PORT CITY PLAYERS OFF TO ROOKIE CAMPS

Several Saint John Sea Dogs players are off to National Hockey League rookie camps in the coming days.

This season, seven Sea Dog players are going to rookie camps. Many of those seven players will play against each other at the annual rookie tournament in Kitchener, Ontario.

Here is the list of current Sea Dogs off to NHL rookie camps:

Free Agent Invites

Michael Kirkpatrick: Minnesota Wild
Mike Thomas: Philadelphia Flyers

Previously Drafted Players:

Mike Hoffman: Ottawa Senators
With 76 goals and 142 points in 124 career games in the QMJHL, Hoffman has loads of potential. Chosen at No. 130 from Drummondville, he can play either center or left wing. "A goal scorer who has good speed," Dorion said.

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Nick Peterson: Pittsburgh Penguins
The 6-foot-2, 186-pound forward was the sixth-leading scorer (90 points in 68 games) in the QMJHL last season. The most likely scenario for the fourth-rounder has him seeing time with the Penguins' AHL affiliate in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
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Simon Despres: Pittsburgh Penguins

The 6-foot-4, 205-pound defenseman led Saint John (QMJHL) with a plus-16 rating and was tops among his team's blueliners with 32 points (2 goals, 30 assists). Ranked eighth among North American skaters by Central Scouting, the Penguins might've grabbed a real steal late in the first round.

http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=479969

Yann Sauve: Vancouver Canucks

The 6-3, 220-pound defenseman, taken in the second round in 2008, was once considered a terrific prospective two-way blueliner, but his offensive skills have not developed along with the rest of his attributes. After a 30-point season in 2008-09 with the QMJHL's Saint John Sea Dogs, Sauve will return there for another winter, and then likely move on to minor pro for further development.

http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=487017

Steven Anthony: Vancouver Canucks (shown in picture)

Anthony represents the Canucks' lone Canadian major junior pick. A 6-1, 205-pound power forward with the QMJHL's Saint John Sea Dogs, scouts say his work ethic and consistency need serious attention. "He scored incredibly high on our intelligence testing and our character assessment," said GM Mike Gillis. "We felt he was most definitely worth a seventh-round pick."

http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=487017

The Sea Dogs will most likely be ,once again this season, a few key players short when opening night rolls around on September. 11.