Ottawa Senators return to the ice for training camp ahead of season with big expectations

Head coach Travis Green didn’t waste time getting Ottawa Senators players back into shape on the first on-ice day of training camp. CTV’s Dylan Dyson reports.

A summer has passed since the Ottawa Senators’ most successful season in nearly a decade, and the team has returned to the ice for training camp.

Fifty-two players took to the ice at the Bell Sensplex Thursday looking to shake off the off-season rust, and head coach Travis Green was pushing his team right from the jump.

“I think you guys saw those skates, those aren’t fun no matter how much you work on it,” Senators team captain Brady Tkachuk told media Thursday.

“I’m glad the toughest part is over. Now we can focus on, day in day out, getting in the best shape possible for these games that are coming up.”

Following the camp’s first day on the ice, Green said he believes his camps prepare players for the tough NHL season ahead, adding that he thinks the intensity isn’t as high as it is made out to be.

Many Senators were laid out on the ice or on hands and knees at the end of day one.

“I just think you need to have a hard camp to be ready to play,” said Green. “Summer skates are a lot different.”

After making the playoffs for the first time in eight years, there are heavy expectations for a repeat performance of last season at minimum. Many fans hoping for even better.

“I think, definitely, the playoffs should be a goal, and winning the first round would be great,” said Sens fan Mike Dube who turned out to watch day one of camp at the Sensplex.

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“I’m thinking they’re going to build on what they did last year,” added Sens fan Jeff Condie.

“They will be a little bit more competitive; they’ve got that experience. So, I’m hoping for a top three finish in the division.”

Jake Sanderson was noted as the team’s top performer coming out of Wednesday’s medical assessments and fitness testing. The defenceman, entering his fourth year in the league, agrees that he wants to see more from his team.

“I think we’ve got to keep raising the bar every single year,” he said Thursday. “We’re not going to just get to the playoffs because we did last year.”

Not many changes were made to the team in the off-season, with management and the coaching staff believing the right ingredients are already in the nation’s capital to take the next step.

“Our players need to become better than they were last year,” said Green. “I think we’ve got a lot of players that have room to grow in their individual game. We challenged our players to come back better and put the work in in the off-season. It starts there.”

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