Saturday, June 8, 2013

Sea Dogs Select 16 In Entry Draft

The Saint John Sea Dogs had quite a draft day.

The Sea Dogs selected 16 players in Saturday’s Quebec Major Junior Hockey League Entry Draft ranging from third overall to 239th.

Saint John’s draft day was headlined by their two first round picks – forward Nathan Noel and defenseman Will Thompson. We broke down those picks in posts HERE and HERE.

"He battles in the corners, in front of the nets and scores a lot of goals in those areas," said Doug Jackman, the Sea Dogs Newfoundland and Labrador scout, about Noel in a team release. "I think with him you're getting the full package who will be a franchise player down the road."

"We see Will as a complete defenseman," said the Sea Dogs New Brunswick Scout Stephane Leblanc about Thompson. "He's got good offensive skills, but he's also good defensively and he competes very hard. He's got some grit, good size and a right hand shot. We liked everything about his game."

"We're thrilled with the guys we got in the first round," says Sea Dogs Head Coach and General Manager Mike Kelly. "They're both very dynamic players, hard working and very competitive. They're exciting players to watch, they're offensive and are players people will want to come out and watch."

Beyond the first round, the Dogs were able to select some quality players as well. Here is a breakdown:

Second round, 22nd overall – Thomas Chabot
The Sea Dogs used their only pick of the second round to select defenseman Thomas Chabot from Levis of the Quebec AAA league. According to Elite Prospects he recorded six goals and 20 assists in 41 games.

The QMJHL website lists him at 6.00 and 169 lbs.

Central Scouting had Chabot ranked 16th, International Scouting Services 20th, and HockeyProspect.com 14th.

“He is mostly an offensive defenseman, but due to his excellent understanding of the game and technique, can be quite effective defensively,” states the HockeyProspect.com draft guide. “He rarely gets beaten along the boards or in the middle of the ice. At first glance, it’s easy to think he’s not a good skater or that he is too slow for the next level. The reality is that his footing and first few steps when he explodes are not very good, but when he gets going, his skating is very good and even above average.”

Third round, 41st overall – Joey Richard
In the third round, Saint John selected Moncton Flyers forward Joey Richard. Last season he had 26 goals and 29 assists in 35 regular season games before lighting it up in the post-season, recording 17 goals and 13 assists in just nine games to lead the NB/PEI Major Midget Hockey League in playoff scoring.


Richard was ranked 32nd by Central Scouting, 35th by ISS, and 27th by HockeyProspect.com.

“He is very dangerous when he positions himself in front of the net and has a dangerous wrist shot he loves to use,” states the HockeyProspect.com draft guide. “He excels at protecting the puck in one-on-one situations and he uses his body well to defend it.”

He is listed at 6.01 and 190 lbs.

Third round, 47th overall – Samuel Dove-McFalls
The Sea Dogs pulled off a deal to select forward Samuel Dove-McFalls in the third round. Saint John traded Halifax’s 2014 second round pick that was acquired in the Stephen MacAulay deal to Drummondville in exchange for the 47th overall pick.

Dove-McFalls played Lac Saint-Louis Tigres Espoir last season where he recorded 15 goals and 26 assists in 28 games, according to Elite Prospects.

He was ranked 40th by HockeyProspect.com and 39th by Central Scouting.

“He played with talented players this season but also had his word to say in his team’s success,” states the HockeyProspect.com draft guide. “He has an unpredictable and effective wrist shot that he fires in movement. He also has excellent hands that allow him to beat pretty much any defender. However, the first thing we noticed about him for was his ability to impose his physical game and take advantage of it to create space on the ice or to drive the net.”

He is listed at 6.00.5 and 183 lbs on the QMJHL website. He also has an awesome name.


Third round, 51st overall – Mathieu Joseph
The Dogs made another deal to pick Mathieu Joseph at No. 51. Saint John traded two of their three fourth round picks to Rouyn-Noranda in exchange for the third rounder.

Joseph played for Antoine-Girouard of the Espoir league last season. The forward was ranked 64th by Central Scouting and 47th by HockeyProspect.com.

He is listed at 5.10 and 143 lbs.

“Joseph is a forward with a high skill level with the puck, and a wrist shot that is ready for the next level,” states HockeyProspect.com’s draft guide. “He scored 26 goals in 2012-2013 in Minor Midget and plays a spectacular brand of hockey. He has natural instincts to score goals and eludes himself from defensive coverage nicely. He has an excellent execution and is able to score goal on one-timers and complex plays.”

Fourth round, 59th overall – Alexander McQuaid
In the fourth round, Saint John picked Adam McQuaid’s cousin, Alexander, with the 59th overall pick. The defenseman played for the Cornwall Superior Thunder of the NB/PEI Major Midget league last year where he had five goals and 17 assists in in 33 regular season games and another four assists in seven playoff games.

The Q site lists him at 6.01 and 175 lbs. He was ranked as a sixth to eighth round pick by Central Scouting.

“I am just hoping to get drafted,” McQuaid told The Guardian on Thursday, his birthday. “I think that would be the best birthday present.”

“Alexander has great size and strength,” said Thunder coach Mark Carragher. “He is a tough defenceman to play against, is great in his own end and definitely has a lot of upside in his game.”

Fifth round, 77th overall – Christopher Smith
Saint John selected their first goaltender of the day in the fifth round, picking up St. John’s Privateers netminder Christopher Smith. He went 9-3-2 in the regular season with a 2.76 GAA and 0.904 SV% and 1-2-0 in the playoffs with a 3.75 GAA and 0.875 SV%.

Smith is listed at 6.00.5 and 153 lbs on the QMJHL website. He was ranked 60th by Central Scouting and 86th by HockeyProspect.com.

“From Newfoundland, Smith is a goalie that uses the butterfly style in front of his net,” states HockeyProspect.com’s draft guide. “He takes up a lot of space in the crease and covers the bottom part of his net well. He has a good technique and controls his rebounds well with his sound positioning. He’s a compact goalie who won’t let many pucks go through him, but he’s exposed in the upper part of the net.

“He could be one of the nice surprises among goalies in this year’s draft.”

Seventh round, 113th overall – Bailey Webster
The Dogs selected Bailey Webster in the seventh round, another defenseman from the Cornwall Superior Thunder. Webster had two goals and eight assists in 35 regular season games and another goal in seven playoff games.

He is listed 6.02 and 175 lbs on the QMJHL website and was ranked as a sixth to eighth round pick by Central Scouting.

Eighth round, 131st overall – Chris Sarault
In the eighth round, Saint John selected forward Chris Sarault from the Ontario Hockey Academy. Elite Prospects has his numbers.

He is listed at 5.10 and 151 lbs.


Round 9, 149th overall – Antoine Landry
In the ninth round, the Dogs took goaltender Antoine Landry from the Miramichi Rivermen. The netmider had an 8-13 record to go along with a 0.907 SV% and 3.68 GAA in the regular season. He went 1-4 in the playoffs with a 0.827 SV% and 6.77 GAA.

Landry is listed at 6.00 and 180 lbs. He was ranked as a ninth to 12th rounder by Central Scouting.

Round 10, 167th overall – Jack Eichel
In the 10th round, the Sea Dogs took a gamble and acquired the rights to American forward Jack Eichel. He was a first round pick of the Halifax Mooseheads in last year’s draft but after he didn’t report to the club the Moose released his right.

Eichel informed the Moose that he wanted to return to the United States National Team Development Program for 2013-14, reports The Chronicle Herald. He is committed to Boston University for the 2014-15 season.

Will he ever report to Saint John? It looks unlikely. But it’s certainly worth using a 10th rounder to acquire his rights just in case.

Round 11, 184th overall – Joel Daccord
The Sea Dogs selected another goaltender, American Joel Daccord, in 11th round. The 16-year old from North Andover, Mass. played at Cushing Academy last season.

He is listed at 6.02 and 185 lbs.

Round 12, 203rd overall – Charles Corriveau
The Dogs selected defenseman Charles Corriveau from Amos of the Quebec AAA ranks with their 12th round selection. He had two goals and eight assists in 42 games last season.

He is listed at 6.00 and 152 lbs.

Round 13, 221st overall – Cody Johnston
Saint John picked Weeks Major Midgets forward Cody Johnston with the 221st overall pick. He had 15 goals and seven assists in 30 regular season games in the Nova Scotia Major Midget Hockey League.

Johnston is listed at 6.00 and 187 lbs.

Round 14, 239th overall – Gabriel Tessier
With their final pick of the day, the Dogs selected forward Gabriel Tessier from the Châteauguay Grenadiers of the Quebec AAA league. He had three goals and three assists in 40 games last year.

He is listed at 5.10 and 185 lbs.


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