Drakkar take 3-1 series lead

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In a game that took nearly three hours to complete, the Baie-Comeau Drakkar took a commanding 3-1 series lead with an 8-2 win over the Cape Breton Eagles in QMJHL semifinal playoff action on Tuesday at Centre 200.

Justin Poirier, coming off his first pointless performance of the playoffs, recorded four goals and an assist in the win.

The Drakkar jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first period and led 4-1 after one. Following an emotional end to Game 3 on Monday night, those emotions certainly ran over in this game.

• Cam Squires and Alexis Bernier both received game misconducts for fighting in the first period.
• Cam MacDonald was given a major and match penalty for boarding in the second period.
• Drakkar goaltender Charles-Edward Gravel received a match penalty in the second period. It was originally announced as a major penalty for a trip, but the QMJHL website lists it as a match penalty for "miscellaneous." 
• Jacob Newcombe was given a game misconduct for slashing in the second period.

So Cape Breton's entire first line and Baie-Comeau's starting goaltender were all tossed from this game before the third period even started. That is a rarity at any point in the season but particularly in the post-season.

"We don't want anybody injured, you don't want suspensions. It's an emotional game. I think back in the day that would have been a longer game. There's a fine line between emotion and discipline,"

- @CBEHockey head coach Louis Robitaille on the emotions of Game 4.

— Jeremy Fraser (@CBPost_Jeremy) May 1, 2024

Match penalties typically come with an automatic one-game suspension, so both teams could be without key players in Game 5, which takes place Thursday in Baie-Comeau.

Magog wins Telus Cup

Hockey Canada

The Magog Cantonniers are Telus Cup champions.

Saint John Sea Dogs prospect Kyan Labbé made 19 saves to help the Cantonniers defeat the Brandon Wheat Kings (the other Brandon Wheat Kings) 4-1 in Sunday's championship game in Cape Breton.

THE MAGOG CANTONNIERS ARE 2024 TELUS CUP CHAMPIONS 🏆@CantonniersAAA pic.twitter.com/EtbmN7Z1SJ

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) April 28, 2024

It's the second straight year a Quebec based team won the national under-18 championship following Séminaire St-François Blizzard's win last year. 

Magog previously won the Telus Cup in 2000. They finished second in 2018, 2019 and 2022.

Labbé, who recently committed to play NCAA hockey at Union College, appeared in five games at this year's tournament, posting a 5-0 record to go along with a 1.60 goals against average and a .944 save percentage. Unsurprisingly, he was named the tournament's best goaltender.

The 16-year-old was previously named the Quebec under-18 league's playoff MVP and top defensive player after posting an 11-3-0 record to go along with a 2.26 GAA and .920 SV%. He was also recently named Canadian Elite Hockey League's goaltender of the year.

The biggest concern about Labbé is his size. The Hockey Canada website lists him at 5'8" and 157 lbs.

A few other news and notes...

• In the QMJHL playoffs, the Drummondville Voltigeurs lead the Victorville Tigres 2-0. The Volts won Game 2 by a final score of 5-1 on Saturday. Former Sea Dogs forward Noah Reinhart had a goal in the win.
• Game 3 of the Baie-Comeau/Cape Breton series takes place Monday night in Sydney while the Drummondville/Victoriaville series resumes on Tuesday.
• At the IIHF World Under-18 Championship, Gardiner MacDougall, Travis Crickard and Team Canada secured top spot in Group B with a solid 8-1 win over Switzerland. Caleb Desnoyers of the Moncton Wildcats was inserted onto the top line for this game, replacing the injured Roger McQueen. Canada wraps up preliminary round play on Monday against Kazakstan. 
• The Miramichi Timberwolves have taken a 3-1 series lead in the Maritime Hockey League final following a 4-3 win over the Summerside Western Capitals on Sunday night. The Timberwolves can clinch the MHL title with a victory in Game 5 on Tuesday in Summerside.
• Charlie Coyle and the Boston Bruins are up 3-1 on the Toronto Maple Leafs in their first round playoff series. Game 5 takes place Tuesday night in Boston.
• Dawson Theede and the Halifax Thunderbirds had their season end with a thud on Sunday, falling 9-3 to the Albany FireWolves in a National Lacrosse League single elimination, first round playoff matchup.

Eagles down 2-0 to Drakkar

CHL TV

The Cape Breton Eagles are coming home down 2-0 in their series against the Baie-Comeau Drakkar.

The Eagles fell 5-3 in Baie-Comeau on Friday night, blowing 2-0 and 3-2 leads. A late second period goal by the Drakkar that made it 3-3 and an early third period marker that made it 4-3 really turned momentum onto the home team's side.

The captain delivers! Isaac Dufort gives the @DrakkarBAC its first lead of the game! 🚨 #QPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/QnncAnhFY6

— QMJHL (@QMJHL) April 27, 2024

Former Saint John Sea Dogs forward Cole Burbidge opened the scoring for Cape Breton. 

Despite the loss, the Eagles showed they can compete with the top-seeded Drakkar and certainly belong in this series. Obviously, Game 3 at a sold out Centre 200 will be a big one. That game takes place Monday night.

Baie-Comeau won Game 1 on Thursday, 4-0.

In the other QMJHL semifinal playoff series, the Drummondville Voltigeurs defeated the Victoriaville Tigres 2-1 on Friday to take a 1-0 series lead. Former Sea Dogs forward Noah Reinhart had an assist in the win.

A few other news and notes...

• Gardiner MacDougall, Travis Crickard and Team Canada are off to a 2-0 start at the IIHF Under-18 World Championship in Finland following a 6-3 win over Sweden and a 6-0 victory over Czechia. Canada is back in action on Sunday when they play Switzerland.
• Sea Dogs prospect Kyan Labbé and the Magog Cantonniers are now 5-0 at the Telus Cup in Cape Breton. In three starts, Labbé has allowed just four goals on 91 shots. Magog will face the Markham Waxers in Saturday's semifinals. The bronze and gold medal games take place Sunday.
• The Miramichi Timberwolves now lead the Maritime Hockey League final 2-1 following a 4-3 victory over the Summerside Western Capitals on Wednesday. Former Sea Dogs forward Cole Foston had three assists in the win. Game 4 takes place Sunday night in Miramichi. 
• Charlie Coyle and the Boston Bruins are up 2-1 on the Toronto Maple Leafs in their first round series. Game 4 takes place Saturday night in Toronto.
• Former Sea Dogs forward Dawson Theede and the Halifax Thunderbirds have qualified for the National Lacrosse League playoffs. The Thunderbirds visit the Albany FireWolves on Sunday in a first-round, single elimination playoff game.

Sea Dogs land fifth overall pick

Vincent Ethier/QMJHL

Luck wasn't on the Saint John Sea Dogs' side this time – sort of.

The Sea Dogs had the lowest odds of winning the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League's Draft Lottery on Thursday and landed where the math said they would: with the fifth overall pick.

Saint John had just a 5% chance of winning the first overall pick. They've done it before with the same odds – back in 2019 in the Joshua Roy draft – but it wasn't meant to be this year.

The Cape Breton Eagles won the first overall pick with just a 14% chance. They won using a pick acquired from the Sea Dogs in the Connor Trenholm deal.

Here are the full results of Thursday's QMJHL Draft Lottery, which was broadcast on RDS.

5th overall: Saint John (5%)

4th overall: Quebec (10%)

3rd overall: Val-d'Or (43% / 28%)

2nd overall: Val-d'Or (43% / 28%)

1st overall: Cape Breton (14%)

Saint John landed the fifth overall pick in the Cam MacDonald trade with the Gatineau Olympiques. They also pick eighth overall thanks to a pick they acquired from the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada.

The Sea Dogs have a long history of success in draft lotteries. From the team:

It is the ninth time in franchise history that the Saint John Sea Dogs will be entered into the draft lottery and the third time the Sea Dogs have been involved in the five-team format, which began in 2017. 

Saint John won the five-team draft lottery in 2019 with just one ball in the draw and a five percent chance at the first pick, the same odds the team holds in this year's lottery. The Sea Dogs won the two-team draw in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2014 and 2015 as well.

It's a bit of an odd year for the QMJHL Entry Draft. There isn't a real consensus top pick and it's believed a number of the top prospects are leaning towards playing NCAA hockey.

The 2024 QMJHL Entry Draft will take place June 7-8 at Moncton's Avenir Centre.

QMJHL semifinals predictions

Baie-Comeau Drakkar Facebook

This round of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League playoffs has the chance to be very entertaining.

The issue is that... I'm pretty sure I said that about the last round, too. To put it simply, it hasn't been the greatest of playoffs in the QMJHL in terms of entertainment, epic series and drama. There have been a few upsets, so it hasn't been the worst. But so far, this has hardly been a post-season that will have books written about it.

Crunching some playoff numbers for the CHL
36 series
19 sweeps
10 4-1 series
5 4-2 series
2 4-3 series
29/36 series have finished 5 games or less
QMJHL: 7 sweeps, 3 4-1
WHL: 6 sweeps, 5 4-1
OHL: 6 sweeps, 2 4-1
Lets hope the Conference finals are more compelling!

— Steve Clark (@SteveClarkMedia) April 24, 2024

Could that change this round? It certainly could. Let's quickly break it down and predict.

1. Baie-Comeau vs 7. Cape Breton – Drakkar in 6

I would love to see a tortured/cursed franchise like the Eagles make it to the league final – and they certainly could. They've arguably been the best team in the QMJHL over the past couple months and they've lived up to all expectations in the playoffs. But you can't deny the tremendous season the Drakkar have had, who were close to the regular season pace of past Memorial Cup champions from the league. This series will tell us a lot about both teams.

2. Drummondville vs 5. Victoriaville – Voltigeurs in 7

It's not too often we get two rivals meeting this late in the playoffs. These two cities are just 45 minutes apart, so this is a fun one before the games even start. The Tigres are coming off a very impressive series win over the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies while the Voltigeurs showed that they are human, needing six games to eliminate the Sherbrooke Phoenix after going up 3-0. These are deep, deep teams but I like the depth and experience of the Volts just a little bit more. Ethan Gauthier and company will have their hands full with Nathan Darveau.

I successfully picked three of the four series in the second round and seven of eight in the first round.

Of note, there hasn't been an all-Quebec final since the bubble in 2022, which the Tigres won. A Maritime team has qualified for the final in five of the past six seasons (that excludes the cancelled 2020 playoffs).

Memorial Cup hosts moving on in OHL

The 2024 Memorial Cup hosts are still alive.

The Saginaw Spirit secured a spot in the OHL's Western Conference Final with a 3-1 victory over the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds in Game 7 of their second round series on Tuesday. The win pushes the Spirit into the league's final four where they'll face the top-seeded London Knights.

Saginaw led 1-0 after one but the Soo tied it up in the second period. The Spirit heavily outshot the Greyhounds in the third and finally retook the lead midway through the period before securing the win with an empty netter. Shots were 14-5 in favour of Saginaw in the third and 34-17 overall.

CALEM MANGONE DOES IT AGAIN 🫡

The Soo native makes no mistake from Michael Misa's pass to re-take the lead for the @SpiritHockey in Game 7 📽️#OHLPlayoffs | #SAGvsSOO pic.twitter.com/SN8tmV181g

— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) April 24, 2024

Soo seemed to have all the momentum entering Game 7. The Greyhounds posted a statement 5-0 win in Game 6 on Sunday while the Spirit were missing a couple regulars for Game 7.

The Spirit finished with 102 points in the regular season, just two points back of the Knights. The two split the four-game season series.

Winning and hosting the Memorial Cup has been a difficult task over the past 20 years. The host team has not won a league championship since the Kitchener Rangers in 2008. No host has won a league title and the Memorial Cup since the loaded Knights of 2005.

The OHL's Eastern Conference Final will feature the North Bay Battalion taking on the Oshawa Generals.

The third round of the QMJHL playoffs begin Thursday in Baie-Comeau with the Drakkar hosting the Cape Breton Eagles. The other series begins Friday with the Drummondville Voltigeurs hosting nearby rivals the Victoriaville Tigres.

Over in the WHL, the third round will feature the Moose Jaw Warriors taking on the Saskatoon Blades in the east and the Prince George Cougars facing the Portland Winterhawks in the west.

A few other news and notes...

• At the Telus Cup in Sydney, Sea Dogs prospect Kyan Labbé and the Magog Cantonniers are off to a 2-0 start. Labbé, who recently committed to the NCAA's Union College, made 26 saves in Magog's 5-1 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings on Monday and followed that up with 27 saves in a 6-1 win over the Markham Waxers on Tuesday.
• Former Sea Dogs forward Cole Foston had a goal in the Miramichi Timberwolves' 5-1 victory over the Summerside Western Capitals on Monday, evening the Maritime Hockey League final at 1-1.
• Charlie Coyle is the lone former Sea Dog playing in the Stanley Cup playoffs this year. Coyle has been held pointless through two games as his Boston Bruins are tied 1-1 in their first round series with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
• Team Canada begins the IIHF Under-18 World Championship on Thursday when they take on Sweden. Canada's head coach is Gardiner MacDougall while Travis Crickard is an assistant. Canada has played two pre-tournament games, beating Finland 5-1 on Saturday and Norway 4-3 on Tuesday.

Season finale of "Rising Tide" released

The season finale of "Rising Tide" has been released.

The series gives a behind the scenes look at the 2023-24 Saint John Sea Dogs, much like what many NHL teams have been producing in recent years.

Episode four begins with a focus on Matteo Mann and his return to Chicoutimi followed by Mathis Gauthier returning to Rimouski. The second half of the episode features general manager Anthony Stella explaining some trade deadline moves and what making the playoffs meant to the group.

The full episode can be seen below.

The first episode was released in December, the second episode in January and the third last month.

Third round series are set

Cape Breton Eagles

The third round of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League playoffs is locked in.

The Drummondville Voltigeurs finished off the Sherbrooke Phoenix in six games on Sunday, officially ending the second round. The Volts join the Victoriaville Tigres, Baie-Comeau Drakkar and Cape Breton Eagles in the third round.

The teams are reseeded based on the overall standings in the third round — but this year that keeps teams within their conferences. The Drakkar will face the Eagles while the Voltigeurs will take on the Tigres.

Baie-Comeau and Cape Breton have had smooth rides through the playoffs so far. The Drakkar swept the Charlottetown Islanders and Acadie-Bathurst Titan while the Eagles, meanwhile, needed just five games to eliminate the Rimouski Oceanic before sweeping the Chicoutimi Sagueneens.

No matter who wins, we're getting a team in the league final that we haven't seen there in some time. The Drakkar's last QMJHL final appearance was in 2014 (a seven-game series loss to Val-d'Or) while the Eagles have never made it past the third round.

Victoriaville and Drummondville are located just 45 minutes from each other, so this is a fun series before it even starts. The Tigres swept the Shawinigan Cataractes in the first round before needing just five games to eliminate the high powered Rouyn-Noranda Huskies in the second round. The Voltigeurs swept the Saint John Sea Dogs in the first round and, somewhat surprisingly, went six games in the second round against the pesky Phoenix after going up 3-0. 

The Tigres won the President Cup in the bubble in 2021 while the Voltigeurs haven't been to the league final since winning it all in 2009.

The Eagles/Drakkar series begins Thursday in Baie-Comeau. The Tigres/Voltigeurs series begins Friday in Drummondville.

Playoffs begin tonight for Coyle, Bruins

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The Stanley Cup playoffs begin tonight for Charlie Coyle and the Boston Bruins.

The Bruins begin their first round series against the Toronto Maple Leafs this evening at TD Garden. Coyle is coming off a career best season that saw him register 25 goals and 35 assists in 82 regular season games. It's the third straight season that Coyle appeared in all 82 games.

The 32-year-old has quite a bit of NHL playoff experience and is still looking for his first Stanley Cup. Tonight will be his 107th career playoff game.

Coyle is the only former Saint John Sea Dog in the hunt for the Stanley Cup. Julien Gauthier's New York Islanders have qualified but he is currently not on the team's roster. Joe Veleno and the Detroit Red Wings missed the playoffs on the final day of the regular season.

Here's a look at how Sea Dogs alumni performed in the NHL this past season.

Player	Team	GP	Goals	Assists	Points
Charlie Coyle	BOS	82	25	35	60
Jonathan Huberdeau	CGY	81	12	40	52
Mathieu Joseph	OTT	72	11	24	35
Thomas Chabot	OTT	51	9	21	30
Joe Veleno	DET	80	12	16	28
Mike Hoffman	SJ	66	10	13	23
Julien Gauthier	NYI	27	5	4	9
Joshua Roy	MTL	23	4	5	9
Matthew Highmore	OTT	7	0	2	2
Yan Kuznetsov	CGY	1	0	0	0
Boko Imama	OTT	6	0	0	0

Julien Gauthier, Joshua Roy, Matthew Highmore, Yan Kuznetsov and Boko Imama all spent much of the season in the American Hockey League. William Dufour did not get called up by the Islanders this season. Jeremie Poirier very likely would have been recalled at some point by the Calgary Flames if not for an injury that kept him sidelined for most of the season.

It was another trying year for Jonathan Huberdeau in Calgary, who is just two years removed from a 115-point campaign with the Florida Panthers. On the flip side, Mathieu Joseph had a bounce back year after posting just 18 points in 56 games with Ottawa last year.

Report: Labbé commits to NCAA

QM18AAA

The Saint John Sea Dogs have lost a goaltending prospect to the NCAA.

The Sherbrooke newspaper La Tribune reported Thursday that netminder Kyan Labbé has committed to play at Union College, a Division I program in New York. The 16-year-old was a fourth-round pick of Saint John in last year's QMJHL Entry Draft but left the team's training camp after 48 hours to maintain his college hockey eligibility.

Labbé has had an impressive season with the Magog Cantonniers, helping the team win the under-18 Quebec title. He went 17-6-0 in 25 regular season games to go along with a 1.98 goals against average and a .934 save percentage.

Labbé was named the league's playoff MVP and top defensive player after posting an 11-3-0 record to go along with a 2.26 GAA and .920 SV%. He was recently named Canadian Elite Hockey League's goaltender of the year.

The 2023-2024 CEHL U18 Goaltender of the Year is Kyan Labbe of the @CantonniersAAA !

The 2007 born net-minder recorded 33 wins in 42 games, including 5 shutouts. Throughout the 42 games in net, Kyan recorded an impressive 1.99 Goals Against Average and a .934 Save Percentage. pic.twitter.com/lEb7FcOgud

— CEHL_u18 (@CEHL_u18) April 17, 2024

The Cantonniers will be taking part in the Telus Cup tournament, which begins next week in Cape Breton.

The biggest concern about Labbé has been his size – although Elite Prospects now lists him at 5'11". He was listed at 5'7" when the Sea Dogs drafted him last year.

Union College, based near Albany, NY, plays in the ECAC conference, which is home to the Ivy League schools. Union won a national championship in 2014 but have struggled in recent years.

The Sea Dogs likely have a No. 1 goaltender heading into next season in Justin Robinson but who his backup will be is certainly a question mark. It looks Labbé's name can be crossed off the list of candidates.

Mateiko 33rd in final Central Scouting list

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

Saint John Sea Dogs forward Eriks Mateiko has once again found himself on NHL Central Scouting's rankings for the 2024 draft.

Central Scouting released its final rankings for the 2024 NHL Draft on Tuesday and placed Mateiko 33rd amongst North American skaters. The Latvian was ranked 36th in the midterm rankings and was given a 'C' grading in the initial October rankings, meaning he was projected to be a fourth- or fifth-round selection.

The 18-year-old has gradually moved up most rankings over the 2023-24 season. In his second season with the Sea Dogs, Mateiko recorded 23 goals and 20 assists in 49 games. He would have appeared in more games if not for taking part in the world juniors and running into some injury trouble late in the year.

Mateiko seems like a near lock to be picked in this year's NHL Draft — the question is when and where he'll be picked.

35 QMJHL players made Central Scouting's final rankings. Rimouski's Spencer Gill (29th) and Chicoutimi's Maxim Masse (30th) were the only players from the Q ranked ahead of Mateiko. It's not expected to be a great first round for the QMJHL once again this year.

Boston University's Macklin Celebrini was ranked No. 1.

American forward JJ Monteiro, who was a 14th-round pick of the Sea Dogs in the 2022 QMJHL Entry Draft, was ranked 197th. Monteiro spent this past season in the BCHL and is committed to Providence College.

American forward Will Felicio, an 11th-round pick of Saint John in 2022, was not included in the final rankings after making the midterm list. Felicio spent this past season in the USHL and is committed to the University of Denver.

The NHL Draft will take place June 28-29 in Las Vegas.

Survey asks fans about ticket prices, opinion of QMJHL

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

The Saint John Sea Dogs sent out their annual fan survey last week.

The survey's questions weren't quite a "juicy" as last year's but some interesting things were still asked. The biggest takeaway came from the final few questions of the survey, which focused on ticket prices.

The survey asked fans to rate the following on a scale from 0-5 with zero being extremely negative:

• How would you rate the value of $25 + taxes and fees for an adult ticket to see a Sea Dogs game?
• How would you rate the value of $12 + taxes and fees for an under 25 years old ticket to see a Sea Dogs game?
• How would you rate the value of $22 + taxes and fees for a senior ticket to see a Sea Dogs game?
• How would you rate the value of $55 + taxes and fees for a family pack which includes 2 adult tickets, 2 youth tickets, and 4 small popcorn ($13.75 + taxes and fees per person) to see a Sea Dogs game?
• How would you rate the value of $46.99 + taxes for a Costco pack which includes 2 adult tickets and 2 large popcorn ($23.50 + taxes per person) to see a Sea Dogs game?
• How would you rate the value of $7 + taxes and fees for all ages, as a special promotion to see a Sea Dogs game?

The cost of single game tickets seemed to be a regular complaint from fans this past season. Once taxes and fees were added, it cost nearly $30 for an adult ticket — which doesn't include parking, food. etc. That ain't cheap.

The team did have several discounted ticket nights throughout the season but, of course, can only do so many of those without devaluing season tickets.

The Sea Dogs averaged 2,760 fans per game this past season, placing them eighth in the QMJHL. Saint John is one of the only CHL markets that hasn't fully bounced back to pre-COVID attendance figures yet.

This year's survey didn't ask much about the team's in-game experience, which was a big focus last year. Instead, questions were much broader.

Irishmen win senior league title

Southern Senior Hockey League

Mike Thomas scored twice to help the St. Stephen Game Time Irishmen win the 2024 New Brunswick Southern Senior Hockey League title on Saturday.

The former Saint John Sea Dogs captain scored twice in the second period to lift the Irishmen to a 7-0 win over the Saint John Toyota Flames in Game 5 of the league final. Former Sea Dogs goaltender Alex Bishop made 25 saves in the shutout win.

The Irishmen finished first in the regular season with a 14-2 record while Saint John was second at 11-5. This is the league that included the Grand Lake Sturgeons, who went 0-16 with a -128 goal differential. 

The league began operating in 2021-22 and included five teams this past season. This is St. Stephen's second championship.

A few other news and notes...

• Nicolas Ruccia had a second straight shutout in Cape Breton's 1-0 win over Chicoutimi on Saturday. The win gives the Eagles a 2-0 series lead heading to Quebec. Cam Squires scored the game's lone goal late in the first period. The Eagles have now won 15 of their last 16 games.
• The Acadie-Bathurst Titan couldn't contain the Baie-Comeau Drakkar on Saturday, falling 4-2 and now trail 2-0 in the series. Shots were 49-25 in favour of Baie-Comeau.
• The Rouyn-Noranda Huskies continue to struggle in third periods. After allowing five third period goals in Friday's Game 1 loss, the Huskies allowed four in Saturday's 7-6 loss. The Tigres now lead the series 2-0 as the series shifts to Victoriaville. This is a 2-3-2 series.
• Noah Reinhart and the Drummondville Voltigeurs now lead their series against the Sherbrooke Phoenix 2-0 following a 5-2 win on Saturday.
• The University of Denver won the NCAA championship on Saturday, defeating a star studded Boston College squad 2-0. Denver defeated Boston University in overtime on Thursday to earn a spot in the national final.

Draft lottery set for April 25

The Saint John Sea Dogs will find out on April 25 where their first choice will be in this year's QMJHL Entry Draft.

The league announced this week that the draft lottery will be held on April 25 at 7:30 p.m. Atlantic and will be broadcast on RDS. The Sea Dogs do not have their own first round pick but do own Gatineau's, which gives them a small but possible chance at landing the first overall choice.

From the league's press release:

Here are the teams that finished in the bottom five in the 2023-2024 overall standings: 

18- Val-d’Or Foreurs 

17- Québec Remparts (pick traded to Foreurs) 

16- Saint John Sea Dogs (pick traded to Eagles)  

15- Charlottetown Islanders (pick traded to Remparts)  

14- Gatineau Olympiques (pick traded to Sea Dogs)

 

The 21 balls in the lottery will be distributed as follows to determine who will draft first: 

18th place: 9 balls, 43% chance of drafting 1st  

17th place: 6 balls, 28% chance   

16th place: 3 balls, 14% chance  

15th place: 2 balls, 10% chance  

14th place: 1 ball, 5% chance

The Sea Dogs have had some legendary performances in the draft lottery over the years, so you can never count them out. This is a bit of an odd draft year though as there doesn't seem to be a real consensus on a No. 1 pick, so it may not matter a ton where Saint John picks. Plus, many of the top prospects available are playing the NCAA card. This could be a wild first round.

Saint John also owns the eighth overall pick (Blainville-Boisbriand Armada), which they acquired previously.

The 2024 QMJHL Entry Draft takes place June 7-8 at Moncton's Avenir Centre.

Mann makes pro debut in ECHL

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

Matteo Mann made his professional hockey debut on Friday night.

Mann was a -1 with no shots on goal in the Reading Royals' 3-2 overtime victory over the Orlando Solar Bears. The Royals lineup sheet showed Mann on the top defensive pairing with 22-year-old Mason Millman.

The Saint John Sea Dogs d-man signed an amateur tryout agreement with the Philadelphia Flyers' ECHL affiliate earlier this week. Mann was a seventh-round pick of the Flyers in last year's NHL Draft.

The 19-year-old is eligible to return to junior hockey for his overage season next year.

The Royals play their final game of the year tonight at home against Orlando.

A few other news and notes...

• The Cape Breton Eagles took a 1-0 series lead over the Chicoutimi Sagueneens with a 4-0 victory last night at a sold out Centre 200. Former Sea Dogs forward Cole Burdige had two assists in the win.
• Gordie Dwyer and the Acadie-Bathurst Titan are doing their thing again. The Titan lost 2-1 to the top-seeded Baie-Comeau Drakkar on Friday but managed to match the high powered Drakkar offense in shots 27-27. 
• Noah Reinhart had two assists in the Drummondville Voltigeurs' 5-2 win over the Sherbrooke Phoenix. That game was 2-2 heading into the third.
• Nathan Darveau made 48 saves to help the Victoriaville Tigres defeat the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies 6-3. The Huskies led 3-1 heading into the third where the Tigres scored five times.
• The Maritime Hockey League final is now set. The Summerside Western Capitals eliminated the Amherst Ramblers last night with an overtime win, sending them to the league final where they'll face the Miramichi Timberwolves.
• The St. Stephen Gametime Irishman can clinch the New Brunswick Southern Senior Hockey League title tonight with a win over the Saint John Toyota Flames. The Irishman took a 3-1 series lead with a 6-3 win last night in Quispamsis.

Second round QMJHL playoff predictions

Cape Breton Eagles

The second round of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League playoffs start tonight with all four series kicking off.

There were a couple upsets in the opening round with the Acadie-Bathurst Titan's sweeping of the Halifax Mooseheads being the only major upset. The Chicoutimi Sagueneens eliminating the Moncton Wildcats was officially an upset, but the two teams finished quite close in the standings.

Only one series in the opening round went longer than five games. Hopefully the second round provides some better entertainment.

I correctly picked seven of eight first round series. Here are my picks for the second round:

Eastern Conference

1. Baie-Comeau vs 7. Bathurst — Drakkar in 4

At this point, it seems like a bad idea to bet against the Acadie-Bathurst Titan after a masterful opening round against Halifax. But the Mooseheads were a team the Titan had figured out in the second half. They don't have the same familiarity with the Drakkar and Baie-Comeau is the No. 1 seed for a reason. I hope the Titan can make a good series out of this, but I have doubts.

4. Cape Breton vs 6. Chicoutimi — Eagles in 7

There's potential for this to be the best series of the playoffs. Two teams that had tremendous ends to the regular season and kept rolling in the first round. Neither team has a ton of playoff experience, which adds to the fun and intrigue. Cape Breton is buzzing again for the Eagles and an electric Centre 200 could be the extra push needed to get them into the third round.

Western Conference

1. Drummondville vs 4. Sherbrooke — Voltigeurs in 4

Sherbrooke needed seven games to defeat the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada in the opening round while Drummondville was fairly dominant in their sweep of the Saint John Sea Dogs. I don't see the Volts having much trouble with the Phoenix.

2. Rouyn-Noranda vs 3. Victoriaville — Huskies in 6

I went back and forth on this one and expect this to be a good series. These are two of the top teams in the league and were separated by nine points. This feels more like a third round matchup, honestly. Hard to pick against Nathan Darveau in the Victoriaville net — but it's also hard to pick against Memorial Cup champion William Rousseau in the Huskies net. This series could be fun.

Notebook: Over and out in Mississauga

The building where the Saint John Sea Dogs lifted the Memorial Cup for the first time hosted its final CHL game last Friday.

The Mississauga Steelheads fell 6-2 to the Sudbury Wolves in Game 5 of their first round playoff series, officially ending the team's run in Mississauga. The Steelheads will literally move down the road to Brampton for the 2024-25 season.

The Sea Dogs won the 2011 Memorial Cup at the Paramount Fine Foods Centre (then the Hershey Centre) when they defeated the host Mississauga St. Michael's Majors in the championship game.

It's certainly possible that the OHL will return to Mississauga one day — but it probably won't be quite awhile given how rough attendance has been during the Steelheads and Majors tenures.

IMAMA MAKES SENS DEBUT

Former Sea Dogs forward Boko Imama made his Ottawa Senators debut last Saturday.

Imama dropped the gloves with New Jersey's Kurtis MacDermid in the first period.

Welcome to the Ottawa Senators, Boko Imama. 👊 pic.twitter.com/tEQhPXmqWm

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 6, 2024

Imama was one of three former Sea Dogs playing for Ottawa in the game, joining Mathieu Joseph and Thomas Chabot.

The 27-year-old has spent most of this season withe AHL's Belleville Senators where he has three goals and seven assists in 53 games.

MacDougall, Crickard reunited

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

The Gardiner MacDougall and Travis Crickard duo is getting back together.

MacDougall and Crickard, who helped lead the Saint John Sea Dogs to the 2022 Memorial Cup championship, will be reunited with Hockey Canada's under-18 team later this month. MacDougall will be the team's head coach while Crickard will be one of three assistants.

“Gardiner has not only solidified himself as one of the greatest coaches in university hockey history, his record and reputation speaks for itself,” said Hockey Canada's senior vice-president of high performance and hockey operations, Scott Salmond, in a news release. “His nine U SPORTS championships and 2022 Memorial Cup win with Saint John are proof of his ability to win in short-term competition, which will serve us well at the world championship.”

MacDougall is coming off a 43-0 season with the UNB Reds that ended with a second straight University Cup title.

Crickard, who was an assistant under MacDougall during the Memorial Cup, has quite a bit of Hockey Canada experience and this seems like the logical next step for him. From the news release:

Crickard recently completed his first season as head coach of the Sea Dogs following one season as an assistant. He was named an assistant coach for Canada’s men’s hockey team at the 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games, finishing fourth, won a gold medal as video coach with Canada’s National Men’s Under-18 Team at the 2021 IIHF U18 World Championship and was a video coach (2016) and assistant coach (2017) with Canada Black at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, winning a silver medal in 2016.

Bruce Richardson and Ryan Smith will be the other assistant coaches.

The 2024 IIHF Under-18 World Championship will take place April 25 - May 5 in Espoo and Vantaa, Finland. Canada's first game is on April 25 against Sweden.

For MacDougall, you have to wonder: could a successful tournament here be a stepping stone to coaching Canada's world junior team? He's proven he can lead university aged players. He proved he can coach junior aged players with Saint John and a successful under-18s would be further proof of that.

Second round matchups set

Embed from Getty Images

It was an interesting — but somewhat quick — first round of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League playoffs.

One team that many had going deep again in this year's playoffs, the Halifax Mooseheads, were swept away by the Acadie-Bathurst Titan. The Moncton Wildcats, meanwhile, were swept by the young and blazing hot Chicoutimi Sagueneens.

The first round featured five sweeps and another two series ending in five games. Only one series went the distance with the Sherbrooke Phoenix eliminating the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada with a 3-1 win in Game 7 on Tuesday night.

Eight teams remain in the hunt for the Gilles Courteau Trophy. Here's how the second round matchups will shake down.

Eastern Conference

1. Baie-Comeau vs 7. Bathurst

4. Cape Breton vs 6. Chicoutimi

Western Conference

1. Drummondville vs 4. Sherbrooke

2. Rouyn-Noranda vs 3. Victoriaville

There's at least a couple matchups here that could be quite good. Eagles/Sagueneens features two of the best teams from the second half going head-to-head in what has the potential to be one of the best series of the playoffs. Rouyn-Noranda/Victoriaville, meanwhile, is a fairly heavyweight matchup with both squads posting 90+ point seasons.

All four series begin on Friday night.

It's worth remembering as well that teams are reseeded based on the overall standings for the third round. 

Mann signs ATO with ECHL's Royals

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

Matteo Mann's season isn't over just yet.

The Saint John Sea Dogs defenseman has signed an amateur tryout agreement with the ECHL's Reading Royals. The Royals are an affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers, the organization that drafted Mann in the seventh-round in 2023.

Mann appeared in just 42 games with the Sea Dogs this season while battling some injuries. The 19-year-old posted six goals and seven assists and added one goal in four playoff games.

Mann spent the previous three seasons with the Chicoutimi Sagueneens and could return to the QMJHL for an overage season in 2024-25. Players like Mann joining a pro team at the end of the year isn't uncommon and he remains eligible to be returned to junior next season.

According to Philly Hockey Now, "if Mann plays some games for the Flyers organization, he’ll be the first player of the 2023 draft class to do so. Denver Barkey and Oliver Bonk are still playing for the London Knights, while Matvei Michkov, obviously, hasn’t come over from the KHL yet."

The Royals, who sit last in the ECHL's North Division, have just two regular season games remaining. They'll host the Orlando Solar Bears on Friday and Saturday. 

Sea Dogs own 7th overall Import Draft pick

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

The Saint John Sea Dogs will have the seventh overall pick in this year's CHL Import Draft, the league confirmed Friday.

Saint John owns the seventh and 67th overall picks, respectively, in this year's draft. That 67th selection, if the Sea Dogs choose to use it, will likely be much higher with some teams opting to pass on their picks.

Both of Saint John's imports from this past season — forwards Eriks Mateiko and Pavel Simek — are eligible to return for 2024-25, so it'll be interesting to see what Saint John does here. Mateiko, who will likely be chosen in this year's NHL Draft, will be generating quite a bit of trade interest at the QMJHL Entry Draft.

The seventh overall pick would be a high pick to pass on but where you pick in the Import Draft doesn't matter a whole lot. Plus, the reality is that Saint John will likely pick high again in 2025.

The Val-d'Or Foreurs will pick first overall followed by the WHL's Kamloops Blazers and OHL's Windsor Spitfires.

The CHL also confirmed that Russians and Belarusians are eligible for this year's Import Draft. From the CHL's news release:

Russian and Belarusian players will be eligible for selection in the 2024 CHL Import Draft and they will be able to play in the CHL as long as they are granted the necessary visa that they require to enter and play hockey in North America. In addition to this change to the CHL Import Draft, the CHL will permanently cancel the Canada-Russia Series as part of its annual calendar of events moving forward.

The CHL Import Draft will take place Wednesday, July 3 beginning at noon Atlantic.

Notebook: Russians, Belarusians returning to CHL Import Draft

According to reports, Russians and Belarusians are expected to be permitted back into the CHL Import Draft this year.

Breaking - Expect the CHL to announce it is allowing Russian and Belarusian players back into the import draft.

— Jeff Marek (@JeffMarek) April 4, 2024

CHL teams have been notified Russian and Belarusian players will be available in the July 3rd Import Draft. The decision was made via Board vote and will be officially announced tomorrow.

— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) April 4, 2024

Russians and Belarusians have been banned from the annual draft since Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The logistics of physically getting these players to North America still isn't the simplest, so it'll be interesting to see how many get picked.

TSN's Darren Dreger noted that the Canada Russia Series will not be making a return (yet, at least).

PLAYOFF LEADERS

After recording just five points in March, Pavel Simek turned it up a notch in the playoffs.

Simek was Saint John's playoff points leader, posting two goals and three assists in the four-game series loss to the Drummondville Voltigeurs. Drew Elliott was the only other Sea Dog to score more than a single goal.

A positive sign for next season was the play of Egan Beveridge in the playoffs. The rookie recorded four assists in four playoff games. Defenseman Nicolas Bilodeau, meanwhile, had a goal and two helpers.

The Sea Dogs were without their best forward, Eriks Mateiko, in the playoffs due to an injury. They were also without veteran forward Tyler Peddle in the final two games due to a suspension.

Mooseheads, Wildcats swept away

Acadie-Bathurst Titan

Not many people would have predicted this: the Saint John Sea Dogs scored more goals than the Halifax Mooseheads in the opening round of the QMJHL playoffs.

Saint John scored eight times in their 4-0 series loss to the Drummondville Voltigeurs while the Halifax Mooseheads converted just six times in their stunning 4-0 series loss to the Acadie-Bathurst Titan.

The Titan showed during the regular season that they knew how to beat the Mooseheads — but to do it in a series sweep in the opening round of the playoffs is really something else. It marks one of the bigger playoff upsets in recent times as 25 points separated the two.

For comparison, Saint John's first round loss to the Rimouski Oceanic in 2022 featured a 23-point difference between the two — but that series was not a sweep and also a best-of-five.

The Mooseheads losing Jake Furlong to injury and not getting Jordan Dumais back are certainly major reasons why their season is now over. The Mooseheads are a deep team — but a team that just didn't get clicking in the second half and routinely played down to opponents.

Former Sea Dogs forward Peter Reynolds, who's junior career is now over, was held pointless in the series. He recorded eight goals and 11 assists in 26 regular season games with Halifax.

Former Sea Dogs assistant coach Jim Midgley, who was in his second stint as Mooseheads head coach, certainly has to be concerned about the future of his job.

For former Sea Dogs head coach Gordie Dwyer, in his second season with the Titan, this has to feel good. Dwyer hasn't had a lot of playoff success behind the bench.

The Titan will face the top-seeded Baie-Comeau Drakkar in the next round. The Drakkar swept the Charlottetown Islanders in the first round.

Recap: Sea Dogs lose 8-1

FINAL: Drummondville 8, Saint John 1

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - The Saint John Sea Dogs' season came to a close on Wednesday at TD Station.

The Drummondville Voltigeurs scored four times in both the second and third periods in an 8-1 victory over the Sea Dogs to complete the first round series sweep.

The Sea Dogs came out with a strong first period but could not maintain that performance in the final 40 minutes. Once the Volts got going early in the middle frame they really didn't stop.

An 8-1 loss is a less than ideal way to end a season, but this series went pretty much as expected. The Sea Dogs hung around at times but ultimately were no match for a much stronger Voltigeurs team. Saint John's time will come in a few years.

Matteo Mann scored Saint John's lone goal while Patrick Leaver made 47 saves in his final game of junior hockey.

Ethan Gauthier netted a pair of goals for Drummondville while singles came from Peter Repcik, Noah Reinhart, Maxime Lafond, Simon-Pier Brunet, William Dumont and Renaud Poulin. Riley Mercer made 30 stops in the loss.

Recap: Sea Dogs lose 4-2

FINAL: Drummondville 4, Saint John 2

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - The Saint John Sea Dogs are now on the brink of elimination.

The Sea Dogs fell 4-2 to the Drummondville Voltigeurs on Tuesday at TD Station, meaning they now trail 3-0 in the best-of-seven first round series. The Voltigeurs can complete the sweep with a victory Wednesday night.

While the final score was relatively close, the Voltigeurs carried the play most of the night, leading 4-0 at one point. Shots in the first period alone were 21-4 in favour of Drummondville and ended 49-21.

The Sea Dogs, who were missing two key forwards in Eriks Mateiko and Tyler Peddle, registered just five dangerous shots in the game.

Patrick Leaver once again played a key role in keeping the Dogs in the game by making 45 stops in the loss. Drew Elliott and Pavel Simek scored for Saint John.

Justin Cote scored a pair of goals for Drummondville while singles came from Maxime Lafond and Peter Repcik. Riley Mercer made 19 saves in the win.

Peddle suspended two games

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

The Saint John Sea Dogs will be without a key forward for the next two playoff games.

Tyler Peddle has been suspended two games by the QMJHL for an "inappropriate gesture" that took place during Saturday's game in Drummondville. Peddle was given an unsportsmanlike game misconduct at the end of the match.

Tyler Peddle, des @SJSeaDogs, est suspendu pour deux matchs en raison d'un «geste inapproprié». L'ex-attaquant des @VoltigeursDRU aurait fait un signe de «tranche gorge» en direction d'un adversaire à la fin du match numéro 2 au centre Marcel-Dionne. #SeaDogs #Voltigeurs #LHJMQ

— Jonathan Habashi (@JonathanHabashi) April 2, 2024

Peddle, a former member of the Voltigeurs, also scored in Saturday's game. His absence will be a significant loss for the Sea Dogs as the Columbus Blue Jackets prospect had an impressive end to the regular season, recording six goals and three assists in his final five games.

Peddle recorded 11 goals and seven assists in 28 games with the Sea Dogs in the second half of the season.

The Sea Dogs, already massive underdogs in this series, will now be without two key forwards in Peddle and Eriks Mateiko, who remains out of the lineup with an injury. 

The Voltigeurs currently lead the best-of-seven first round playoff series 2-0. Games 3 and 4 takes place Tuesday and Wednesday night, respectively, at TD Station.

Playoff Game Day 3 & 4: vs Voltigeurs

SAINT JOHN - The Saint John Sea Dogs are back home and in an 0-2 hole.

The Drummondville Voltigeurs won both games of this opening round playoff series over the weekend to take a 2-0 lead heading into tonight's Game 3 at TD Station. Game 4 will take place tomorrow night in Saint John.

The Sea Dogs were able to hang around in both games and give the Voltigeurs a bit more of a push than expected. Saint John struggled to keep pace with Drummondville in the third periods through, which is common for a young team like the Sea Dogs.

Game time for both both matches is 7 p.m. A reminder that tickets are $10 for the general public and $7 for season ticket members, plus taxes and fees.

TV/Radio/Stream: None/Sea Dogs Radio/CHL TV

Series status: The Voltigeurs lead the best-of-seven first round series 2-0.

2023-24 regular season records: The Sea Dogs were 20-39-5-4 for 49 points (sixth Maritimes/9th Eastern/16th QMJHL) while the Voltigeurs were 48-14-5-1 for 102 points (first Central/first Western/second QMJHL).

Last game: The Voltigeurs defeated the Sea Dogs 6-2 on Saturday in Drummondville. Peter Repcik, Noah Reinhart, Ethan Gauthier, Renaud Poulin, Mikael Diotte and Vsevolod Komarov all scored for Drummondville. Tyler Peddle and Brody Fournier had Saint John goals. Riley Mercer made 20 saves in the win. Patrick Leaver made 35 stops in the loss.

A lot of "must-wins" in QMJHL Tuesday

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

It'll be a pivotal Tuesday night for every playoff team in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League.

All eight series feature 2-0 leads, meaning eight teams are essentially in must-win scenarios for Tuesday's Game 3s.

 

Certainly the most notable teams in danger are the Halifax Mooseheads and Moncton Wildcats — two teams that most predicted would have a hard time in the opening round. The Mooseheads are down 2-0 to the Acadie-Bathurst Titan following back-to-back overtime losses on home ice. The Wildcats, meanwhile, are down 2-0 to the Chicoutimi Sagueneens following back-to-back disappointing showings on home ice.

The Mooseheads were expected to get a big boost for Game 2 with the return of star forward Jordan Dumais — but that didn't happen. Halifax has struggled mightily against Bathurst in the second half and just can't get clicking against the Titan's defensive play.

Jordan Dumais will not be in the lineup tonight after re-aggravating his lower body injury this week. The timetable for his return remains uncertain. #GoMooseGo pic.twitter.com/g9D825bLmn

— Halifax Mooseheads (@HFXMooseheads) March 30, 2024

The Wildcats' situation feels a bit more dire than the Mooseheads' given that they'll be playing in a much more hostile environment compared to the KC Irving Regional Centre. The next three games of this series — if all three are even needed — will be played on the big ice in Chicoutimi.

Moncton will be without Vincent Collard due to a two-game suspension.

Task gets tougher for Moncton Wildcats as forward Vincent Collard suspended for two games after high sticking call in 5-4 loss to Chicoutimi in Game 2. Moncton trails series 2-0.

— Kevin Barrett (@KevinBarrettNB) April 1, 2024

The higher seeds lead the other series 2-0: Baie-Comeau leads Charlottetown; Cape Breton leads Rimouski; Drummondville leads Saint John; Rouyn-Noranda leads Gatineau; Victoriaville leads Shawinigan; and Sherbrooke leads Blainville-Boisbriand.