for the pro game. It's a little bit different than the college games, (playing only) 30 or so games, and then obviously playing with a lot of bigger, stronger guys. But I've got a lot of guys like (Matthew Highmore), (Josh Currie), (Bokondji Imama). A lot of those guys helped me to translate pretty quick. So, I was really thankful for those guys. But yeah, I wouldn't say my mindset changed at all, but I definitely think it gave me a little bit of a confidence."
Did you train differently in the off season?
"Yeah, I wouldn't say I trained a whole lot differently. I kind of did the same thing. I went to Ohio State back with a couple of my teammates who kind of went through the same thing and signed with some different pro teams. So, Mason Lohrei, he went on the run with Boston, so he was there for a little bit and a lot of other guys. So it was kind of good to just see the those guys again, and then obviously we had a good group."
What was some of the feedback you got at the end of last season that you were able to bring into this camp?
"I think just getting more comfortable overall in the pro game. You know, whether it's being stronger on the walls or knowing when to do certain things. So, I think I learned a lot with Bellsy. He taught me a lot of the different stuff that I needed to work on to be better this season. But, it was last year. So, I think Bellsy did a really good job with just kind of harping on the little things with me."
In your situation, leaving school at the end of the year, players in your situation often don't see as many minutes as you did. Clearly, you had to trust the coaching staff. What is it about your game that let them trust you so much?
"Yeah, I think with Bellsy, it's like a two-way street. I think Bellsy is really honest, and that's what I love about him as a coach. He kind of harped on me early on, that I've got to play a certain way if I want to play. And, obviously, he asked me to step up a little bit and play a little bit more minutes towards the playoffs.
And I was really happy, really grateful, that he allowed me to do that. And then obviously, I try to do my best."
What kind of expectations have you put on yourself for this weekend, but also the camp?
"Yeah, I've asked a lot of guys, just being on the AHL team last year, almost all of them have done rookie camp. So, I had really good chats with (Tyler Kleven) who was telling me about his experience, or (Brady Tkachuk) who did last year. They just said to have fun, use it as a tune up, make sure you're playing good hockey going into camp.
And then, obviously, a lot of us at rookie camp that are going into main camp, we're really using it as a tool to get a leg up going into main camp."