How Sea Dogs alumni performed in ECHL

Saint John Sea Dogs

Former Saint John Sea Dogs forwards Nico Blachman (pictured) and Kelly Bent were amongst the ECHL leaders in one category – and it was the category you probably guessed.

Blachman finished second in penalty minutes with 188 in 45 games split between the Adirondack Thunder, Kalamazoo Wings and Iowa Heartlanders while Bent finished fourth with 174 in 62 games split between the Wichita Thunder and Orlando Solar Bears.

The two were still quite a ways off the league penalty minutes leader: Mark Liwiski of the Norfolk Admirals had a league high 310 in 54 games.

Beyond the fighting, it was a low key year for former Sea Dogs in the ECHL, a few of whom split the season between the league and the American Hockey League. Ryan Francis, for example, appeared in 31 games with the ECHL's Greenville Swamp Rabbits and 19 games with the AHL's Ontario Reign.

Player	Team	GP	Goals	Assists	Points
Nicolas Guay	TR	36	11	12	23
Ryan Francis	GVL	31	9	12	21
Maxim Cajkovic	IA WHL	33	12	10	22
Kelly Bent	WIC ORL	62	6	1	7
Nico Blachman	ADK KAL IA	45	3	3	6
Philippe Daoust	ALN	5	3	2	5
Nathan Noel	MNE	24	1	4	5
Raivis Ansons	WHL	8	2	1	3
Jack Van Boekel	FW	3	0	0	0

Van Boekel also played with the Western Ontario Super Hockey League's Tillsonburg Thunder. He had 51 penalty minutes in seven regular season games and 84 penalty minutes in 15 playoff games.

It was a decent year for former Sea Dogs goaltenders in the ECHL with all three players posting solid numbers.

Player	Team	GP	W-L	GAA	SV%
Zachary Bouthillier	TR	13	6-4-0-1	2.68	.914
Jonathan Lemieux	KAL	39	17-16-3-0	2.84	.911
Zachary Emond	TR	17	9-7-1-0	2.81	.907

Lemieux got called up to the AHL's Abbotsford Canucks in the playoffs due to organizational shuffling related to Thatcher Demko's injury. Bouthillier, meanwhile, also appeared in an LNAH game.

Only four Sea Dogs alumni listed above – Guay, Bent, Lemieux and Emond – appeared in ECHL playoff games.

The following former Sea Dogs were included on team protected lists for 2024-25, which were announced Tuesday.

Fort Wayne Komets - Oliver Cooper

Iowa Heartlanders - Nicolas Blachman

Orlando Solar Bears - Kelly Bent

Trois-Rivieres Lions - Zachary Bouthillier and Nicolas Guay

Wheeling Nailers - Cedric Pare 

Cooper spent last season in the EIHL with the Belfast Giants and has signed with the Pioneers Vorarlberg of the ICEHL for next season. Pare, meanwhile, spent all of last season in the AHL with the Colorado Eagles.

The ECHL season came to an end last Saturday with the Florida Everblades beating the Kansas City Mavericks in five games to win their third consecutive Kelly Cup.