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“One more year there is really going to set me up well to come into Ottawa,” Bernard-Docker said from his home in Cochrane, Alta., Saturday. “The year didn’t end the way we wanted to. That’s part of it, I’ve got a lot of pride in the program (in North Dakota), and I think one more year under my belt is really going to help me come into Ottawa to be as good a player as I can be.”

The club also has prospect forward Shane Pinto — who was a standout for Team USA at the world juniors and was selected No. 32 overall last spring — at North Dakota, but he was expected to return there any way.

The Senators won’t have any issue with the decision by Bernard-Docker to stay in school. Yes, after seeing him at the world junior championships, they probably felt he was ready to make the next step to play for their AHL affiliate in Belleville, but another year of development at a strong program isn’t going to be the worst-case scenario for him.

Dorion, MacTavish and chief amateur scout Trent Mann were all impressed with the way Bernard-Docker performed for Canada. The decision not to go the professional route next season means he could make the jump directly from North Dakota next spring and into the Ottawa lineup 2020-21 as long as his development is on track.

The Senators likely don’t feel this decision is going to hurt Bernard-Docker in the big scheme of things and they’d respect whatever he feels is the best path for him, but taking the next step to be part of the pro game would have also been beneficial and in Belleville he’d only be a phone call away.