Sunday, June 29, 2025

Notebook: Bezeau, Checkers fall in final

Riley Bezeau and the Charlotte Checkers came up short in the Calder Cup final.

The Checkers fell in six games to the Abbotsford Canucks in a series that concluded on June 23. The Canucks took Game 6, 3-2, in Charlotte to win their first Calder Cup.

Bezeau appeared in just one game in the final. He finishes the playoffs with three goals in five games.

The 23-year-old completed his third season of professional hockey. He appeared in 24 regular season AHL games with the Checkers and five ECHL contests with the Savannah Ghost Pirates.

Bezeau spent parts of three seasons with the Sea Dogs, helping the team win the Memorial Cup in 2022.

JOSEPH INTERVIEW
First overall pick Alexis Joseph was a recent guest on the QMJHL's Around the Maritimes podcast. The interview begins at the 33-minute mark below.

The future Sea Dogs forward talks about his playing style, his time playing under-18 hockey, draft weekend, who he models his game after, his Canadiens fandom, goals for his rookie season, Atlantic Canada and more.


MACPHERSON MEDIA
A couple features on Jase MacPherson, the Kensington Wild goaltender who the Sea Dogs selected in the second-round of this year's QMJHL Entry Draft.

The Eastern Graphic has a story on MacPherson getting picked by Saint John.

“I think that’s probably the best team I could have gone to. I have a good opportunity to crack that squad next year,” MacPherson said.

The 16-year-old was also selected by the Summerside Western Capitals in the recent MHL Draft. Justin Harrison, Summerside's director of scouting, provided his thoughts on MacPherson to the Journal Pioneer. 

"He’s a great goalie. He’s a big kid. He’s going to have a really good shot at the Quebec league," said Harrison. "We fully expect him to go and be very successful with the Sea Dogs. With the new rules opening up with the NCAA, there are so many moving parts with the Quebec league now, so if he’s not there it’s great to have a guy who is close to home and we know is a fantastic goalie. If he plays for Summerside, that’s going to be awesome.”

TAMPA CONNECTIONS
Sea Dogs prospect Everett Baldwin became the latest player with Saint John connections to get drafted by the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Sea Dogs alumni to get drafted by the Lightning include Mathieu Joseph (fourth-round, 2015), Boko Imama (sixth-round, 2015), Radim Salda (seventh-round, 2018), Maxim Cajkovic (third-round, 2019) and Cameron MacDonald (fifth-round, 2021).

That list doesn't include Danick Gauthier, who signed with the Lightning as a free agent in 2012.

Of all those players, Joseph is the only one to play in any NHL games with the organization.

GAUTHIER RE-SIGNS
Former Sea Dogs forward Julien Gaithier has re-signed with the New York Islanders. 

Gauthier inked a one-year, two-way deal with the Islanders on Sunday. From the team's news release:

Gauthier, 27, recorded eight points (three goals, five assists) in nine games last season with Bridgeport, the Islanders’ American Hockey League affiliate, and skated in one game for the Islanders. He suffered an injury on November 24 against the Hartford Wolf Pack and missed the remainder of the 2024-25 season.

Gauthier spent the second half of the 2016-17 season with the Sea Dogs, helping the club capture a QMJHL championship. 

He's appeared in 181 career NHL games over six seasons, which include stops with the Carolina Hurricanes, New York Rangers, Ottawa Senators and Islanders.

VELENO BOUGHT OUT
It looks like Joe Veleno's time with the Seattle Kraken will be short lived.
The Kraken acquired Veleno from the Chicago Blackhawks last week. The former Sea Dogs captain was traded to Chicago at this year's trade deadline after spending parts of five seasons with the Detroit Red Wings, the team that drafted him 30th overall in the 2018 NHL Draft. 

Veleno recorded three goals and four assists in 18 games with the rebuilding Blackhawks. 

The 25-year-old has appeared in 306 career NHL games. He has yet to play in a playoff game.

MATEIKO GOALS
Every goal Eriks Mateiko scored last season? Why not.


PROSPECTS CHALLENGE SITES NAMED
The CHL announced Saturday morning that Calgary and Lethbridge will host the 2026 CHL USA Prospects Challenge.

The first game of the two-game series will be held Tuesday, Nov. 25 at Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary while the second contest will be held Wednesday, Nov. 26 at VisitLethbridge.com Arena in Lethbridge.

The move means the WHL will host both of the CHL's national events in 2025-26. Kelowna will host the 2026 Memorial Cup next May.

The event sees the top NHL Draft-eligible prospects from the CHL’s three leagues compete against those from USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program Under-18 Team.

The inaugural event was held this past season in London and Oshawa.

NCDC UPDATES
Here's a look at the jerseys for Charlotte County's new NCDC teams. The St. Croix Seawolves will be based out of St. Stephen while the Eastern Charlotte Kingfishers will play in Blacks Harbour.
OTHER THINGS
  • Reminder: the 2025 CHL Import Draft takes place Wednesday, July 2. The Sea Dogs are expected to use all three of their picks. The Memorial Cup host Kelowna Rockets have acquired the first overall pick from the Moose Jaw Warriors.
  • It was three years Sunday (June 29) that the Sea Dogs defeated the Hamilton Bulldogs to win the 2022 Memorial Cup title on home ice.
  • Worth noting that current Sea Dog Egan Beveridge, signee Alexander Donovan, draft pick Everett Baldwin and free agent invite Max Donatelli all played together at a camp last year.
  • A few other notes from the NHL Draft:
    • The Hockey Writers had a draft profile on Sea Dogs forward Zachary Morin. The Boston Hockey Blog. meanwhile, looked at all the Boston University players and prospects who could have been picked. "If he finds his stride in another year of QMJHL play, it’d be intriguing to see his transition into college," they write. Morin has been invited to Vancouver Canucks development camp.
    • The Sea Dogs were one of seven QMJHL teams to not have any players picked, according to Stephane Leroux of RDS.
    • Carter Amico, a Maine native and 2023 draft pick of the Halifax Mooseheads, was selected 38th overall by the Philadelphia Flyers. He's a USNTDP player and committed to Boston University in 2025-26.
    • Forward Grayden Robertson-Palmer, who was picked in the seventh-round by the Detroit Red Wings, is a St. Andrews native. He was a sixth-round pick of the Moncton Wildcats in this year's QMJHL Entry Draft and is committed to Dartmouth College for the 2026-27 season.
  • The Athletic writes about Charlie Coyle joining the Columbus Blue Jackets and the big role he is expected to play as a third line centre.
  • Former Sea Dogs defenseman Jeremie Poirier will be a guest of honour at a hockey school next month in Sept-Iles.
  • Quispamsis native Kiefer Lyons has signed with the Amherst Ducks of the Beausejour Senior Hockey League for the 2025-26 season. Lyons, who played part of last season with the MHL's Amherst Ramblers, appeared in one playoff game with the Sea Dogs in 2024.
  • Saint John Flames legend Rocky Thompson, who was a special advisor with the Sea Dogs during the 2022 Memorial Cup run, has been named head coach of the AHL's Bridgeport Islanders, who are coming off one of the worst seasons in league history.
  • The Moncton Flyers announced Friday that Mike O’Pray will be the team's head coach this season. O'Pray replaces long-time coach John DeCourcey, who will continue to be the organization's director of hockey operations.
  • The Newfoundland Regiment have announced their broadcast team for the upcoming season. By the sounds of it, the Sea Dogs will be the only Atlantic team that doesn't have their own announcer(s) calling road games (unless the team opts to change this).
  • The OHL's Guelph Storm are looking to bid on hosting the 2027 Memorial Cup.
  • Sounds like it'll be the AHL, not the OHL, making a return to Hamilton in 2026-27. It was also announced last week that the renovated building will be called TD Coliseum.
Posted by at
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , ,

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)