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Sokolov centre stage in rookie game

BRUCE GARRIOCH bgarrioch@postmedia.com Twitter: @sungarrioch

Egor Sokolov turned a few heads Monday afternoon in Brossard by taking his game to another level to wrap up Ottawa Senators rookie camp.

After enjoying a day off Tuesday and getting some rest, the 21-yearold rookie winger will be on the ice Thursday for the opening of main camp at the Canadian Tire Centre. He'll be among those young players pushing for a spot on the club's roster to open the season.

It's fair to say Sokolov didn't look very good in Saturday's 4-3 win over the Montreal Canadiens at home, but when push came to shove, that's exactly what he did in Monday's victory at the Habs' practice facility by scoring twice and getting in a couple of scraps.

There's an opportunity here for Sokolov to play in the NHL this season, but he has to be a difference-maker and dominating the 4-3 win against the Habs rookies on Monday helps his cause.

“It's a good way to finish the camp, now I'm going to take the day to reset and I'm going to keep working hard in main camp and see what happens,” said Sokolov.

He had 15 goals and 25 points in 35 games with the club's AHL affiliate in Belleville last season. To make this roster, he'll have to have offensive success in camp.

Sokolov scored his first from the doorstep on a backhand rebound and then fired a bullet home to give the club a 2-0 lead Monday.

A second-round pick in the 2020 NHL draft, there's little chance Sokolov will be here all season if he does start in Ottawa, but a lot of what happens in the next three weeks is trying to show general manager Pierre Dorion and coach D.J. Smith he's the kind of player who can be relied upon.

When the Senators make the call to coach Troy Mann in Belleville because there's an injury up front, Sokolov wants to be one of the players on the tip of his tongue.

Spending last year with Mann helped Sokolov's development, and there's a lot of respect between the two.

“Last year helped me adjust to pro hockey,” said Sokolov. “He talked to me the whole camp and he let me know (Sunday) that he expected a better game from me (Monday). He told me I was doing the right things out there, but he told me he wants to see a sense of creativity from me.

“Talking to him helped me have the right mindset in this game and to show what I've got.”

Two other rookies to keep an eye on in main camp are centre Mark Kastelic and defenceman Lassi Thomson. They both had strong efforts in the two games against the Habs rookies. Thomson is a firstround pick in 2019 who played in Belleville last season after two years in Finland and was impressive. As for Kastelic, he has the chance to be a third- or fourth-line role player in the league.

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2021-09-22T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-09-22T07:00:00.0000000Z

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