The draft is coming

The 2016 QMJHL Entry Draft is less than a week away.

The Saint John Sea Dogs currently have 12 picks in this year’s draft, the team announced today. Saint John’s first selection will be 11^th overall, a pick they acquired in the Oliver Cooper deal with the Charlottetown Islanders.

Here is Saint John’s full list of picks:

Round 1 - 11th overall

Round 3 - 51st overall

Round 4 - 69th overall

Round 5 - 87th overall

Round 6 - 105th overall

Round 7 - 123rd overall

Round 8 - 141st overall

Round 9 - 159th overall

Round 10 - 177th overall

Round 12 - 213th overall

Round 13 - 231st overall

Round 14 - 249th overall

The QMJHL Entry Draft takes place at 10 a.m. on Saturday at Charlottetown’s Eastlink Centre. 

The Halifax Mooseheads have the first overall pick. Forward Benoit-Olivier Groulx is ranked first overall by QMJHL Central Scouting and HockeyProspect.com.

Five Years Ago Tonight

(Ed. Note: This is an annual post that has been updated)

It was five years ago tonight that Simon Despres scored shorthanded, Zack Phillips netted the game-winner, Jonathan Huberdeau secured the victory and Jacob DeSerres had the game of his life in the Saint John net.

It’s hard to believe it has been five years since the Sea Dogs’ 3-1 win over the Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors, clinching the first Memorial Cup title for Atlantic Canada.

Knights edge Huskies to win Memorial Cup

The London Knights win the 2016 #MemCup pic.twitter.com/YwQwMxLDPD

— Carlos Verde (@Carlos77Verde) May 29, 2016

The London Knights are Memorial Cup champions.

The Knights won their second national championship with a 3-2 overtime victory over the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies on Sunday in Red Deer. Matthew Tkachuk scored the winner at 7:49 of the extra frame.

Matthew Tkachuk scores the 2016 #MCMemorialCup OT goal. London wins 17th straight playoff game. https://t.co/ehmtfD26aw

— Kathryn Jean (@msconduct) May 29, 2016

Tkachuk opened the scoring in the second period but that was followed by goals from Francis Perron and Julien Nantel, giving the Huskies a 2-1 lead in the third period. With 4:11 to go, Christian Dvorak scored to tie things at 2-2 and send the match into overtime.

Both goaltenders had great games with Tyler Parsons 29 saves in the win and Chase Marchand making 30 in the loss.

London breezed through the preliminary round of this year’s Memorial Cup, going 3-0 with a +15 goal differential. This was the first game that proved to be much of a challenge for the star studded OHL champions.

The Knights hadn’t won the Memorial Cup since 2005 – despite making three straight appearances from 2012 to 2014. London lost in overtime in 2012 in Shawinigan.

This is the second straight year an OHL team has won the Memorial Cup in overtime following the Oshawa Generals’ win last year.

No QMJHL team has won the trophy since the Halifax Mooseheads in 2013.

Next year’s tournament will be hosted by the Windsor Spitfires.

Huskies to play Knights for Memorial Cup

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The Rouyn-Noranda Huskies will play in the 2016 Memorial Cup championship game.

The QMJHL champions advanced to the national final with a 3-1 victory over the host Red Deer Rebels last night. Francis Perron, Martins Dzierkals and Nikolas Brouillard scored for the Huskies while Chase Marchand made 36 saves in the win.

Rouyn-Noranda is 2-2 at this year’s tournament, dropping their final two games of the preliminary round. Their only win prior to Friday's was last Saturday against the Brandon Wheat Kings.

Not surprisingly, Timo Meier and Perron lead the Huskies in scoring. Meier has five goals and two assists while Perron has one goal and six assists.

The Huskies will face the OHL champion London Knights, a team that has breezed through this year’s tournament. The Knights, who are 3-0 with a +15 goal differential, haven’t played since Tuesday where they defeated Rouyn-Noranda 5-2.

London’s Mitch Marner leads the tournament in scoring with two goals and 11 assists in just three games.

The Huskies are playing in their first Memorial Cup. No QMJHL team has appeared in the final since 2013 in Saskatoon where the Halifax Mooseheads defeated the Portland Winterhawks.

The Knights, playing in their fifth Memorial Cup since 2005 and fourth since 2012, will be playing in their third ever final. They defeated Sidney Crosby’s Rimouski Oceanic on home ice in 2005 and fell to the Cataractes in Shawinigan in 2012.

Game time on Sunday is 5:30 p.m.

Green Preparing For NHL Draft Combine

Sea Dogs defenseman Luke Green is preparing for the NHL Draft Combine.

Here’s a video, released by Maritime Athletic Profiles, on Green getting ready for the combine at ProEdge Sports Conditioning in Bedford.

Green has also been featured in Octagon Hockey’s “The Road,” a video series on a few players heading into the draft.

The full series can be found on The Road’s YouTube page.

Green recorded 10 goals and 25 assists in 61 regular season games with the Sea Dogs during the regular season. He added another goal and two assists in 13 playoff games.

The defenseman is projected to be a second or third round pick by most draft publications. The NHL Draft will take place June 24-25 in Buffalo. The order for the first round is almost set. 

Mathieu Joseph Returns To The Ice

On the same day Tampa Bay captain Steven Stamkos returned to game action, Lightning prospect Mathieu Joseph returned to the ice.

Joseph, who missed the final two rounds of Saint John’s playoff run with an injury, tweeted an update on his health today.

Finally got back on the ice after 2 months 😈 pic.twitter.com/klWIP24jiN

— Mathieu Joseph (@MathJoseph7) May 26, 2016

Joseph was injured in game five of the Sea Dogs’ first round playoff series against Bathurst, getting cut by a skate blade. The forward required surgery and missed the remainder of the post-season.

The 19-year-old had a great regular season, recording 33 goals and 40 assists in 58 games. He added another five goals and two assists in the playoffs before getting hurt.

Photo: Marc Henwood/Station Nation

Rebels Will Play Huskies In Semifinal

The host Red Deer Rebels are off to the semifinal of the 2016 Memorial Cup.

Evan Polei scored at 3:50 of overtime to give the Rebels a 2-1 victory over the WHL champion Brandon Wheat Kings last night, earning the team a berth in Friday’s semifinal against the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies.

The Rebels were eliminated by the Wheat Kings in the WHL’s Eastern Conference final.

Red Deer finished the round robin portion of the tournament with a 2-1 record and an even goal differential. After losing the event’s opener to London, the Rebels went on to beat the Huskies and Wheat Kings.

Meanwhile, after a solid opening win over Brandon, Rouyn-Noranda lost to Red Deer and London, giving the team a 1-2 record. They’ve struggled to stay disciplined over the past two games – although the officiating has been… something.

London, 3-0 with an incredible +15 goal differential, has already advanced to Sunday’s championship game. Brandon has been eliminated.

Leblanc Commits To Sea Dogs

Samuel Leblanc is staying in New Brunswick.

The 16-year-old forward, who has played at Rothesay Netherwood School the past two seasons, has committed to the Sea Dogs for the 2016-17 season, the team announced today.

Leblanc was a 13^th-round pick of the Sea Dogs in the 2015 QMJHL Entry Draft.

From the Sea Dogs’ news release:

The Dieppe-native recorded 19 goals and 44 points in 56 games with Rothesay Netherwood School in 2015-16, his second season at RNS.  

He also suited up for one regular season game and 12 playoff games for his hometown Dieppe Commandos of the Maritime Hockey League (MHL). The 5'10", 160-pounder earned an assist on Dieppe's double-overtime, series-winning goal against the Summerside Western Capitals, pushing the Commandos to the MHL's Kent Cup Final.

Leblanc “had NCAA options,” according to the Sea Dogs.

Elite Prospects lists the Dieppe native as 5’9” and 150 lbs.

Huge Game For Huskies Tonight

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The Rouyn-Noranda Huskies face a huge test at the 2016 Memorial Cup tonight.

The Huskies, 1-1 in this year’s tournament, take on the OHL champion London Knights tonight at 11 p.m. in Red Deer. The Knights are 2-0 with 6-2 and 9-1 wins over Red Deer and Brandon, respectively.

Rouyn-Noranda is coming off a tough 5-2 loss to the host Rebels on Sunday night. The Huskies allowed five straight goals in the loss – including three power play markers – and lost their cool with the officiating as the game went along.

The Knights have lived up to expectations with 15 goals in two games. Mitch Marner leads the tournament in scoring with nine points.

Marner, Dvorak and Tkachuk have 20 points in two games.

— Ryan Pyette (@RyanatLFPress) May 24, 2016

Brandon, 0-2, and Red Deer, 1-1, face each other tomorrow night in the final game of the preliminary round.

Knights Win Memorial Cup Opener

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In the opening game of the 2016 Memorial Cup, the London Knights lived up to the hype.

Toronto Maple Leafs saviour Mitch Marner had an impressive two goals and three assists to lead the Knights to a 6-2 win over the host Red Deer Rebels.

The Rebels applied some strong pressure early in the game – but Knights goaltender Tyler Parsons shut the door. London scored three goals in the first and added another three in the second.

Tomorrow’s game will feature the QMJHL champion Rouyn-Noranda Huskies taking on the WHL champion Brandon Wheat Kings.

In other news…

• Felix Schutz and Germany had their 2016 IIHF World Championship come to an end in the quarterfinals on Thursday. According to the box score, Schutz did not play in Germany’s 4-1 loss to Russia. The former Sea Dogs forward had two goals and five assists in seven tournament games.
• In case you’ve forgotten, the QMJHL Entry Draft takes place two weeks from Saturday (June 4) in Charlottetown.

Five Seasons Later

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It's been five whole seasons since the Sea Dogs made their Memorial Cup debut in Mississauga.

Obviously, a lot has changed since then. Saint John went on to reach the tournament again in 2012 and then went into rebuild mode. They hadn't come close to making the Memorial Cup until this past season where they reached the QMJHL's final four.

We know how Saint John has performed over the past five seasons, but what about the other teams that participated in the 2011 Memorial Cup? Here's a look at how the host Mississauga St. Michael's Majors, OHL champion Owen Sound Attack and WHL champion Kootenay Ice have performed since then.

Saint John Sea Dogs

Season	Record	Playoffs
2011-12	50-15-0-3	Won championship
2012-13	23-44-1-0	Lost in round 1
2013-14	19-44-2-3	Missed playoffs
2014-15	32-26-4-6	Lost in round 1
2015-16	42-20-6-0	Lost in round 3

Schutz, Germans Moving On

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Felix Schutz and Germany are moving on at the 2016 IIHF World Championship.

After winning four games in regulation to go along with two regulation loses and one overtime loss, Germany finished the preliminary round with 13 points, which was good for third in Group B. The Germans will play the host Russians in the quarterfinals on Thursday.

Germany’s latest win was on Monday, a 4-2 victory over Hungary. Schutz finished the preliminary round with two goals and five assists in seven games.

Who is at the Worlds? Is that fat German pig Felix Schutz rolling around the ice?

— Mike Commodore (@commie22) May 13, 2016

Ok then.

Robert Mayer and Switzerland finished sixth in Group A, winning two games. Mayer allowed four goals on 26 shots in 62:22 minutes of action in the tournament.

Tomas Jurco and Slovakia finished fifth in Group B with two wins, just missing the playoff round. Jurco recorded two goals and three assists in seven games. 

Wheat Kings Off To Memorial Cup

The four teams that will play in the 2016 Memorial Cup are now known.

The Brandon Wheat Kings punched their ticket to the tournament with a 8-4 win over the Seattle Thunderbirds in Game 5 of the WHL final last night. The Wheat Kings will join the host Red Deer Rebels, QMJHL champion Rouyn-Noranda Huskies and OHL champion London Knights.

The Wheat Kings last appeared in the Memorial Cup in 2010, when they hosted the tournament. Former Sea Dogs goaltender Jacob DeSerres was on that team.

The Memorial Cup begins next Friday with the Rebels taking on the Knights at 9 p.m. The following day, the Huskies face the Wheat Kings at 8 p.m.

All three league champions had tremendous seasons. Rouyn-Noranda (No. 1), London (No. 3) and Brandon (No. 7) were all listed in the final CHL Top 10 ranking. Here's a look at how each performed this year:

League	Team	Reg. Season	Playoffs
QMJHL	Rouyn-Noranda	54-9-3-2	16-4
OHL	London	51-14-2-1	16-2
WHL	Brandon	48-18-4-2	16-5
Host	Red Deer	45-24-1-2	9-8

The Oshawa Generals won last year's Memorial Cup in Quebec City, defeating Kelowna 2-1 in overtime in the championship game.

Kirkpatrick's First Pro Season Closes

Michael Kirkpatrick’s first season of professional hockey came to a close on Wednesday – but what a season it was.

Kirkpatrick helped the Adirondack Thunder – the East Coast Hockey League affiliate of the Calgary Flames – reach the Eastern Conference semifinals, where they fell in seven games to the South Carolina Stingrays. Wednesday's Game 7 went to double-overtime.

Kirkpatrick finished fourth in ECHL playoff rookie scoring, posting two goals and seven assists in 12 games. His nine points were good for third in team scoring.

In the regular season, Kirkpatrick finished second in ECHL rookie scoring with 29 goals and 31 assists in 72 games. His 29 goals led all rookies and his 250 shots led the entire league. The North Sydney native was the runner-up for the ECHL’s rookie of the year award.



The 26-year-old spent the previous four seasons with the StFX X-Men. Prior to that, he played with the Sea Dogs from 2007-11.

Huskies Win President Cup

The Rouyn-Noranda Huskies win the President Cup #QMJHL #QPresidentCup pic.twitter.com/7IsQor5FMw

— QMJHL (@QMJHL) May 13, 2016

The Rouyn-Noranda Huskies completed a dominant season on Thursday night, defeating the Shawinigan Cataractes 7-2 in Game 5 of the QMJHL final to win the franchise’s first President Cup championship.

Huskies captain Francis Perron, who finished the playoffs with 12 goals and 21 assists in 18 games, was named the post-season MVP.

The Huskies went 54-9-3-2 in the regular season, finishing 11 points ahead of the next closest team. Other than a tough semifinal series against the Moncton Wildcats, the Huskies cruised through the playoffs, finishing 16-4 and a +57 goal differential.

This was just the second time Rouyn-Noranda had reached the President Cup final. They lost to the Gatineau Olympiques in 2008. Meanwhile, the Cataractes, who have been around forever, are still waiting for their first league title.

Nine different teams have now won the President Cup over the past 10 seasons. The Sea Dogs are the only team to win two during that timespan.

The Huskies will now represent the QMJHL at the Memorial Cup in Red Deer. They’ll join the host Rebels, OHL champion London Knights and the yet-to-be-determined WHL champion. The Brandon Wheat Kings currently lead the WHL final 3-1 over the Seattle Thunderbirds.

The QMJHL champs begin the Memorial Cup tournament on Saturday, May 21 against the WHL champion.

ALUMDATE: Ex-Dogs Done In NHL Playoffs

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There won’t be any former Sea Dogs getting their names on the Stanley Cup this year.

With the Pittsburgh Penguins eliminating the Washington Capitals last night, no ex-Dogs remain in the NHL’s playoff race. Caps forward Stanislav Galiev was the last alumnus remaining.

Galiev was a healthy scratch for every Capitals playoff game. He appeared in 24 regular season contests, recording three assists. At 24-years-old, the Russian has appeared in 26 career NHL games.

Jonathan Huberdeau, Charlie Coyle, Tomas Jurco and Simon Despres were all eliminated in the first round.

In other news…

• Earlier today, Tomas Jurco scored in Slovakia’s 4-2 loss to Belarus. He now has an impressive two goals and three assists in four games. Yesterday, Jurco was held pointless in his team’s 5-1 loss to Germany. Felix Schutz had one assist for Germany in that game.
• On Tuesday, Robert Mayer saw 22 seconds of action in Switzerland’s 3-2 overtime win over Denmark at the IIHF World Championship.
• As theScore reports, the Ottawa Senators’ hiring of Guy Boucher is probably good news for Mike Hoffman.
• Windsor Spitfires head coach Rocky Thompson, a former Saint John Flame, finished second in OHL Coach of the Year voting.
• Gatineau Olympiques head coach Benoit Groulx is heading back to the AHL, taking over head coaching duties for the Syracuse Crunch.
• The Shawinigan Cataractes forced a game five in the President Cup final with a 6-4 win over the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies on Tuesday. Game five is on Thursday at 8 p.m. in Rouyn-Noranda.

Luke Green Invited To Scouting Combine

Luke Green was among the 114 players invited to this year’s NHL Scouting Combine.

The annual event, which “gives all 30 NHL teams a complete physical and medical assessment of the top prospects three weeks before the draft,” will be held May 30 to June 4 at Buffalo’s First Niagara Center and HarbourCenter.

The full list of players invited can be found on the NHL website.

12 #QMJHL players invited to #NHL Combine. 4 from Maritime Division, Dubois (CB), Green (SJ), Kuznetsov (AB) & Somppi (Hal).

— John Moore (@rinkrant) May 10, 2016

Green, projected to be a mid-second to third round pick by most scouting publications, had 10 goals and 25 assists in 61 regular season games with the Sea Dogs. He added a goal and two assists in 13 playoff contests.

In The Hockey News’ draft preview (which is now available on newsstands), Green was projected to go 49^th overall.

The 2016 NHL Draft takes place June 24-25 at First Niagara Center.

Photo: Marc Henwood/Station Nation

ALUMDATE: Slammers Fall In Final

The Woodstock Slammers fell short in the championship game of the Fred Page Cup on Sunday.

The Slammers lost 4-2 to the Carleton Place Canadians, who captured their third straight Fred Page Cup. The four-team tournament, which features a host team, the MHL champion, the LHJQ champion and CCHL champion, determines who will represent the east region at the RBC Cup, the national junior 'A' championship.

Woodstock was eliminated from the MHL playoffs in the Eastlink North semifinals. Their last playoff game was on March 30.

The Slammers featured former Sea Dogs Noah Zilbert and Mackenzie Brown. Familiar names Riley Craft and Jonny Erbs were also on the team.

Zilbert had a goal in Sunday’s contest, giving him four goals and three assists in five Fred Page Cup games. Zilbert had an impressive regular season, posting 28 goals and 84 points in 48 games, which was good for second in league scoring.

In other news…

• In non-alumni news, the Shawinigan Cataractes lost 2-1 to the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies on Sunday and now trail the President Cup final 3-0. Game four is on Tuesday night in Shawinigan. There hasn’t been a sweep in the final since the Sea Dogs did so in 2012.
• At the IIHF World Championship in Russia, Felix Schutz was pointless and a -2 in Germany’s 5-1 loss to Finland on Sunday. 
• Meanwhile, Robert Mayer made 22 saves in Switzerland’s 4-3 overtime loss to Norway.
• Lastly, Tomas Jurco had two assists in Slovakia’s 5-1 victory over France. Jurco now has one goal and three assists in two games.

Photo: Marc Henwood/Station Nation

Jurco, Schutz Score In Openers

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Tomas Jurco is off to a strong start at the 2016 IIHF World Championship.

Jurco recorded a goal and an assist in Slovakia’s 4-1 victory over Hungary today in Russia.

Jurco’s first goal came late in the opening period via a nice deflection, a goal that proved to be the game-winner.

Nifty deflection from Tomas Jurco of Slovakia, helping his team win 4-1 over Hungary. #IIHFWorlds. RT to celebrate. pic.twitter.com/nKUwBrY45E

— IIHF (@IIHFHockey) May 7, 2016

Then in the second, Jurco made a lovely pass to Andrej Sekera in front, which made it 3-1 at the time.

Jurco 👌#mmkisat pic.twitter.com/hUegnQZAXw

— Toni (@Leinonen24) May 7, 2016

Slovakia takes on France tomorrow.

Jurco recorded four goals and two assists in 44 games with the Detroit Red Wings this season. He also had five goals and four assists in five games with the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins. According to Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press, Jurco “could be moved this summer in a trade package, so anything he does internationally will boost his value.”

QMJHL Central Scouting Releases Rankings

Saint John Vito’s forward Anderson MacDonald will enter the QMJHL Entry Draft as the sixth ranked prospect.

QMJHL Central Scouting released their 2016 rankings this week. MacDonald was the top ranked New Brunswick player while Cole Harbour defenseman Jared McIsaac was the highest ranked Maritime player at No. 2.

As expected, Gatineau forward Benoit-Olivier Groulx was ranked first. Groulx “is a complete forward with leadership qualities,” says a QMJHL press release. “He’s able to score goals, is skilled at spotting a teammate which allows the game to progress. Furthermore, his play without the puck in the three zones is above average.”

The full rankings are available here.

Arena Iamgold Was A Hot Mess Friday

The QMJHL has a mess on their hands.

Game two of the President Cup final on Friday in Rouyn-Noranda was forced to be cancelled/postponed due to coolant leaking onto the ice from a pipe below.

A coolant pipe sprung a leak and caused the suspension of G2 of the #QMJHL finals tonight in Rouyn Noranda #CHLhttps://t.co/kZwJmfyGqY

— CBC Montreal (@CBCMontreal) May 7, 2016

The Huskies were leading the Shawinigan Cataractes 2-1 at the time and were set to start the second period. Unfortunately for Rouyn-Noranda, the game will be have to start over from scratch. When that game will be played has not been confirmed at this point. UPDATE:

Breaking news : le match va reprendre à 2-1 Huskies demain. #tvasports

— Mikaël Lalancette (@MLalancetteTVA) May 7, 2016

Here’s the league’s press release:

The Commissioner of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, Gilles Courteau, announced that the game between the Shawinigan Cataractes and the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies is canceled following a problem with the pipes under the ice. Saturday at noon, the Commissioner will decide whether the ice surface is adequate for Game #2 to be played at 4:00 pm in Rouyn-Noranda. A communication will be sent out to that effect. For the time being, the rest of the schedule remains unchanged and the next game, according to League rules, will have to restart from the beginning.

According to multiple media folks, if the game can not be played tomorrow, game two would take place on Sunday in Shawinigan, where game three was scheduled to take place. The schedule for the series would have to be adjusted, possibly resulting in a 1-2-2-1-1 format.

REPORT: Edson Signs With Sea Dogs

According to Paul Edson, Paul Edson has signed with the Saint John Sea Dogs.

I am so excited to announce that I have signed a contract with the Saint John SeaDogs in QMJHL. Thanks to all who helped me along the way!

— Paul Edson (@paul5885) May 7, 2016

The 16-year-old American defenseman is listed at 6’3” and 185 lbs at Elite Prospects. Phil Stacey of The Salem News reports that he is 6’4”.

6-foot-4 elite D Paul Edson leaving St. John's Prep for Saint John Sea Dogs of QMJHL. Big loss for @SJP_Hockey; great opportunity for Edson.

— Phil Stacey (@PhilStacey_SN) May 7, 2016

According to US Hockey Report, Edson has spent the past two seasons with St. John’s Prep, a high school in Massachusetts. He recorded one goal and five assists in 24 games in his freshman season (2014-15). Last year Edson registered four goals and eight assists in 23 contests.

Here’s what Jeff Cox of SB Nation wrote about Edson earlier this week in a post about USHL draft prospects:

He's a tall, lanky blue liner who is still figuring out the game, but his first stride and how quickly he gets on opposing forwards is notable to anyone who's seen him play. He's still a year or two away, but he has pro upside with his size and physical tools.

The Sea Dogs have brought in several American free agents over the past couple seasons and it seems that trend will continue.

Gallant A Finalist For NHL Coach Of The Year

Former Sea Dogs head coach Gerard Gallant has been named a finalist for the Jack Adams Award, given annually to the NHL’s coach of the year.

Dallas Stars coach Lindy Ruff and Barry Trotz of the Washington Capitals were also nominated. The award will be presented at the NHL’s award show on June 22.

From the NHL website:

Gallant led the Panthers (47-26-9, 103 points) to the Atlantic Division title while setting franchise marks for wins and points. Florida had a franchise-record 12 game win streak from Dec. 15 to Jan 10, a record seven-game home win streak (Dec. 10 to Jan. 3) and a record six-game road win streak (Dec. 15 to Jan. 10). In Gallant's second season behind the bench for Florida, the Panthers improved by nine wins and 12 points from a season ago. Gallant is a first-time award finalist.

Gallant coached the Sea Dogs for three seasons from 2009-2012, leading the team to three straight league finals, three Maritime Division championships, two President Cup titles and a Memorial Cup championship. He was an assistant coach with the Montreal Canadiens from 2012-14 before joining the Panthers.

The Summerside native was named the CHL coach of the year in 2010 and 2011.

President Cup Final Predictions

The QMJHL’s President Cup final begins on Wednesday between the Shawinigan Cataractes and Rouyn-Noranda Huskies. Here are our predictions for the series.

Lorne: The 2016 QMJHL playoff season has pretty much gone according to Hoyle - except for the huge upset by Blainville-Boisbriand over Val-d'Or in round one.  And now the top two seeds - and two of the three division winners - face-off for league supremacy. 

Shawinigan took some time to jell - notably after major changes during the midseason trading period as well as bringing in a new head coach. But the Cataractes looked very good against Saint John in the semifinals. Led by New York Islanders prospect Anthony Beauvillier, Shawinigan boasts three very strong forward lines and a solid defence. Likely most importantly, they are backstopped by one of the most successful goaltenders in QMJHL history - Philippe Cadorette. 

On the other hand, Rouyn-Noranda has been one of the best teams in the entire CHL all season. And the strong got stronger after Christmas with the addition of power forwards Timo Meier and AJ Greer, along with star defenceman Nikolas Brouillard. Due largely to injuries and suspensions to key players, the Huskies struggled somewhat in the semifinals against Moncton. But led by league MVP Francis Perron, the Huskies dug deep and made it through to the finals. 

Shawinigan will provide stiff opposition but I'm sticking with my choice from the beginning.  It'll be dogs over cats - Huskies in 6. 

Windsor To Host 2017 Memorial Cup

It was announced this morning that the Windsor Spitfires will host the 2017 Memorial Cup.

According to a CHL press release, “the 99th edition of the MasterCard Memorial Cup will take place May 18-28, 2017, at Windsor’s WFCU Centre, featuring the host Spitfires along with the champions of the Ontario Hockey League, the Western Hockey League, and the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.”

The QMJHL was once rumoured to be hosting the 2017 tournament, and the Sea Dogs had expressed interest. But the CHL opted to keep the current rotation in place. There has been plenty of speculation that the 2018 Memorial Cup will also be held in Ontario and feature a different format. But that has not been confirmed by the CHL.

The Sea Dogs have previously expressed interest in hosting the 2019 event.

This year’s Memorial Cup will be held in Red Deer.

In other news…

• Rouyn-Noranda’s Timo Meier has been suspended for the first game of the President Cup final for a hit in game six of the Huskies’ semifinal series against Moncton.
• The Halifax Mooseheads have named Andre Tourigny their new head coach.
• Someone made a chart estimating ticket revenue for every CHL club. Unsurprisingly, Quebec, London and Edmonton led the way.
• The current QMJHL Entry Draft order has the Sea Dogs picking 10^th overall. Saint John’s pick is owned by Baie-Comeau but they do own Charlottetown’s first round pick.

Huskies To Play Cataractes In Q Final

Gracious in defeat @monctonwildcats #TakeCharge pic.twitter.com/oLaeYVH9nM

— Rockys (@RockysSportsBar) May 1, 2016

The Rouyn-Noranda Huskies will play the Shawinigan Cataractes in the President Cup final.

The Huskies advanced to the league’s championship series with a late comeback victory over the Moncton Wildcats this afternoon. The Huskies, who were down 3-0 at one point in the second period, scored three goals in the third period to beat Moncton 5-4 and win the semifinal series in six games. The Wildcats were up 4-3 with three minutes left in the game, but two goals by Rouyn-Noranda within a 1:02 span ended Moncton’s season.

Shawinigan advanced to the league final on Friday after eliminating the Saint John Sea Dogs in five games.

Neither club team won a QMJHL championship previously The Huskies last appeared in the final in 2008 while the Cataractes are making their first appearance since 2009.

The Huskies finished first overall in the league standing while the Cataractes finished second. Rouyn-Noranda won three of the four meetings between the two.

The best-of-seven series begins on Wednesday in Rouyn-Noranda.

Calendrier De la finale mercredi et vendredi a RN / dimanche et lundi A Shawinigan/ mercredi a RN / vendredi a Shawinigan et dimanche a RN

— Stephane Leroux (@StephRDSJunior) May 1, 2016

The winner will represent the QMJHL at the 2016 Memorial Cup in Red Deer. The OHL final has London taking Niagara while Seattle will face Brandon for the WHL championship.