SEA DOGS NOTEBOOK

DELISLE PLAYING TONIGHT
Steven Delisle is expected to suit up for his first professional hockey game tonight with the Central Hockey League’s Fort Wayne Komets, reports The Journal Gazette.

The 20-year old defenseman had spent the earlier portion of the 2010-11 campaign with American Hockey League’s Springfield Falcons but had not played in a game.

If you haven’t heard, his rights were traded to Saint John last week from the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies in exchange for a 12th round draft pick in the 2012 QMJHL Entry Draft. At the moment, it looks unlikely that he will return to junior for an overage season. But crazier things have happened.

"If he comes great, it's just an asset we have,” said Sea Dogs associate coach and director of hockey operations Mike Kelly said to the Telegraph-Journal on Monday. “If he doesn't, then he doesn't. At the very least, we have control over where he goes if he comes back (to the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League). Right now, he's focused on being a professional hockey player.''

Judging by the comments sections of a few Fort Wayne newspapers, Komets fans are in panic mode after a disappointing start to the season. They sit last in the Turner Conference with a 2-6-1 record.

SEA DOGS TOP POWER RANKINGS

After earning 17 of a possible 18 points in their last nine games, the Sea Dogs are the toped ranked QMJHL team in this week’s edition of the Open Ice Hockey Power Rankings.

Only the Sea Dogs, Lewiston Maineiacs, and Shawinigan Cataractes were 2-0-0-0 last week.

The rankings are calculated using a formula based on weekly and season long play.

SAUVE SKATING

Former Sea Dogs defenseman Yann Sauve and his mysterious ways are still with the American Hockey League’s Manitoba Moose.

“Sauve is skating as he plods his way back from a concussion suffered in September,” reported the Winnipeg Free Press on Saturday.

Sauve is still a long shot to return to Saint John despite the bizarreness surrounding the 20-year old's injury after her was hit by a car in Vancouver during Canucks rookie camp.

“I don’t have a target date, if that’s what you’re asking,” said Moose head coach Claude Noel to the Winnipeg Sun on November 11. “He doesn’t look good for a guy who hasn’t been on the ice for awhile.”

BTN DYNAMIC DOZEN

The crew over at Buzzing The Net have created a revolutionary new program to help determine the question that has been asked for years – who really is Canada’s best junior hockey team? As just about everyone has come to accecpt by now, the BMO CHL MasterCard Top Rankings are a corrupt system based more on opinion than hard, cold, solid, statistics.

“So, our alternative: periodically, we'll give the top 12 teams across the three leagues listed by RPI, as calculated by friend of the blog Rob Pettapiece,” wrotes BTN’s Neate Sager. More info on the system can be found in the post.

The Sea Dogs, ranked third in the CHL Rankings, are listed seventh in the Dynamic Dozen.

The Sea Dogs are crazy talented, with QMJHL highs of 18 wins and 105 goals scored, but drop down thanks to weak schedule through the first third of the season. (How weak? Fifty-seventh of 60 teams.)

Saint John is No. 3 in the poll and has shown enough to convince almost anyone they are favourites to win the Presidents' Cup after falling two wins short last May.

The Montreal Juniors are ranked sixth and the Quebec Remparts are tied for eleventh.

FC’S DRAFT RANKINGS
Scouting services across the land are slowly producing their first batch of draft rankings for the 2011 crop of prospects.

The website Future Considerations released their top 60 earlier this week. Sea Dogs on the list were defenseman Nathan Beaulieu at #15, forward Tomas Jurco at #21, forward Jonathan Huberdeau at #23, and forward Zach Phillips at #51.

HOLIDAY PRICES
‘Tis the season for Sea Dogs holiday ticket packages. There is no greater gift.

AT THE STATION
The annual Rhoda’s Christmas Festival thing is at Harbour Station all weekend long as the Sea Dogs hit the road for their only trek this month.

On Thursday, Mamma Mia is in town which means that commercial that has been played at games over the past few months will no longer be stuck in everyone’s head. The Sea Dogs return to home ice Friday against Bathurst.

FLEABURN WEEKEND
The official Facebook page of the official Sea Dogs mascot Fleaburn indicates that he will be attending the Saint John Christmas parade on Saturday.

“Way pumped for the Santa Clause parade Saturday Night,” wrote the furry beast.

MOCK DRAFTS
Two NHL.com writers released their first mock drafts for the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.

Adam Kimelman has three Sea Dogs as projected first rounder’s.

#6 Florida Panthers – Jonathan Huberdeau: “Big (6-foot-1) and talented -- just what GM Dale Tallon likes.”
#13 Tampa Bay Lightning – Nathan Beaulieu: “Talent is obvious; he was one of two Draft-eligibles invited to Canada's summer WJC camp.”
#14 Minnesota Wild – Tomas Jurco: “Size, skating and puck skills make him a good fit for coach Todd Richards' system.”

Mike Morreale has three Dogs in the top 30 as well:

#10 Carolina Hurricanes – Jonathan Huberdeau: “Size, skating and puck skills make him a good fit for coach Todd Richards' system.”
#16 New York Rangers – Nathan Beaulieu: “Beaulieu could turn out to be the next Mike Green or Duncan Keith; great off the transition.”
#17 Phoenix Coyotes – Tomas Jurco: “Slovakian star is a big-bodied forward offering exceptional skill and fantastic vision.”