Monday, April 19, 2021

Notebook: Dogs see small steps forward

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs
Even in a 33-game regular season, the Saint John Sea Dogs were able to earn more wins and points than their woeful 2018-19 campaign.

The Sea Dogs earned a franchise low 13 wins and 32 points during the 2018-19 campaign. The team played 35 fewer games this year but still managed to have a better record in the end.

Here's a look at the bottom four seasons in Sea Dogs history based on points.

SeasonGPWLOTLSOLPTS
2018-196813492432
2020-213315143134
2005-067015472638
2017-186814439239

Obviously, comparing past point totals to this season's is pointless (pun intended!). When looking at points percentage though, this season's mark of .515 falls ninth best in team history, which is where you'd expect a close-to-.500 mark to land.

That 2018-19 team featured rookie seasons for the core group of Brady Burns, Josh Lawrence, Jeremie Poirier, William Villeneuve and Charlie DesRoches. This group had a .235 points percentage in 2018-19; a .477 mark last season; and a .515 mark this year. The team was no doubt hoping for a larger percentage increase year-over-year but it improved a bit, at least.

PLAYOFF RETURN
The last time the Sea Dogs appeared in a playoff game, the team left the ice with the President Cup.

Tuesday's game will mark Saint John's first playoff appearance since the 2016-17 season which ended with the club winning its third league championship. Saint John failed to qualify for the 2018 and 2019 playoffs. The 2020 post-season - which the Sea Dogs did officially qualify for - was cancelled due to the pandemic.

While the format is significantly different, this will technically be the second time in franchise history the Sea Dogs have faced the Wildcats (previously in 2010) in post-season play and the third time they've taken on the Titan (2008 and 2016).

HOME/AWAY SPLITS
Maybe it's a good thing the Sea Dogs are playing four of their six playoff games on the road?
FRANCIS HONOURED
Ryan Francis did a bit of everything this past week - which included playing net.

With Saint John's net empty and an extra attacker on, Francis made a couple of saves in the crease to keep Saint John within a goal of the Acadie-Bathurst Titan on Friday. Those saves don't show on the score sheet but it does show he had two assists in Saint John's 5-4 loss.

Francis also had three goals and three assists in Saint John's 9-2 win in Bathurst on Tuesday, tying a franchise record for points in a single game. His offensive output this week earned him Player of the Week honours for a second time this season.

Francis and Peter Reynolds - who had five goals and three assists in three games this week - were both named to the QMJHL's Team of the Week.

DRAFT PICKS
We don't have a date for this year's (very likely virtual) QMJHL Entry Draft, but we do know the order of the first-round selections.

As of today, the Sea Dogs hold the eighth and 19th overall picks. Of course, plenty of things could happen between now and draft day.
Below are all of Saint John's picks per the French message board:

1-1CHA-2BAT-4CHI-5VDO-6RIM-6QUÉ-7CHA-9-11-13-14

It's believed that Saint John will receive Halifax's first-round pick in the 2022 QMJHL Entry Draft to complete the messy Ostap Safin trade. If Halifax's first-round pick in this year's draft had been 11th or lower, Saint John would have received that pick instead.

RED WINGS CONNECTIONS
Kobe Burt became the sixth Fredericton Red Wings player to dress for a QMJHL game this season, reports Craig Eagles in a blog post.

Burt joined Zachary Alchorn as ex-Wings in Saint John's lineup on Saturday. Alchorn left the Red Wings to join the Sea Dogs for the second half.

MHL AWARDS

Jacob recorded seven goals and added 21 assists in 26 games with the Miramichi Timberwolves.

The 18-year-old spent parts of two seasons with the Sea Dogs. He was a sixth-round pick of Saint John in the 2017 QMJHL Entry Draft.
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