Monday Notes: Imama, Gauthier had similar breakout seasons

Bokondji Imama could become just the fifth Saint John Sea Dog to score 40 goals in a regular season.

With three games remaining on the schedule, Imama has 38 goals. You'd have to think he has a decent shot at reaching the 40-goal mark with two of the team's remaining three matches against the struggling Moncton Wildcats and Halifax Mooseheads.

The last player to score 40 or more goals for the Sea Dogs was Danick Gauthier in 2011-12. His 47 goals that year remains a team record.

Gauthier and Imama have a lot in common. After spending most of their junior careers as grinders and energy line type guys, both had breakout offensive seasons in their overage year.

Here's Gauthier's career numbers:

And Imama's:

Gauthier entered his 20-year-old season with 29 career QMJHL goals. Imama had 30.

Oddly, Imama is a Tampa Bay Lightning draft pick while Gauthier was signed by the Lightning as a free agent during the 2011-12 campaign.

Some notes...

• Callum Booth has been named the QMJHL's first star of the week, stopping 51 of the 53 shots he faced in two appearances. Booth now leads the league in wins with 30.
• Spencer Smallman is on a seven-game point streak, scoring six goals and adding five assists.
• Samuel Dove-McFalls has also been hot of late, putting up points in 10 of his last 12 games. He is currently riding a five-game point streak - which includes goals in four straight.
• After going through a slow stretch, Julien Gauthier has found his scoring touch. Gauthier has goals in five of his past six games.
• Thomas Chabot is very close to matching Nathan Beaulieu's franchise record for points by a defenceman. Beaulieu recorded 152 points in his Sea Dogs career while Chabot currently has 151.
• The Sea Dogs are one win away from clinching both the Maritimes Division and the QMJHL regular season title. The team's next game is on Wednesday night in Moncton.
• Saint John has won their division four times (2009-10, 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2015-16) and the regular season three times (2009-10, 2010-11 and 2011-12). In each of their regular season winning seasons, the Sea Dogs reached the league final.