Thursday, December 15, 2022

Notebook: Team Canada in St. Stephen

ST. STEPHEN, NB - Team Canada was back on the ice for a second day of practices at the Garcelon Civic Center on Thursday.

Canada's world junior team held its first practice on Wednesday and will continue to do so until Sunday. The practice schedule can be found on the Hockey Canada website. Practices are, for the time being, open to the public.

Thursday's practice had a much faster pace and saw the squad get some special teams work in. There was a meet-and-greet with fans later in the afternoon.
The team begins pre-tournament play on Monday in Moncton, taking on Vincent Despont and Switzerland at the Avenir Centre.

COURTEAU TO RETIRE
Le Soleil broke some major news on Thursday: QMJHL commissioner Gilles Courteau plans to retire in 2024. An official announcement will be made on Friday at a press conference.

Courteau, 65, has been in charge of the QMJHL since 1986. The league has expanded significantly under his watch, growing from 10 to 18 teams.

Le Soleil reports that a new commissioner will be brought in before Courteau's retirement, allowing for a smoother transition process. 

TRADE PERIOD SOON
The QMJHL's holiday trading period begins on Sunday - and quite a few deals are expected to be announced. It could be a busy few weeks across the league.
Cape Breton Eagles play-by-play man Patrick McNeil has a solid preview of the trade period for Saltwire.

The trade deadline is Friday, Jan. 6 - the day after the world junior gold medal game.

DRAFT RETURNS TO SHERBROOKE
The QMJHL Entry Draft is returning to its traditional format.

Held virtually since 2020 due to COVID-19, the annual Entry Draft will be held in-person on June 10, 2023 at the Palais des Sports Léopold-Drolet in Sherbrooke.

“It was a priority for the league to bring back the in-person Entry Draft as soon as possible,” said QMJHL commissioner Gilles Courteau in a news release last week. “It is undoubtedly a memorable experience for a hockey player and his family to hear his name called by one of our teams. This first contact with our owners, coaches, general managers, academic advisors and all of our organizations’ key members is a significant step in their careers. I want to thank the City of Sherbrooke and the Sherbrooke Phoenix for their help in making this announcement possible.”

The Phoenix hosted the 2014 and 2015 drafts. The team was supposed to host the 2020 event that was moved online by COVID.

NEW POD EP
This week on The Hockey News on the Q, Will MacLaren and I discuss Canada's world junior roster; the wild ticket market in Moncton and Halifax; the QMJHL Entry Draft is back in-person; we look at some Vegas Golden Knights prospects; and much more.
LAWRENCE NETS WINNER
Former Saint John Sea Dogs forward Josh Lawrence scored what proved to be the shootout winner in last Saturday's Halifax Mooseheads victory over the Gatineau Olympiques.
The shootout had some odd tension with Mooseheads goaltender Mathis Rousseau uncharacteristically  taunting Olympiques shooters after they made their attempts. As Saltwire highlights, there has been some media drama between the two head coaches since the incident.

Lawrence also played in his 250th career QMJHL game on Wednesday. 219 of those games were played with the Sea Dogs.
OTHER THINGS
  • The Sea Dogs play their final two games before the Christmas break on Friday and Saturday night at TD Station, hosting the Cape Breton Eagles.
  • The Calgary Sun has a story on former Sea Dogs defenseman Jeremie Poirier, who is sharing a place with goaltender Dustin Wolf while the two suit up for the AHL's Calgary Wranglers.
  • Gardiner MacDougall will lead Canada's men's hockey team at the FISU Winter University Games next month in Lake Placid. No former Sea Dogs players were named to the squad. Canada's first game is on Jan. 12 against Ukraine.
  • StFX X-Women forward Maggy Burbidge, the sister of Sea Dogs forward Cole Burbidge, will play for Canada's women's squad at the University Games.
  • After not making Canada's world junior team, Halifax Mooseheads forward Jordan Dumais was back doing Jordan Dumais things on Wednesday, scoring twice in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Moncton Wildcats.
  • Ever after missing a few games, Dumais still has a five-point lead on Val-d'Or's Alexandre Doucet for the QMJHL's scoring lead.
  • All 18 QMJHL teams are in action on Friday and Saturday night. It will be the final night of action until Dec. 28.
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