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AHL Belleville Senators

Points Starting to Come for Chlapik

January 7, 2020 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Belleville Senators News Release


Filip Chlapik has started to find the scoring touch the Senators know he has.

And a move back to his natural position of centre seems to have helped do the trick.

The Czech forward has nine points (two goals) in his last eight games where he has predominantly played centre once again.

"Every game I am feeling more confident and I am happy," Chlapik said. "I don't care where I play, I'm just enjoying it. I'm earning the coaches trust and it's been good."

But there's no doubt that up the middle is where the 22-year-old is most comfortable. In 19 of the games Chlapik has played in Belleville, 14 of them have been at centre.

He's played predominantly on the wing for Ottawa this season, a position Chlapik had never really played before. Yet at the same time, it gave him the opportunity for more ice time too.

"I don't see a big difference [in his play from centre to wing]," Sens head coach Troy Mann said. "I think he has taken as many faceoffs regardless of if he was playing wing or centre. It's just a fit within the lines. It's nothing in-particular.

"I know in Ottawa he's played the majority of the time on the wing and we talked back in training camp that if we had some extra centres in Belleville he would be a guy we would consider moving to the wing."

Whether he was playing wing or centre in Belleville, Chlapik said he feels he was playing the same way "but I couldn't find the back of the net." He has 11 points in 19 games in the AHL this season.

The Prague native has had a bit of a yo-yo season, having played 18 games for Ottawa too. Chlapik made the Senators out of training camp but played just once before being sent to Belleville. At the time, he said "it's not easy but I'm just trying to think positive and hopefully positive things will happen."

Chlapik was recalled Oct. 27 and didn't wind up back with Belleville again until Dec. 4. In his 18 games with Ottawa, he has already set a career high with two goals and five points.

But whether it's Ottawa or Belleville, Chlapik has certainly figured out the right state of mind to be successful while flipping between the NHL and AHL.

"It's been like that for three years, going up and down.

"It's more about putting your head into the game and if you have a good mindset, you're fine."

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