David Bell fired as head coach of Senators' AHL team in Belleville

David Bell got a lump of coal in his stocking from the Ottawa Senators this Christmas.

Steve Staios, the club’s president of hockey operations and general manager, announced on Wednesday morning that the Senators have fired the head coach of the club’s American Hockey League affiliate in Belleville, who has been behind the bench since midway through the 2022-23 campaign.

Assistant Andrew Campbell was named the club’s interim head coach. He will make his debut on Friday night against the Rochester Americans on the road.

The club dropped a 4-3 decision to the Bridgeport Islanders on Sunday.

Staios delivered the news in a short meeting on Wednesday morning at the CAA Arena. The club has lost 10 of its past 12 games and has a record of 11-14-3 through 28 games.

“We are constantly evaluating ways to improve our organization and felt the timing was right for a fresh voice and approach in Belleville,” Staios said. “We thank David for his time and commitment in Belleville and the Bay of Quinte and wish him well in his next opportunity.”

Bell was in his third full season behind the bench. He was well respected by the players and is in the final year of his contract. He signed an extension after leading the club to the playoffs in 2024.

He closed out his career in Belleville with a solid 97-78-15-11 record.

It’s not known if Campbell will finish the season and then a search for a full-time replacement will begin. It’s not unusual for a National Hockey League team to make a change with the development club, especially with the results the Senators have had lately.

But finding a full-time coach at this juncture will be tough.

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League executives believe the top candidate for Belleville is Jay McKee, the head coach of the Ontario Hockey League’s Brantford Bulldogs. He signed through the 2027-28 campaign and recently achieved his 300th career OHL win.

He would likely have to finish the season with the Bulldogs, but has a long history with Staios and Senators owner Michael Andlauer.

McKee led the Bulldogs to the J. Ross Robertson Trophy as the OHL champions in 2022 when Andlauer owned the franchise while it was located in Hamilton.

He also has close ties with Belleville GM Matt Turek. They were together with the Bulldogs and enjoyed a lot of success.

More to come…

bgarrioch@postmedia.com