The push begins

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

After enjoying a day off Tuesday and getting some rest, the 21-year-old rookie winger will be on the ice Thursday for the opening of main camp at the Canadian Tire Centre and he'll be among those young players that will be trying to push 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 on Monday will help 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,” Sokolov said following the win.

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.

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 that 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 that's 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,” Sokolov said. “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 was I doing the right things out there, but he told me he always 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 players to keep an eye on in main camp at centre Mark Kastelic and defenceman Lassi Thomson.

They both had strong efforts in the two games against the Habs' rookies. Thomson is a first-round pick in 2019 who played in North America 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.