DOGS HOST HERD IN FIRST PRE-SEASON TEST TONIGHT

It’s game time.

The last time the Saint John Sea Dogs hit the ice in a Quebec Major Junior Hockey League regulated game, they were picking themselves up after a crushing Game Five loss in the Presidents Cup Final against the Moncton Wildcats.

But tonight, the outcome will not matter as much and the Dogs will not playing the 2009-10 QMJHL Champion Wildcats.

The Sea Dogs host the Halifax Mooseheads tonight at 7:00 pm at Harbour Station in their first taste of pre-season action. It is the first game of a home-and-home series between the two, with the later taking place on Sunday at 4:30 pm at the Halifax Forum.

"The exhibition games are going to be real important,'' Sea Dogs Head Coach Gerard Gallant told the Telegraph-Journal earlier this week. "We have a good core of players coming back, but I told the kids to show us what they can do. Anything can happen in this game.

"There are trades that happen all the time, there are injuries. You want as many good players as you can have and it's good to have a lot of depth, so we'll see what happens.''

Saint John Training Camp began last Tuesday. After several practices, scrimmages, and intrasquad games, the team has yet to cut any players. But with camp almost one week old, most would have to think that cuts are looming.

The Dogs will be without defencemen Simon Despres and Yann Sauve and forward Tomas Jurco as they have been all camp long. It is unclear if defenceman Nathan Beaulieu and forwards Jonathan Huberdeau and Zach Phillips – who just took part in the NHL’s Research, Development, and Orientation Camp in Toronto – will all be playing tonight. According to today’s Telegraph-Journal, Huberdeau will be playing tonight along with his older brother Sebastien, who is on a free agent tryout with the Sea Dogs.

"If we can be on the same line, it's going to be good,'' said the younger Huberdeau to the T-J about playing with his brother. "It's not every day you can play together with your brother in the Q.''

The Mooseheads, coming off back-to-back last place regular season finishes, are a new team entering this season after stockpiling solid young players through the draft and trades. One high end pick will not be wearing a Mooseheads jersey tonight however – and he may not be wearing one for some time.

Matthew Wuest of Metro Halifax reported yesterday on his blog that the International Ice Hockey Federation has rejected Halifax’s requested transfer of Czech born forward Martin Frk to the Mooseheads. The Herd selected Frk third overall in the CHL import draft in June after the 16-year-old winger collected 55 points and 184 penalty minutes in 39 games with HC Karlovy Vary of the Czech under-20 league.

So far at Halifax camp, the team has had a few fast paced intrasquad games.

NOTES
This game will not be broadcast on radio or webcast… follow the Sea Dogs on Twitter (@SeaDogsHockey) for score updates… this will be Halifax’s first pre-season game as well… the QMJHL pre-season kicked off on Thursday… Saint John was 7-1 against Halifax last season, outscoring the Moose 38-16 along the way… Saint John’s only loss to Halifax last season came at Harbour Station.

KICKOFF
At today’s first annual Saint John BBQ Festival at Exhibition Park, the Sea Dogs will be hosting a pre-season kickoff at 12:30 pm.