Sea Dogs swing big in Import Draft

The Saint John Sea Dogs appear to have swung for the fences during Tuesday's CHL Import Draft.

The Sea Dogs used their first pick - which ended up being 19th overall with four teams passing - on 17-year-old Russian forward Fyodor Svechkov, who is eligible for the 2021 NHL Draft.

Svechkov had an impressive six goals and two assists six games with Russia at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, which was good for third in tournament scoring.

Svechkov registered four goals and two assists in 24 games with the Ladia Togliatti junior team last season. The biggest question is whether or not he'll report to Saint John this season, which is often the major question with imports - particularly Russian players.

Svechkov is pick by the #seadogs wow! A player who can have a good impact for his team. He is good to go in the danger area, strong with the puck, good to take the possession of the puck but is skating ability is kind of weak. #qmjhl

— alex more (@alexmorehockey) June 30, 2020

Saint John swung big at Fyodor Svechkov. He was a big part in Russia winning U17 gold. Massive get if he goes. Saint John is really doing something with a ton of young talent

— TPEHockey (@TPEHockey) June 30, 2020

Svechkov, it appears, is expected or planning on playing in Russia this upcoming season having signed a contract earlier this year - but we'll see what happens. The COVID-19 pandemic will obviously impact things as well. The good news is that Svechkov is the same age as much of Saint John's core, so even reporting in 2021 could be beneficial.

The Sea Dogs made an interesting pick in the second round, selecting 18-year-old Czech defenseman Jan Hampl. Listed at 6'03 and 209 lbs, Hampl could be the type of shutdown defenseman Saint John doesn't currently have in its lineup.

CHL Import Draft takes place Tuesday

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The Canadian Hockey League will hold its annual Import Draft on Tuesday at noon.

As you've probably heard, the Saint John Sea Dogs are expected to pick twice in this year's draft with Maxim Cajkovic traded and Joona Lehmus released. The Sea Dogs hold the 23rd and 83rd picks in the draft, respectively, although both will be higher due to teams passing on their selections. If things stay the same, Saint John's first pick will be 19th overall.

It seems the Sea Dogs are leaning towards skilled, younger players.

"We're locking in on a couple of guys who are offensively gifted," Sea Dogs president and general manager Trevor Georgie told the Telegraph-Journal (paywall) last week. Georgie has said repeatedly in the past that the franchise's goal to use import spots on highly skilled players - but we have seen the team inch away from that model at times in the past.

"We're looking at players who be here multiple seasons - three-year guys or two-year guys, at least," Georgie added.

The OHL's North Battalion own the first overall pick followed the QMJHL's Acadie-Bathurst Titan and the WHL's Swift Current Broncos.

The Halifax Mooseheads (fifth overall) and the Quebec Remparts (14th overall but actually 11th) both pick ahead of Saint John, meaning there could be some big name import talent coming to the QMJHL this season. We'll see what happens.

The 2020 CHL Import Draft can be followed pick-by-pick online. Since clubs usually know who they are picking and a lot of teams will be passing, the draft usually goes quite quickly.

Where are Saint John's past import picks?

The Saint John Sea Dogs are expected to make two picks in Tuesday's CHL Import Draft.

The Sea Dogs, like most teams, have had mixed results with the Import Draft over the years, selecting some of the franchise's best players and biggest busts.

Here's a look back at Saint John's past picks and where they've ended up in their playing careers (so far).

2005, No. 5 overall - F Marton Bartos
According to Elite Prospects, Bartos, now 32, last played during the 2015-16 season in Sweden's Division 2, recording 17 goals and 28 assists in 28 games.

2005, No. 41 overall - F Felix Schutz
Schutz, 32, split last season in Sweden and Germany, recording a combined seven goals and 10 assists in 33 games. Schutz has played for Germany at a number of World Championships, playing in a total of 47 career games at the prestigious tournament. He also appeared in the 2018 Olympics, recording a goal and two assists in seven games.

2006, No. 4 overall - D David Stich
Stich, 31, has played in his home country of the Czech Republic since the 2010-11 season. In 27 games in the Czech's top league last season, Stich registered a goal and two assists - classic Stich numbers. The gritty d-man has never recorded more points in a single season than he did with Saint John in 2008-09 (27 points in 52 games).

2007, No. 3 overall - G Robert Mayer
The only goaltender ever taken by the Sea Dogs in the CHL Import Draft, the 30-year-old played a few seasons of pro hockey in North America before heading back home to Switzerland 2014-15. Mayer has spent the past six seasons with the Swiss club Genève-Servette HC and, according to Elite Prospects, will join HC Davos this coming season. Mayer posted a solid 2.37 GAA and .914 SV% in 32 games last year.

2009, No. 1 overall - F Stanislav Galiev
After five seasons of pro hockey in North America - which included 26 games with the Washington Capitals - the 28-year-old has spent the past three seasons with the KHL's Ak Bars Kazan. Last season, Galiev recorded 16 goals and 17 assists in 54 games.

Notebook: Dogs have decisions on D

With Joona Lehmus released, how will the Saint John Sea Dogs fill out the final few roster spots on the backend?

The Sea Dogs have a core group of defensemen that are presumably locks to make the team: Christopher Inniss (19), Kale McCallum (18), William Villeneuve (18), Jeremie Poirier (18) and Charlie DesRoches (18). Assuming Saint John opts to carry seven d-men, that leaves two open roster spots.

The Dogs have a number of players listed on their pre-season roster who could fill those two holes, including Jordan Spadafore (20), Brendan Sibley (19), Guillaume Richard (17) and Nathan Drapeau (16).

Spadafore might be a long shot given that he's an overager while Richard has indicated that it's unlikely he'll play in the QMJHL this season (if ever). That leaves Sibley, who has appeared in just 87 games over his three-year QMJHL career, and Drapeau, a first-round pick of the Dogs in this month's Entry Draft.

Drapeau may benefit more from playing another season of midget rather than rotating in-and-out of Saint John's lineup... but we'll see what the team decides to do with these final two spots on D. Other options include the Sea Dogs selecting a defenseman in Tuesday's CHL Import Draft (although that seems unlikely) or acquiring/signing a new player.

U-17 CAMP INVITES
Sea Dogs prospects Leighton Carruthers and Simon Hughes were both invited to Hockey Canada's virtual under-17 development camp, which is set to be held next month.

“It’s an honour and something I’ve worked at for a very long time,” said Carruthers, selected third overall by Saint John in this year's QMJHL Entry Draft, in a news release. “Anytime you get the chance to wear the maple leaf and represent your country is definitely something that you can’t for granted and you should be proud of.”

“Representing your province is one thing, but having the opportunity and chance to potentially someday represent your country is a huge honour,” said Hughes, a second-round pick of the Dogs.

The virtual camp is in anticipation of the 2020 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge which, as of right now, is still scheduled to be held Oct. 31 to Nov. 7 in Charlottetown and Summerside.

Sea Dogs to pick twice in CHL Import Draft

The Saint John Sea Dogs are expected to pick twice in next week's CHL Import Draft.

In somewhat surprising news, the Telegraph-Journal (paywall) reported Thursday that the Sea Dogs have released Finnish defenseman Joona Lehmus, meaning Saint John has two open import spots on its roster.

Sea Dogs president and general manager Trevor Georgie told the Telegraph-Journal that the team is looking for "offensively gifted" players who will be with the club for two or three seasons. That would seem to indicate that Saint John will likely 1) select forwards (the team has preached throughout the Georgie era that the plan is to use import spots on high skilled players) and 2) they're leaning towards younger guys and not 19-year-old types.

The Sea Dogs currently own the No 23 and No. 83 overall picks in the two-round draft. Several teams have already announced that they are passing - which the CHL has kindly indicated - meaning both of those selections will actually be higher.

Lehmus and forward Maxim Cajkovic were Saint John's imports last season. Cajkovic was traded to the Val-d'Or Foreurs during the QMJHL Entry Draft earlier this month.

Lehmus, selected sixth overall last year, was the only player Saint John picked in the 2019 draft. The Sea Dogs have selected two players in seven of the 15 import drafts in club history.

The 2020 CHL Import Draft takes place this Tuesday at noon. The OHL's North Bay Battalion own the first overall pick; the Acadie-Bathurst Titan second; and the WHL's Swift Current Broncos third.

The CHL Import Draft is one of the oddest in all of sports - and it could get especially weird this year thanks to COVID-19. It's one thing to get a player to commit to coming to North America, but this year it'll be another to physically get them here thanks to border restrictions.

Gilbert says all the right things

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Greg Gilbert said a lot of the things Saint John Sea Dogs fans were hoping to hear on Monday.

The new Saint John Sea Dogs head coach was a guest on this week's Monday Night Mic'd Facebook Live broadcast. Along with discussing his lengthy career in the sport, Gilbert mentioned some of his coaching style and philosophy, touching on a few things all Sea Dogs observers can agree the team needs help with.

"I like to focus on our hockey club and how we're going to play," Gilbert said from his home in Oakville, ON. "If we play the right way and we do the right things then we'll win hockey games. That's the first thing I want our players to know. It's not going to be easy. It's going to be hard work and there are some things you've got to work on. You've got some very skilled players, no question, that can score goals. But now we've got to play without the puck a little bit without taking anything away from the offense. It's not hard to do, it's just a matter of buying into it and learning how to execute the right way. When that happens, hopefully championships follow."

The Sea Dogs have allowed the most goals against in the league in each of the past two seasons. Last year, the team allowed a league high 4.35 goals against per game. It's no secret the team needs to find a way to, somewhat significantly, improve defensive play - and it's good to hear that Gilbert is aware of that.

Gilbert described himself as a patient coach and not someone who is going to yell and scream.

"The more situations that all players can be used in, the better they become," said Gilbert, mentioning that former NHLer Patrick O'Sullivan turned from someone constantly looking for breakaway passes to a top penalty killer during his time as head coach of the OHL's Mississauga IceDogs.

Another potentially good omen for the Sea Dogs: the 58-year-old has had a lot of success in his first seasons with clubs at all levels. Gilbert won the Stanley Cup as a player in his first two seasons with the New York Islanders in 1982 and 1983; was named the AHL coach of the year in his first season with the Worcester IceCats in 1997; and won the OHL coach of the year award in his first season with the Saginaw Spirit in 2012. Gilbert said he's not focused on individual awards.

"That's the last thing on my mind right now. I want to get people to where they want to be. I want to make our players the best players they can be. That's what they need the help with and that's what our job as coaches is - make them better not only as individuals but as a team. The stronger we can make them in both those instances the better the hockey team we'll have."

One other interesting note from the interview was that Gilbert coached two players in Saginaw who ended up becoming Sea Dogs later on: Sam Povorozniouk and Chase Stewart.

Notebook: New class action looming

A month after settling a class action lawsuit, the Canadian Hockey League is facing another legal threat.

Former OHLer Daniel Carcillo along with WHL alumnus Garrett Taylor filed a class action lawsuit against the CHL this past week in regards to alleged hazing, bullying and abuse from teammates and staff members.

If anyone has any questions regarding the class action lawsuit against the @CHLHockey that was filed today, you can reach out to my lawyer James Sayce jsayce@kmlaw.ca@OHLHockey @TheWHL @QMJHL #ohl #whl #hockey #abuse #nhl #hazing #accountability pic.twitter.com/chJeMDtJFg

— Daniel Carcillo (@CarBombBoom13) June 18, 2020

The Hockey News detailed the disturbing allegations.

TSN's Rick Westhead notes that "the filing doesn’t specify what sort of damages the plaintiffs are seeking." Just last month, the CHL settled the lengthy minimum wage class action, which resulted in each team reportedly needing to pay approximately $250,000 in damages.

In the statement of claim, Carcillo details a number of disturbing events that took place while he was a rookie with the Sarnia Sting in 2002-03. Carcillo ended his junior career by appearing in 20 regular season and five playoff games with the Mississauga IceDogs in 2004-05 - a team coached by Greg Gilbert. There was no mention of any wrong doings by the IceDogs in the filing.

RICHARD STILL BEAR BOUND
Guillaume Richard remains committed to the University of Maine.

The 17-year-old defenseman, who the Saint John Sea Dogs selected in the fourth-round of this year's QMJHL Entry Draft, confirmed to le Journal de Quebec that he intends to play in the United States this coming season ahead of joining Maine in 2021-22.

Richard spent last season in the US, which included appearances in five USHL games with the Tri-City Storm.

Things could always change - especially given everything that's going on right now - but Richard told the newspaper that if he were to report to the QMJHL, it probably would have happened last year when the Victoriaville Tigres drafted him in the opening round. But... we'll see what happens over the next few months and years.

Sea Dogs assistant general manager and head scout Anthony Stella called Richard "a sign at all costs type player."

"One of the top players from last year's draft," Stella recently wrote in a draft recap submitted to Station Nation. "In the fourth-round it was a no-brainer to take a shot at him. He can play big minutes for us today and should be a prospect for the NHL Draft next year."

Gilbert officially named Dogs head coach

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Greg Gilbert is officially the eighth head coach in Saint John Sea Dogs history.

The Sea Dogs made the announcement this afternoon after news of the hiring was broken yesterday by Rogers TV's Craig Eagles.

As we outlined yesterday, Gilbert brings 20 years of coaching experience - from the OHL, AHL and NHL - along with a lengthy NHL playing career that included three Stanley Cup championships. He has also won coach of the year honours in both the AHL (1997) and OHL (2012).

“I’m so happy and grateful for the opportunity that Trevor and Mr. McCain have given me,” Gilbert said in a press release. “My job is to get this team where everybody wants it to be, champions, not only in the QMJHL but the Memorial Cup. It’s a great opportunity and a big challenge, no question about it – I’m really looking forward to it.”



Gilbert has not coached since being fired by the Saginaw Spirit near the end of the 2015-16 season. If there is any knock on Gilbert it's that he hasn't had much playoff success as a head coach. But he's being given the opportunity to turn that around now, being handed the keys to - on paper - one of the most talented teams currently in junior hockey. No pressure.

"It’s going to be a lot of work, there’s good pieces in place but as we all know it takes a little bit more to win championships," Gilbert said. "That’s our plan as the coaching staff is to push our players and hopefully win, not just the QMJHL but the Memorial Cup.”

COVID catch up: WHL, OHL join QMJHL in planning for fall return to play

The Western Hockey League has been the quietest of the three major junior circuits when it comes to return to play protocols, but that's changed in a big way over the past few days.

On Wednesday, the WHL announced via press release that the league "has targeted a start date of Friday, October 2 for the 2020-21 WHL Regular Season, but this date remains contingent on receiving the necessary approvals from government and health authorities in each of the six jurisdictions in WHL territory. The WHL is committed to protecting the integrity of the WHL Regular Season schedule, and fully intends to complete a full 68-game schedule for 2020-21, regardless of when the season begins."

That date aligns with what the QMJHL previously announced, saying they intend to start the regular season on Oct. 1.

On a Zoom call with media Thursday afternoon, WHL commissioner Ron Robison made a number of noteworthy comments.

• Via ESPN Seattle, Robison said "our intention is that we will want to get our 68-game regular season schedule in.” ESPN added that "Robison did not leave out pushing that start date back and felt that the league could still get a full schedule in with a start as late as early December."
• Robison said that if the October start date works out, training camps would begin Sept. 15. Kamloops reporter Marty Hastings tweeted that "if regular season starts in December, camp would likely be shortened. The later the start date, the shorter the camp."
• The league will look at modified playoff formats if needed, which is something the QMJHL has not brought up much.
• Another Hastings tweet: "Is there a hard deadline, a point at which the season has to be nixed? No discussion on that, Robison said. Committed to playing the WHL season."
• Robison's most noteworthy comment regarded building capacity, saying the league will not be able to operate until they receive approval to have buildings at, at least, 50% capacity. Could a team at least start the season without 50% capacity? It doesn't sound like it. "No scenario is expected to be considered in which a team begins the campaign with a maximum capacity of less than 50%," writes Kamloops This Week.

The WHL may be the most complicated of the three leagues to get going given that it must work with six different provincial/state governments. We'll see how that goes.

The OHL, meanwhile, officially said this week that they intend to start the regular season in the fall.

Report: Gilbert to be next Dogs head coach

The Saint John Sea Dogs will reportedly name Greg Gilbert the team's new head coach. This according to Craig Eagles of Rogers TV.

The @SJSeaDogs have hired former Calgary Flames head coach Greg Gilbert as their new bench boss.
Expect an official announcement soon. @QMJHL @CHLHockey pic.twitter.com/oryxhdjo0Q

— Craig Eagles (@Eags37) June 18, 2020

Eagles reported Wednesday that Gilbert was a person of interest for the Sea Dogs given his coaching history - which includes previously coaching Sea Dogs interim head coach Jeff Cowan (NHL - Calgary) and assistant coach Stefan Legein (OHL - Mississauga).

In a Facebook Live interview earlier this week, Sea Dogs president and general manager Trevor Georgie gave the impression that both Cowan and Legein would remain with the club - the major question being in what roles.

"Jeff (Cowan) has done a great job as interim head coach," Georgie said. "Him and (assistant coach Stefan Legein) took the team on quite the ride in early December and after Christmas. They've done a great job with the team.

"For us, for our coaching for next season, we're still in the process of deciding. There will be a third coach in our mix with Jeff and Stef. What that looks like, who that may be and what the functions of each will be is yet to be determined. It's something that we're looking at and now that the draft is over we're looking at it with a little bit more attention."

Gilbert has 20 years of coaching experience but, according to Elite Prospects, has not coached since 2016 when he was fired by the OHL's Saginaw Spirit. Gilbert, 58, spent five seasons with the Spirit, leaving with a 134-134-26 regular season record and a 7-18 mark in the playoffs. Saginaw only made it past the opening round of the post-season once during his tenure.

Gilbert was also the head coach of the OHL's Mississauga IceDogs for three seasons, reaching the OHL final in 2003-04.

The Mississauga native was the head coach of the Calgary Flames for parts of three seasons from 2000-01 to 2002-03. Gilbert has also been a head coach at the AHL level a few times, leading Worcester, Toronto and Adirondack.

Gilbert also has plenty of NHL playing experience, appearing in 837 career games and winning three Stanley Cups.

If this report turns out to be accurate, Gilbert would become the eighth head coach in Sea Dogs history.

CHL-wide streaming service coming soon

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All three CHL leagues will be housed under one streaming service this upcoming season. The Western Hockey League confirmed the news Wednesday in a press release.

"In partnership with the Canadian Hockey League (CHL), Ontario Hockey League (OHL), and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), the WHL is pleased to announce the development of a brand-new streaming service set to launch with the beginning of the 2020-21 regular season," read the release.

"WHL fans can look forward to all three CHL leagues housed under one streaming service, with a new digital platform developed by an entirely new partner available on new devices. Further details including the new streaming service provider, pricing and packaging, will be announced at a later date."

CHL president Dan MacKenzie hinted at this news earlier this year in an interview with The Hockey News.

“We’ll have a new broadcast partner for next season," MacKenzie said in the magazine's Future Watch edition. "We want to improve the quality of our live streaming game, offering more focus on the consistency of the broadcast product in all 60 arenas."

CHL streams have been notoriously bad for years, particularly in the QMJHL and WHL where the majority of games are not shown on local cable stations. Obviously, the hope is that the streaming quality improves, ideally with replays and a scoreboard of some sort. Multiple league sources have told us the new provider will have minimum quality standards that are already higher than many of the current streams.

The other major problem has been cost, again, particularly in the QMJHL and WHL where there aren't many TV broadcast options. Current webcast subscription prices are comparable to NHL streams - but with the quality far worse.

The QMJHL has been with the streaming service Neulion since the 2014-15 season. The video quality was a drastic improvement over the old Telus broadcasts but there were still some odd issues - the strangest being the setup for when games were broadcast by Rogers TV, Sportsnet or TVA Sports, which didn't allow users to listen to their team's audio broadcasts, which often times meant listening in a language you may not understand. This is a unique QMJHL issue that hopefully gets addressed.

 In 2018, the American Hockey League switched webcasts provider to Hockey Tech, which offered users noticeably cheaper packages.

The QMJHL typically releases webcast information just a few days prior to the start of the regular season. Hopefully we get some further information on what's ahead sooner than that.

Sea Dogs undecided on what coaching staff will look like

There will be, at the very least, an addition to the Saint John Sea Dogs coaching staff for the 2020-21 season.

On this week's Monday Night Mic'd broadcast, Sea Dogs president and general manager Trevor Georgie provided a bit of clarity on what exactly is going on with the team's coaching situation.

"Jeff (Cowan) has done a great job as interim head coach," Georgie said. "Him and (assistant coach Stefan Legein) took the team on quite the ride in early December and after Christmas. They've done a great job with the team.

"For us, for our coaching for next season, we're still in the process of deciding. There will be a third coach in our mix with Jeff and Stef. What that looks like, who that may be and what the functions of each will be is yet to be determined. It's something that we're looking at and now that the draft is over we're looking at it with a little bit more attention."

Georgie's comments leave both avenues open: the team could hire a new head coach or add a second assistant.

Cowan has been the team's interim head coach since Josh Dixon was fired in December. Cowan, who has worked as an assistant or associate coach with the team since the 2013-14 season, is certainly qualified for the gig full time. But given that this team may face some unique challenges with its over-following roster of high-end talent, it's led many to wonder - and perhaps even expect - that Georgie and the Sea Dogs are in the market for a head coach with a significant amount of experience. Those suspicions were confirmed with the Dave Cameron news.

It'll be interesting to see how this plays out - especially given that this is far from a normal off-season.

Georgie also confirmed on the broadcast that the team hopes to create a platoon situation with newly acquired overage netminder Carmine-Anthony Pagliarulo and returnee Noah Patenaude. In regards to the June 30 CHL Import Draft, Georgie said the Sea Dogs plan on selecting a player that can help fill Maxim Cajkovic's offensive void.

Stella breaks down Saint John's draft

By Anthony Stella | Submitted to SN

Ed. Note: Anthony Stella, the assistant general manager and head scout of the Saint John Sea Dogs, recently submitted a recap of his team's performance at the 2020 QMJHL Entry Draft.

It was very important for us to find players that wanted to be Sea Dogs.

The players we selected can’t go back and live through what our guys lived through the past two seasons. I felt it was crucial to bring in players that are coming here to win. There were certain players listed high that quit on our team before we even interviewed or drafted them and we don’t want that loser mentality in or near our room. If they could, the guys we selected would go back and live through the downs we experienced just so they could be Sea Dogs now. That was important to us and it’s especially important to all the guys in the room. We owe it to them to bring in players that want to win and be Sea Dogs.

Another major point is that for the first time in three seasons we don’t need to rush any players we drafted. We have the depth and we can afford to let some players go play a year elsewhere and develop. This draft was about building depth.

Leighton Carruthers
Great combination of size, speed, scoring and competitiveness. Showed flashes of a Julien Gauthier-esque type power forward. One of the most lethal shots in this draft. At his age he’s already hard to contain and will just continue to progress that way. With the surrounding cast he’ll have with the Sea Dogs, he’ll just need the puck on his stick a fraction of a second to get the shot off which will make him very dangerous. The sky is the limit for Leighton.

Nathan Drapeau
Four days away from being a 2005. He’ll do anything and everything you need to win hockey games. He can block a shot; throw a hard hit down low in the D zone then pick up the puck and score off an end-to-end rush. Not only is he solid defensively, but he has some of the best offensive tools in the draft for a d-man. He really can do it all. We’re excited to see how Nathan develops and as he gets older and more physically mature just how dominant he could be. It shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone if he’s the captain of the Sea Dogs one day.

Simon Hughes
One of the most underrated players in the draft. Very smart, skilled and has size to add to his tools. We couldn’t believe he was there at 38 and it was a no-brainer pick for us. For a player with so much talent and is still so raw, Simon has the potential to be one of the better players in this entire draft. 

Notebook: D'Orio joining Pens camp

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Former Saint John Sea Dogs goaltender Alex D'Orio will reportedly be among the players to join the Pittsburgh Penguins when NHL training camps begin.

The Sherbrooke newspaper La Tribune reports that D'Orio is already in Cranberry, PA, at the Penguins practice facility, where he and a few other players have returned to the ice.

Teams are expected to be able to carry an unlimited amount of goaltenders when NHL play resumes, so it's not a huge shock to see D'Orio join the club. The 21-year-old registered a 3.43 goals against average and .892 save percentage in 31 games with the ECHL's Wheeling Nailers last season.

D'Orio spent two-and-a-half seasons with the Sea Dogs. He was named one of the goaltenders on the Sea Dogs' 15th anniversary team in March.

CAMP INVITES
Sea Dogs forwards Joshua Roy and Peter Reynolds have received invites to Hockey Canada's under-18 selection camp. The invites are entirely ceremonious due to the fact that both the camp and the 2020 Hlinka Gretzky Cup have been cancelled due to COVID-19.

Roy and Reynolds were among the six goaltenders, 14 defencemen and 26 forwards to receive invites. 18 QMJHL players were invited.

Also invited was Sea Dogs prospect Guillaume Richard, a fourth-round pick of the team in last weekend's QMJHL Entry Draft. Richard is currently poised to play in the United States next season - unless something changes over the next few months.

DRAFT DATE CONFIRMED
There was some uncertainty around when this year's CHL Import Draft would take place, but a date has been confirmed.

The league has now confirmed the June 30th date for the CHL Import Draft. https://t.co/QTlmQhzrI2

— Scott MacIntosh (@scottmacintosh4) June 10, 2020

The event will take place before the NHL Draft, which isn't typically the case.

The Sea Dogs are expected to make at least one pick after Maxim Cajkovic was traded to Val-d'Or on draft weekend.

COVID catch up: U Sports hockey season to have delayed start

The U Sports hockey season will have a delayed start this year - and that's certainly a best case scenario.

U Sports announced on Monday that it was cancelling its fall sports championships, meaning sports like soccer and football will not be played on Canadian campuses a few months from now. Winter sports, like hockey and basketball, will have a delayed start. Atlantic University Sport says winter sports won't start until January at the earliest.

The conferences that make up U Sports said they'll make a decision on the winter sports season in the fall.

U SPORTS: No two-term sports (hockey, volleyball, basketball) to commence prior to January 1, 2021, with the decision to be made no later than October 8th. This goes for OUA, AUS, CW.#USPORTS

— Benjamin Steiner (@BenSteiner00) June 8, 2020

The announcement was a big one, but not a huge shock. With many campuses staying closed this fall or only allowing a limited number of students (such as medical students doing lab work), there is simply no way to justify bringing student athletes to campus if their program does not require them to be there.

What does this mean for hockey? It could mean a lot or it could mean a little. The biggest question likely surrounds guys entering their final year(s) of eligibility, who may opt to turn pro (assuming that's an option in the fall either in leagues like the ECHL or in Europe) rather than waiting for the university season to start.

Remparts sign Nause

Evan Nause is the newest member of the Quebec Remparts.

After choosing to play in the USHL last season rather than report to the Val-d'Or Foreurs, Nause went back into the QMJHL Entry Draft this year where he was selected fifth overall by the Remparts.

This afternoon, Nause, a Riverview native, officially signed with the club.

📣 ANNONCE | Notre premier choix au dernier repêchage, Evan Nause, se joint officiellement à #NotreÉquipe 🔴⚫️

Plus de détails : https://t.co/aR36dguCNI pic.twitter.com/syaAU6xc2p

— Remparts de Québec (@quebec_remparts) June 11, 2020

While he had never officially committed to a NCAA club, it was believed he was strongly considering the college route, especially given the fact that he played in the USHL in 2019-20. The 17-year-old defenseman registered three goals and 14 assists in 44 games with the Sioux Falls Stampede where he was teammates with Cameron MacDonald.

The news is notable for a few reasons. For starters, there was speculation prior to the last weekend's draft that the Saint John Sea Dogs, who held the third overall pick, were interested in taking the d-man. Obviously that didn't happen with the Dogs opting to go with a less risky move, selecting 16-year-old forward Leighton Carruthers - who was also a guy that clearly wanted to be a Sea Dog.

The move is also notable from a Sea Dogs perspective because the Remparts have said they're interested in bidding to host the 2022 Memorial Cup. Nause, 2003-born, will be a key piece of Quebec's build.

Sea Dogs pick two forwards in US draft

The Saint John Sea Dogs selected two forwards in Monday's QMJHL American Entry Draft.

Saint John selected centre Coleman Jenkins of the Tabor Academy Seawolves eighth overall and left winger Ben MacDonald of the Noble and Greenough School Bulldogs 26th overall, respectively. Both players are from Massachusetts.

Jenkins, who is 2003-born, recorded nine goals and 16 assists in 28 games with the US prep school program last year. He also registered 16 goals and 15 assists in 28 contests with the Neponset Valley River Rats under-16 team.

MacDonald, meanwhile, is a 2004-born who had a goal and an assist in 27 prep school games last year.

It's worth noting that this is the third year the QMJHL has held an American draft and not one player selected has skated in the league.

The QMJHL’s 2020 American draft goes today at 11am Atlantic. Mooseheads select 2nd & 20th overall. Take it for what it is. Implemented in 2018, there have been 72 players selected. None have ever played in the QMJHL.

— Scott MacIntosh (@scottmacintosh4) June 8, 2020

In 2019, the Sea Dogs selected forwards Anthony Cafarelli and David Sacco (UNH - 2021). In 2018, Saint John picked forwards Jack Williams (Northeastern - 2020) and Cade DeStefani.

The Sea Dogs picked two other Massachusetts-born players this weekend, drafting forwards Shane Taddia in the 13th round and Michael Callow in the 14th.

The Acadie-Bathurst Titan selected Connecticut-born goaltender Charlie Zolin with the first overall pick Monday. The full results can be found here.

More takeaways from Saint John's draft

By Lorne Webster | SN Staff

The 2020 QMJHL Entry Draft may not have been like 2019 when the Sea Dogs were the talk of the draft. But Sea Dogs head scout and assistant general manager Anthony Stella and his team of scouts are to be commended for what appears to be another stellar job.

It’s likely fair to say that the Sea Dogs managed to avoid much of the draft hoopla this season. Gatineau – with four top 10 draft selections in the first round - and Drummondville – who maneuvered their way to get four first-round rated players (including drafting a likely NCAA player - Michael LaStarza - in round 7) – staked claims to the “King of the Q Draft” crown in 2020.

Virtually every team left the draft feeling very good about what they accomplished Friday evening and Saturday. While it takes roughly three years - or more - to effectively assess a team’s draft results, we will attempt to provide an initial view of how the Sea Dogs fared - based on our Composite Draft Rankings (‘CDR’) spreadsheet.

The Sea Dogs added a number of high-quality prospects to the stable. Including Guillaume Richard – who was drafted seventh overall in 2019 but re-entered the draft after not signing with Victoriaville – Saint John selected eight players rated in our CDR top 110 and seven of those were rated in our CDR top 60. Those results are the best in the 2020 QMJHL draft class. Other teams close behind the Sea Dogs in these terms were: Drummondville (eight in the top 110 with six top 60), Gatineau (seven in the top 110 with five top 60) and Rouyn-Noranda (eight in the top 110 and five top 60).

Per these comments, the type of players that Stella and president and general manager Trevor Georgie deem worthy to be drafted by the Sea Dogs is becoming more apparent. In the HockeyProspects.com ("HP") guide, terms such as strong, size, speed, agility, smooth skating, work ethic, physical and “tough to play against” were prevalent. Another thing to note is that there are very few openings on the 2020-21 Sea Dogs roster at this point. So, most of these draftees will be looked upon to return to "U18 AAA" or play tier-two junior, where they'll be key players on their respective teams.

Notebook: Carruthers, Drapeau react to draft

The QMJHL did a tremendous job with its draft broadcast on Friday night. When comparing the broadcast to what the NFL did a few weeks ago, there were only a few pieces missing: notably studio analysis of picks and player reaction.

Fortunately, TVA Sports' Mikael Lalancette gave us all the analysis, hosting an outstanding one-man Facebook Live (with guests popping in by video) on both Friday and Saturday. Now, the league is giving us some player reaction.

Here's Leighton Carruthers, selected third overall by the Sea Dogs...

View this post on Instagram

Ranked as the 11th best prospect of the 2020 #QDraft presented by @fenplast , @leighton.carruthers ended up being selected by the @sjseadogs with the third overall pick. Check out the live reaction from the first rounder! . . @hfxmacs | @hockeyns

A post shared by LHJMQ/QMJHL (@lhjmq_qmjhl_) on Jun 7, 2020 at 11:01am PDT

... and Nathan Drapeau, picked 15th overall by Saint John.

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Classé comme 30e meilleur espoir du #RepêchageLHJMQ 2020 présenté par @fenplast, c’est finalement au 15e rang que les @sjseadogs ont sélectionné @nathan.drapeau. Voici la réaction du défenseur après sa sélection en première ronde! . . @albatroscnd | @lhmaaaq | @hockey.quebec

A post shared by LHJMQ/QMJHL (@lhjmq_qmjhl_) on Jun 7, 2020 at 11:00am PDT

Good stuff - but here's hoping we're all back in a rink for the 2021 draft.

Cameron returning to Europe next season

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Dave Cameron will not be the next head coach of the Saint John Sea Dogs.

In an interview with Summerside radio station Spud FM Sunday morning, Cameron confirmed he had talks with the Sea Dogs about the position but has decided to return to Austria, where's he's coached the Vienna Capitals for the past two seasons.

"Where I'm at and what I've got going on in Europe, (my wife) Kelly and I basically decided that we were going to go back to Europe," Cameron said from his off-season PEI home.

"(Saint John) contacted me. I was flattered. Had some real good discussions with them and as you know I enjoy talking hockey at all levels. I talked to (Sea Dogs president and general manager Trevor Georgie) numerous times. I really enjoy junior, I really enjoy the kids or young men at that age and working with them and knew that Saint John had a real talented group coming back in there. It was very intriguing and very interesting."

Cameron, a long-time head coach and GM of the St. Michael's Majors OHL franchise, said he had no interest in joining a rebuilding junior club given where he's at in his career. Saint John entering an upswing and possibly hosting the 2022 Memorial Cup made the offer quite interesting.

"That certainly made it a lot more exciting and interesting and led to a lot more talks," said the 61-year-old.

"You still have to develop good players - even though Saint John has some talent they're still young and the big challenge was going to be to bring them in as a team. I always enjoyed that part of the challenge."

In terms of salary, Cameron added that "Saint John made a very fair offer."

Cameron's name began floating around a couple weeks ago as a potential candidate for the Sea Dogs head coach position. The team has made no comments publicly on its coaching situation this off-season. Officially, Jeff Cowan remains the interim head coach of the club at this time.

Sea Dogs select 12 in 2020 draft

Friday's first round round of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League Entry Draft was a dream come true for Leighton Carruthers.

“Ever since I was a little kid pretending I was a Sea Dog in the driveway playing ball hockey, it’s a dream come true and I can’t wait to get started,” Carruthers told the Chronicle Herald not long after being picked third overall by the Saint John Sea Dogs. “They were just the team that seemed to be in town when I would go watch my dad referee so I kind of fell in love with them.”

The Carruthers family is quite familiar with the QMJHL.

Fun fact: Leighton Carruthers' father Andrew was an official in the QMJHL from 1995-2009.

— Willy Palov (@WillyPalov) June 5, 2020

The Upper Tantallon native spent last season with the Halifax McDonald's, recording 18 goals and 19 assists in 35 games. He's known as a player that can take things up in notch in big games. He led the NSMMHL in playoff scoring last season with nine goals and six assists in 10 contests.

“It’s not everyday you can add a player with Leighton’s size, speed, and shot,” Sea Dogs president and general manager Trevor Georgie said in a news release. “This addition makes us bigger, faster and harder to play against. He has a high ceiling and it’s up to us to help him reach his potential.”

Bit higher than some might have expected, but this is a really good pick, Carruthers has some serious pro upside, and with all the skill on that Sea Dogs team he'll have no shortage of guys to feed him the puck.

— Chad Landry (@HP_ChadLandry) June 5, 2020

Carruthers told John Moore that he considers himself to be a two-way power forward who can score goals.



Saint John also picked up a defenseman in the first round, selecting Nathan Drapeau 15th overall. Drapeau was the second youngest player taken in the draft - he won't turn 16 until Dec. 28.

Drapeau was ranked 17th by HockeyProspect.com and 30th by QMJHL Central Scouting. The Sea Dogs like what they heard when interviewing the d-man.

Cajkovic traded to Foreurs

The Saint John Sea Dogs announced a major trade late on Saturday afternoon, sending import forward Maxim Cajkovic to the Val-d'Or Foreurs.

The Sea Dogs, who also sent an 11th-round pick to Val-d'Or, acquired an 11th-round pick in this year's draft (used to select forward Nico Laforge); a fourth- (Chicoutimi) and fifth-round pick in 2021; and a third-round selection in 2022.

There are believed to be performance clauses attached to the deal, so we've likely not seen the end of this trade.

This a major move by Saint John, who deal one of their leading scorers from the past couple seasons. Cajkovic has struggled at times though, never quite finding the consistency that could make him one of the top forwards in the league. He also struggled with an injury throughout the 2019-20 campaign.

Injuries and international play limited Cajkovic to just 36 games last season where he recorded 18 goals and 42 points. The year prior, the Tampa Bay Lightning prospect had 22 goals and 46 points in 60 games.

Cajkovic joins a Val-d'Or team that is loading up. The team made the biggest trade of the 2020 QMJHL Entry Draft on Friday, acquiring Calgary Flames prospect Jakob Pelletier from the Moncton Wildcats.

The deal makes a lot of sense for the Sea Dogs, who have made three major additions up front over the past few weeks: Peter Reynolds, Nicolas Girouard and Cameron MacDonald. Cajkovic, 19, likely won't be playing in the QMJHL as an overager, meaning it may be wise for the Dogs to look at drafting someone in this year's CHL Import Draft that fits the team's cycle a bit better.

Saint John still has import defenseman Joona Lehmus on its roster but the team has not said if he'll be returning or not. With Cajkovic gone, the Sea Dogs will most likely be drafting at least one import this year. The CHL Import Draft takes place on June 30.

Sea Dogs acquire overager Pagliarulo

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The Saint John Sea Dogs were expected to acquire a veteran goaltender before the start of the season - and on Saturday they did just that.

The Sea Dogs acquired overage netminder Carmine-Anthony Pagliarulo from the Chicoutimi Sagueneens in exchange for a seventh-round pick in the 2022 QMJHL Entry Draft.

Pagliarulo split last season between the Quebec Remparts and Sagueneens. He went 14-18 in 34 games to go along with a 3.48 goals against average and a .885 save percentage.

Originally a fifth-round pick of the Rimouski Oceanic in 2016, Pagliarulo has recorded a 29-35 record along with a 3.11 GAA and .889 SV% in his QMJHL career. He's played with Rimouski, Quebec and Chicoutimi.

Pagliarulo has never played more than 34 games in a single season in his QMJHL career, which perhaps makes him an ideal candidate to platoon with second-year netminder Noah Patenaude.

"I think that Noah has all the potential to be a starting goalie," president and general manager Trevor Georgie told Rogers TV a few weeks ago. "It's probably too early to give him that right away next season... a platoon situation makes most sense. There are a lot of goalies out there that are 19 and 20 that I think could be good mentors for Noah or share the duties. We're going to look at getting a goalie in here to share those duties with Noah and may the best goalie win."

Mathias Savoie, 18, is the only other netminder on Saint John's roster with any QMJHL playing experience (and that's just one game).

Overage players on Saint John's roster heading into the 2020-21 campaign include Ben Badalamenti, Anderson MacDonald, Matt Gould, Jordan Spadamore and now Pagliarulo.

Earlier on Saturday, the Charlottetown Islanders made a huge trade, acquiring overage goaltender Colten Ellis from Rimouski in exchange for a third round pick in this year's draft along with first and second round picks in 2021.