Mark Kastelic is the Ottawa Senators “Next Man Up”

The Ottawa Senators peppered goalkeeper John Gibson with 45 shots Saturday afternoon but were able only to make a dent in the net once on Tyler Ennis‘ first-period goal in what was a 2-1 loss to the Anaheim Ducks.

The contest featured the NHL debut of Senators’ forward Mark Kastelic.

The 22-year old had been recalled to the club’s taxi squad recently from the Senators American League affiliate in Belleville.

Kasetelic was thrust into action after the shoulder injury suffered by the team’s goal leader (18) Josh Norris Thursday versus Carolina has sidelined him indefinitely.

“It was unbelievable. I was super-pumped to get the news yesterday (Friday) at the rink and had all night to think about it. I’ve been looking forward to this moment my whole life. It was something really special and the guys really made me feel special from the moment I got here. It’s a dream come true. It was unfortunate, the end result, but I had a blast out there. It’s something I’ll never forget,” Kastelic said in his postgame availability.

The Phoenix resident played 6:22, posted one shot attempt, was a minus-1 on a goal Senators’ Anton Forsberg would’ve like to have back. He was also credited with three hits, two giveaways, two takeaways, and was a perfect 3-0 on draws while playing mainly the left side with familiar teammates who also played in Belleville, Clark Bishop and Egor Sokolov.

Senators’ head coach D.J. Smith was impressed with Kastelic’s game, “I thought he did some good things. I probably didn’t get him out there enough when we need a goal. That’s not who he is. For his frst game, he was physical. He’s smart player. He’ll get more minutes here as we go.”

Kastelic noted one of his highlight moments was lining up against former fellow Calgary Hitmen junior, Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf.

Selected 125th overall in the 2019 Entry Draft by the Senators, Kastelic’s story is that of hard work paying off. The six-foot-three, 210-pound centre spent five seasons with the Western League Hitmen, his last two as captain, and was drafted at age 19 after recording a 47-goal, 77-point 2018-19 campaign.

He returned to junior the following season, posting another 38 goals to earn an entry-level contract.

Like Norris, Drake Batherson, Brady Tkachuk, Kastelic comes from hockey lineage. His dad, Ed was known as a power forward who didn’t hesitate to drop the gloves, playing for Washington and Hartford between 1985-92, piling up 719 penalty minutes in 220 games.

Kastelic’s Grandfather, Pat Stapleton was a stalwart of a defenseman for the Chicago Blackhawks and was a member of Team Canada’s 1972 Summit Serie team, while Uncle, Mike Stapleton skated for eight NHL clubs.

The first person Mark called to after being told he’d be in the lineup Saturday was his dad.

“I was trying to keep a poker face on when they told me. I was super-ecstatic. The first person I called was my dad (Ed) on my way home from the rink. He was super-pumped for me. He told my family. It was just unbelievable news and something I’ve been looking forward to for a while.”

Kastelic who’s notched five goals. six assists in 31 games with Belleville this season gives full credit to BSens head coach Troy Mann for his development and preparing him for life in the NHL.

“He’s been huge for me. He’s an unbelievable coach. He’s helped me so much over the course of 60 pro games. They really run a tight ship down in Belleville and really develop their guys. “Manner” (Troy Mann), (assistant coaches) Ben Sexton and David Bell do a great job. He (Mann) prepared me for thsi moment and if I do get back there, I still have lots to learn. I’m excited to learn,” noted Kastelic.

Kastelic is also a quick study of the game himself, taking every opportunity to learn whether it’s during practice or watching his teammates from the press box.

“It’s huge. I’ve been watching too from above. I think I get more out of it by just watching from the sky – just picking up the way they play – kind of learning from watching. In practices, getting some reps here and there definitely helped a lot. I felt pretty comfortable getting into the game. I knew the system. It was a different from an energy standpoint, but it’s different when you’re on the ice compared to watching. The guys were great helping me out practice. They made it look pretty easy.”

As we’ve seen this season, due to Covid and numerous injuries, the team adheres to a “next-man-up” philosophy, and Kastelic will attempt to take full advantage of that.

“It’s hard to see those guys go down with injuries. I think makes way for opportunities like guys, like myself to get a taste. Once they come back I don’t know what’ll happen. I’m just taking it one day at a time – taking advantage of the opportunities.”