March 11, 2020, was a day Troy Mann and the Belleville Senators won’t soon forget.

A tough, hard-fought effort on the ice that night at Place Bell in Laval ultimately led to a 3-0 loss against the Rocket, American Hockey League affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens.

With COVID-19 descending upon North America, that game would turn out to be the B-Sens last of the 2019-20 season, prematurely dashing what had been a promising season for the AHL North Division leaders.

Ever since that day, Belleville players have to sit and wait patiently to tie up some loose ends, with the 2020-21 shortened season starting on Feb. 5

However, the disappointment of what could have been still stings for the B-Sens third-year bench boss.

“As a coach, the opportunities come few and far between sometimes,” Mann explained in an interview this week.

“You’ve got a special group together and you’re in first place, you know playoffs are coming around the corner. It was unfortunate.”

“You can’t say it was devastation, but it was close to that in terms of wanting to finish the season and see what could have taken place in the playoffs.”

As for this season, Mann said the B-Sens are currently in a “transitional period” between the start of the NHL season and AHL training camps, which means there are only 12 active skaters and two goalies under contract with them, a much smaller number than a camp with a regular September start.

This has required the coach and his staff to adjust and come up with different practice and development techniques to keep the group up to speed.

Also, as is the case with many teams and businesses across the country, regular virus screening, masks, sanitizing, and physical distancing measures are required to be followed.

For Mann though, he’s grateful that the team has been able to return amid the pandemic.

“We’re just thankful to be on the ice,” he said.

“Just playing games is a positive, because of everything the world in general and us individually have gone through since March.”

Both leagues are dealing with limited travel this year, which has required the NHL to carry a 23-man roster, with a six-player taxi squad for a total of 29.

Though players who have each spent time with the B-Sens over the last few years, Josh Norris, Drake Batherson, Marcus Hogberg, and Christian Wolanin, have all moved on to Ottawa, Mann touted the return of high-end prospects Logan Brown, Alex Formenton, and Erik Brannstrom to lead the group.

"Those guys are very close (to making Ottawa)," Mann said.

He highlighted two recent top draft picks, Egor Sokolov and Lassi Thomson, who are both 20 years old, as players who have impressed and progressed in camp.

"We're very young. As much as we want to win every hockey game, I think with the way this season is going to be with the pandemic, it's more about making sure these players get to play meaningful games for their development."

"If they don't play, it could set the player back and it can also set the organization back."

In goal, the B-Sens are set with a capable returning netminder in Filip Gustavsson and promising rookie Kevin Mandolese.

Belleville is set to partake in an all-Canadian division with the three other teams from the north, the Toronto Marlies, Laval Rocket, and Manitoba Moose.

Mann told InQuinte.ca there are no real drastic changes expected in the team's strategies and systems game-to-game with only three opponents to worry about, especially considering the team already faces Toronto and Laval more than 10 times a year in a full season.

"It's the in-game adjustments that are more important when you're playing teams so much, whether it's powerplay, penalty kill, or faceoffs," he explained.

Right now, Mann and the Sens are awaiting approval from the province to play out of CAA Arena.

Both the B-Sens and the division rival Marlies have had to await provincial government approval to play in their home rinks with no fans at least to start the season, with a province-wide stay-at-home order in place until Feb. 10, five days after the scheduled start of the season.

This means the teams are still waiting to hear what their 34-game schedule is, as it was not included in the AHL’s reveal on Friday.

Mann’s message of encouragement to both players and fans is to look at the positives, stay focused, and do their part to get the virus under control.