Ottawa — After three days of intense, high-tempo practices which saw Senators’ head coach D.J. Smith put his 63-man training camp roster through the paces, players received a much-needed day off Monday.

However, 11 of those players will not be with the club when it reconvenes on Tuesday. Among them, three were returned to their respective junior teams: goalies Kevin Mandolese (Cape Breton, QMJHL), Mads Sogaard (Medicine Hat, WHL) and forward Jonathan Gruden (London, OHL).

Spending this past weekend at the Canadian Tire Centre, which included six practices and two scrimmages, there was a lot to absorb — starting with the approach of the new Senators’ bench boss.

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Firm, but with a purpose

When D.J. Smith was introduced as the club’s 14th head coach, he promised his club would be a fast, hard-working team. If the past few days were any indicator, the Senators new bench boss comes as advertised.

Smith and associate coach Jack Capuano’s emphasis was on skating — and when the players finished skating, they skated some more. Players were thrust into learning new systems immediately with a dash of special teams sprinkled in.

Among Senators’ players' comments told to the Sporting News:

Anthony Duclair — “It’s been intense, a lot of skating. D.J. has us focussed on playing in the D zone. We want to play hard.”

Ron Hainsey — “D.J. likes to do everything at full speed.”

Max Lajoie — “It’s been pretty intense. D.J. is running hard practices. He really wants us to push the pace, which is awesome. There’s more pace and more speed this year.”

Drake Batherson — “It’s been great. I think that D.J. has been great at explaining all the drills to all the guys. He’s been so helpful to everyone. All the players respect and enjoy that. The first thing that struck me was communication. For me as player that helps me in practices and games.”

Lining up

Smith wasted no time putting together potential line combos and defense pairs — keeping them intact throughout the first few days.

Key forward lines:

Brady Tkachuk — Colin White — Connor Brown

Anthony Duclair — Jean-Gabriel Pageau — Drake Batherson

Tyler Ennis — Artem Anisimov — Bobby Ryan

Jack Rodewald — Chris Tierney — Rudolfs Balcers

Max Verroneau — Logan Brown — Nick Paul

Alex Formenton — Josh Norris — Vitaly Abramov

Key defense pairings:

Thomas Chabot — Nikita Zaitsev

Erik Brannstrom — Ron Hainsey

Mark Borowiecki — Christian Jaros

Dylan DeMelo — Max Lajoie

Surprise showing

Fresh off a three-goal performance versus the Canadiens in the rookie tournament, winger Vitaly Abramov raised further eyebrows scoring in each of the Senators’ weekend scrimmages.

Acquired from the Blue Jackets in the Matt Duchene trade, the diminutive 5-9, 171-pound winger had somewhat disappointing debut campaign in the AHL, compiling only 29 points (16 goals, 13 assists) in 70 games split between Cleveland and Belleville.

Sad to see Duchene go, but here is a recent highlight pack featuring newly acquired #GoSensGO prospect Vitaly Abramov. pic.twitter.com/DuB4OHrxGi — MTLSens (@MaxTheLimitinfo) February 22, 2019

While Abramov may not have been originally thought to be in the group with Balcers, Logan Brown, Formenton, Paul and Verroneau, who attempting to grab two or three of the perceived remaining forward openings, the 2017 Quebec Junior League MVP has certainly put himself in the mix.

“What’s hard to knock? He scores every time I see him play," said Smith. "He was arguably the best, or one of the best, at the rookie tournament. And he just continues to score. Every game he scores, this guy. He works and work and works. He’s certainly put himself on the radar here. We’ll see how does in the exhibition games. . . . It’s just a matter [of], is it now? Is it later?”

“Love the Drake”

Working with retired NHLer turned fitness guru Gary Roberts, Brady Tkachuk gained 22 pounds during the offseason. Not to be outdone, Drake Batherson grew another inch, adding 13 pounds to his ever-expanding frame himself to now stand six-foot-three, weighing in at 203 pounds.

Batherson’s growth spurt is astounding since he’s 21-years old. The Nova Scotia resident’s stature has been a hot topic since being bypassed in his first-eligible draft year. Batherson grew two inches and gained 40 pounds over his final two years of junior hockey in Cape Breton and Blainville-Boisbriand.

After a successful rookie season whereby Batherson led Belleville in assists (40) and points (62), while notching earning another nine points (three goals, six assists) in 20 games with the parent team, the 2019 AHL All-Star game MVP finds himself among the Senators’ top-six forwards, at least in the early going.

Skating on the right side of a line with Duclair and Pageau at centre, Batherson is embracing his newly-found position, “I’m finding a bit of chemistry with that. I hope it builds going forward. It’s been fun playing with those two guys.”

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“Obviously he’s (Pageau) a guy I like to learn from. He’s played in some big games. If I have questions, Pageau and Duclair have been there for me,” added Batherson. “It’s been great playing alongside them.”​

Failing to make the playoffs at any level last season appears to be to Batherson and the Senators’ benefit.

“This year I had five months to prepare for camp, I was ready to get going right off the bat. I put a lot of weight on. I’ve gotten stronger, faster. I’ve been skating for a full three months with those guys (Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, Brad Marchand). Those guys are the fastest players in the world. Their conditioning was great,” noted “The Drake.”

Brannstrom or Lajoie? Lajoie or Brannstrom?

Since Christian Wolanin suffered a torn left labrum at an informal skate just days before the main camp, the competition for the final roster spot on the blue line comes down to Erik Brannstrom or Max Lajoie.

The surprise of 2018 training camp, Lajoie netted a goal and an assist in his NHL debut last October. The club’s 2016 fifth-round pick faded as the season wore on. After being returned to the AHL late in the campaign, it was found Lajoie required surgery for a sports hernia.

With 56 NHL games under his belt, Lajoie is ready for the challenge, “It’s a big advantage for me. When you have experience in the league. It’s good to have. It builds confidence when you come into camp. I have more confidence, I know what to expect. I know what I need to do to stick around.”

Eighteen years his junior, Brannstrom is taking in all the advice he can from the 38-year old Hainsey in camp.​

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“It’s fun to play with him (Hainsey). He’s played a couple of NHL games (1,068). I just look and learn. So, it’s fun to play with him. We talked a little bit, not too much, but he’s given me some tips. I’m just watching him to see how it works in the defensive zone. I try to take after that,” explained the 21-year old Swede.

With Brannstrom and Hainsey both being lefties, the duo switched sides intermittently.

”I’ve played a little bit of both. I played mostly right side last year. But it doesn’t matter, it’s a little easier for me to play left in the defensive zone and neutral zone,” Brannstrom added. “I prefer being on the right in the offensive zone. It’s fun to be out there playing left, and he’s on the right. It’s not a problem.”

"Here's this kid, Erik Brannstrom..."



What a move to win it in the shootout! #VGK 5-4 (SO) pic.twitter.com/UofyedsBbx — Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) September 23, 2018

Smith offered his assessment to the Sporting News. “I want Ronnie on the right and Brannstrom on the left. Ronnie’s played the right with Morgan Rielly. Brannstrom has a ton of skill. We want to give him more options to jump into the rush, moving better on the left side in my opinion.”​

For his druthers, Hainsey relishes his role in mentoring Brannstrom. However, approaching his 17th year in the NHL, Hainsey is mindful that must also learn new systems.​

“He’s a young player with a lot of skill. Obviously, he moves well. It’s hard to cram in a lot in three days here. It’s going pretty fast. We’re doing a lot of drills. We’re plugged in with a new coaching staff. It’s a little difficult to see how everything is going. You’re trying to get into the rhythm of things. But from skating with him the first few days, he’s got a ton of skill, moves real well. So hopefully, we play some games and see how it goes.”