SEA DOGS NOTEBOOK

TEAM BLUE WINS SKILLS COMPETITION
PRESS RELEASE
The 2010 Sea Dogs Irving Oil Skills Competition was staged at Harbour Station on Monday night, with hundreds of spectators being treated to a highly-entertaining exhibition of hockey-related skill challenges.

After the speed skating, agility skating, accuracy shooting, and measured-speed shooting showdowns were staged, Team White owned a 4-3 advantage with several of the events being decided by extremely-thin margins. Team Blue pulled ahead in the decisive shootout segment of the competition, netting three goals to their opponents’ zero in capturing a 6-4 victory in the fun-filled event.

Individual winners from the 2010 Irving Oil Skills Competition are listed below:

Hardest Shot: Yann Sauvé – 94 mph
Most Accurate Shooter: Mike Thomas – 4/4 on targets
Fastest Skater: Nicholas Pard – 15.0 seconds
Breakaway Challenge: Tomas Jurco (awarded by audience applause)
NOTE: Sauvé reached 97 mph on a bonus shot which didn’t officially count.

HS 2000
Now that they are getting a new score clock, Harbour Station has decided to fully join the 21st century. They have officially signed up for a Twitter account and have a fan page of Facebook.

D-MAN WATCH
Hockey’s Future has released its latest QMJHL Defenseman rankings which features two Saint John Sea Dogs. Here is what they had to say:

3. Simon Despres, Saint John Sea Dogs
Drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins, 30th overall (1st round) in 2009

The highest drafted member of this list, Simon Despres has filled a key defensive role for the Saint John Sea Dogs since breaking into the league as a 16-year-old. As Despres has continued to improve, so have the Sea Dogs, culminating in this season with Saint John atop the QMJHL standings as well as the CHL rankings.

A tower on the blue line at 6'4 and a lanky 219 pounds, Despres doesn't use his size to his advantage as much as one would expect. Instead, he relies on smarts and positioning, while keeping things simple in his own end. To his credit, Despres' strongest attribute might be his unflappable play under pressure. Even as an 18-year-old, Despres' ability to keep calm under pressure makes him appear experienced beyond his age.

6. Yann Sauve, Saint John Sea Dogs
Drafted by the Vancouver Canucks, 41st overall (2nd round) in 2008

A two-way defender for the Saint John Sea Dogs, things couldn't be going better for Yann Sauve. Playing a key role for the top team in the QMJHL (and arguably the top team in the whole CHL), Sauve is closing off his junior career in style. There's only one thing missing at this point: an NHL contract. As Sauve and the Sea Dogs continue their march toward the league playoffs and maybe even a berth at the Memorial Cup, the Vancouver Canucks are watching their defensive prospect closely.

Sauve has come a long way since being selected first overall in the QMJHL draft in 2006. So far this season, he has six goals and 29 points in 46 games. Always a talented puck mover, he's worked hard to round out and improve his game. At 6'3 and 214 pounds, he's more than willing to get his nose dirty and often surprises attackers with devastating hits. But at times, he struggles with coverage in his own zone.

To read the full article click HERE.

ATTENDANCE STILL DOWN
In the latest QMJHL attendance report, Saint John is averaging the fourth highest amount of fans per game this season with 3,826. The Sea Dogs averaged 3,930 fans per game last season.

GAME OF THE WEEK
Rogers Sportsnet has named this Friday’s (and/or Sunday’s) game against Cape Breton the QMJHL game of the week. Here is what they had to say:

The Screaming Eagles will get the ultimate test in measuring their success when they take on the Sea Dogs for the first of two meetings this week. Cape Breton made a splash on the trade-front with the acquisition of Jacob Lagacé from Chicoutimi. Lagacé failed to make an impact with the Screaming Eagles in the first meeting with the Sea Dogs in a 3-1 loss on Jan. 8. The Sea Dogs continue finding ways to win, defeating both Halifax and Moncton in shootouts last week. The league's top team has a commanding lead in the Atlantic Division with 89 points.

In another note, Montreal has not won since their 6-4 win against Saint John last month. To read the full article click HERE.

DESPRES HEATING UP
Despite struggling in the Sea Dogs’ 5-4 shootout win on Saturday in Moncton, The Hockey News has named Simon Despres the number seven prospect in their “Hot List.”

7. Simon Despres, D – Saint John Sea Dogs (QMJHL): Despres has already bested his offensive career high with 36 points through 48 games, but even more important is his plus-minus. The 6-foot-4, 218-pounder is plus-27, by far the best mark of his 'Q' career. Drafted 30th overall by Pittsburgh in 2009.

The read the full list click HERE.

DON’T BET ON GALIEV
Stanislav Galiev failed to predict the winner of Super Bowl 44 this past weekend. The Sea Dogs’ winger picked the Indianapolis Colts to defeat the New Orleans Saints in Miami on Sunday. The Saints won the game.

Galiev played in Indiana last season with the Ice.