AHL's Senators fire head coach Mann

The Ottawa Senators announced coaching changes to their American Hockey League affiliate, the Belleville Senators, on Thursday, firing head coach Troy Mann.

TSN Ottawa bureau reporter Claire Hanna reported on Friday that trust issues between the two sides were at the heart of the split, with sources saying the final straw being when Mann gave some of the Senators pre-scouting material to another NHL team.

Assistant coach David Bell will take over as Belleville's interim head coach of the rest of the 2022-23 campaign. He is in his fourth season as an assistant with Belleville. 

"A change like this is a difficult decision, but we are aligned internally and feel this is necessary for the short and long-term growth of the players in our organization as well as the cohesion in systematic play between Ottawa and Belleville," said Belleville Senators general manager Ryan Bowness. "I want to thank Troy and his family for their contributions to the Belleville community."

"While a change at the head coach position during the season is not an ideal scenario, we felt it was necessary to deliver improved team performance," said Ottawa Senators general manger Pierre Dorion. "We are confident that David and his staff will make the most of this opportunity."

The Belleville Senators currently sit in sixth place in the AHL's North division with a record of 17-22-3-1 through 43 games.