The Belleville Senators’ logo reflects the team’s spirit and athletic determination. It is associated with hard-fought competition and young players striving to make their mark on the ice, earning recognition through their play.
Belleville Senators: Brand overview
The history of the Belleville Senators dates back to 2016, when the NHL’s Ottawa Senators relocated their American Hockey League (AHL) farm team from Binghamton, USA, to Belleville, Canada. Before the move, the team was known as the Binghamton Senators and had won the Calder Cup, the American Hockey League’s main trophy, in 2011.
Belleville invested over $20 million in renovating the arena, and the club debuted in the AHL as the Belleville Senators during the 2017–2018 season. Early seasons were led by coaches Kurt Kleinendorst and Troy Mann; under Mann, the team led the North Division in the 2019–2020 season, though playoffs were canceled due to the pandemic.
In February 2023, David Bell took over as head coach. In the 2023–2024 season, the Belleville Senators reached the playoffs for the first time, eventually losing to the Cleveland Monsters in the second round. In 2024, Garrett Pilon became team captain, with Adam Gaudette and Filip Roos joining the roster.
Today, the Belleville Senators compete successfully at the CAA Arena, serving as the primary source of young talent for the Ottawa Senators.
Meaning and History
What is Belleville Senators?
A Canadian professional hockey club competing in Ontario’s minor league. Home games take place in a compact city arena. The team’s main goal is to develop young players for the NHL team in the capital. Because tickets are affordable, games attract many fans who get an early look at future hockey stars.
1972 – 1977
The New Haven Nighthawks’ emblem was introduced alongside the team’s founding in 1972. At that time, the club had a different name and represented the hockey era with an entirely different symbol. The original emblem reflected the team’s name: an abstract yet recognizable bird with wings spread upward. The figure’s shapes resembled military chevrons, emphasizing players’ discipline on the ice. The symbol was executed in blue tones, outlined by a thin white line to highlight details. The figure was placed at the center of a large yellow outlined circle. The color combination provided a strong contrast, emphasizing the dynamism and energy of hockey.
1977 – 1988
In 1977, the New Haven Nighthawks updated the emblem by removing the background circle. The color scheme changed: yellow was replaced by a red outline around the blue bird figure. The new shade gave the emblem an aggressive character. The bird’s lines remained the same, with angular shapes in the wings and head. The red outline highlighted the silhouette, intensifying the sharpness of forms. Blue symbolized the speed of hockey players on the ice. The new design marked the beginning of the team’s renewal period in the late 70s.
1988 – 1992
In 1988, the club introduced an updated logo in silver shades. The blue fill and red outline were replaced with light gray. The outline became doubled, adopting a dark gray tone that emphasized line depth.
The team’s name, “HAWKS,” was added across the figure. The font was massive with rough textures and jagged edges. The inscription was placed diagonally across the bird, from bottom to top. The black lettering contrasted against the silver emblem.
The new logo represented the club’s move toward a more streamlined look, emphasizing the team’s sports orientation without incorporating color.
1992 – 1993
In 1992, the club entered a new era under the name New Haven Senators. A radical update of club symbolism accompanied the name change.
The emblem featured a ring with the profile of an ancient legionary inside. The warrior’s contours were depicted in dark gold, emphasizing nobility and combativeness. The figure’s face was done in a light tone, contrasting with the background. A massive helmet, featuring a decorative red crescent-shaped element resembling a Roman crest fragment, completed the image.
The club’s name appeared in black lettering around the ring. The font was strict, calm, and restrained, emphasizing the symbolism’s historical direction.
Visually balancing the composition were elements extending beyond the ring. They resembled wing parts or feathers, symbolically linking the new Senators’ design to the earlier Nighthawks image. It represented historical continuity in design.
The color palette became richer. The new emblem emphasized the club’s ambitions to seek greater authority and sporting character through associations with warriors.
1994 – 1996
In 1994, the team changed names again, becoming the P.E.I. Senators. Identity changes were minimal: only the textual design was updated.
The club’s name was abbreviated to P.E.I., written in large letters. The new inscription was placed at the top of the logo, set within a gold-colored ring, while maintaining the previous font. The team’s move to Prince Edward Island prompted the new abbreviation. Highlighting regional origins through the name became the main semantic accent of the update.
The legionary figure remained unchanged, preserving the previous palette of gold and red.
2002 – 2017
When the Binghamton Senators unveiled their updated logo, fans’ attention was drawn to an unusual character. It was a hockey player presented as a Roman legionary. Instead of strict classical forms, the result was a vivid, slightly caricatured figure with emphasized emotions and competitive excitement on his face.
The legionary image is shown clearly. A gold helmet is topped with a red crest; the facial features are exaggerated, the chin massive, and the grin a battle snarl. The character grips a hockey stick and wears sports gloves. The gear is styled after Roman armor, and the expression conveys the tension of athletic competition with humor and a true fighting spirit.
Behind the figure is a round black background with a gray laurel wreath along the edge. This ancient symbol honors victors and connects hockey to the classical theme. The upper segment of the composition includes the city name BINGHAMTON. It is done in small black letters arranged in a semicircle.
The lower part of the logo is reserved for the team name, SENATORS. The wordmark is large, yellow, with a red outline and black shadows that add depth and dimension. The inscription curves gently, wrapping around the figure’s lower part and uniting the emblem.
The logo’s color palette contrasts red, yellow, and black, emphasizing the energy, strength, and intensity of hockey. Due to the cartoon style, the image appears lively and dynamic.
For fifteen years, the logo combined ancient history with modern sports emotion, vividly expressing the club’s identity while remaining a recognizable symbol of the team.
2017 – today
When the club moved to Belleville and changed its name to the Belleville Senators, it needed to update its style and rethink its symbolism. The previous complex character-based images were replaced with a simpler format.
The center is now occupied by the letter B, rendered in large scale and filling almost the entire logo space. There are no story elements or decorative details in the new version. Simplicity became the key to a new perception of the club linked to the city of Belleville.
The letter B is rendered in a black typeface with neat, rounded corners and smooth lines. Two borders highlight its outline. First, a white border, then a red one that adds visual depth.
The background is a rectangle divided horizontally into two zones. The upper stripe is a rich red that emphasizes energy, athleticism, and the emotions of hockey. The lower stripe is black, reinforcing a sense of strength and stability. A white line around the letter separates the colors and maintains the boundaries between the mark and the background.
The B’s style aligns with the Ottawa Senators’ visual identity. The moderate-width sans-serif typeface is restrained, modern, and recognizable.
The shift from earlier artistic solutions to a letter-based logo highlighted the club’s connection to the city and created a strong and clear image for fans and residents of the region.









