Notebook: Sea Dogs to play just two 3-in-3s

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

The Saint John Sea Dogs will play just two three-in-threes this season – with only one of those games classified as a road game.

The Sea Dogs will play three games in three days Nov. 28-20 and March 13-15. The November stretch is technically three straight home games – but the third game will be played in Fredericton. In March, Saint John will play back-to-back home games before playing a road game the next day.

Nov. 28 vs Charlottetown (TD Station)

Nov. 29 vs Cape Breton (TD Station)

Nov. 30 vs Cape Breton (Aitken Centre)

March 13 vs Halifax (TD Station)

March 14 vs Halifax (TD Station)

March 15 at Charlottetown (Eastlink Centre)

The Sea Dogs will make four trips to Quebec this season but all of them will be stretches of three games in four nights.

ADDED PRE-SEASON GAME

It looks like the Sea Dogs have added a game to their pre-season schedule.

The game still doesn't appear on the league website, but the Charlottetown Islanders have begun promoting an pre-season game against the Sea Dogs on Sept. 6. The game is scheduled to be played at MacLaughlin Arena on the UPEI campus.

The countdown is on ⏰

Buy Tickets -> https://t.co/S4X9kMww59 pic.twitter.com/0T3XEncv0D

— Charlottetown Islanders (@IslandersHKY) July 7, 2025

This would be the sixth and final pre-season game for the Sea Dogs. Saint John is also scheduled to play the night before in Woodstock against the Moncton Wildcats.

The Sea Dogs will play the Wildcats four times in the pre-season; the Newfoundland Regiment once and the Islanders once.

Saint John's first exhibition game will be Tuesday, Aug. 19 in Dieppe against the Wildcats.

Sea Dogs welcome "Next Wave"

SAINT JOHN - While the Saint John Sea Dogs unveiled their new logo, wordmark and jerseys on Saturday night, the team also went into detail about what the "Next Wave" means.

The "Next Wave" slogan has been appearing of Sea Dogs creative for a bit now. At Saturday's event, team president Trevor Georgie explained why this specific term is being used.

"It's not the new wave, because that would imply what happened before wasn't good," Georgie explained to the crowd in attendance. "The word 'next' is absolutely integral to this, because next means you're up next. To do something again, to repeat, to continue, some continuity. Waves don't just go and have new ones come through. It's always the next one coming in and coming in."

Georgie referenced the Bay of Fundy's famous tides, comparing them to the cyclical nature of junior hockey.

"Very much like the junior hockey cycle, very much like our cycle. Slow, precise, patient and powerful. And at the end of the day, the water line is here. Then it starts, and it comes right back up. 

"2005, the Sea Dogs were born. Young franchise bred into the league. Six years later, championship. The seventh season, championship. The tide came down, the tide came up, 2017 championship. The tide came down, the tide came up, 2022 championship."

A number of players from last year's Sea Dogs team were in attendance along with many newcomers who were in town for development camp. Georgie spoke to them directly in his speech.

"It is not our hope that you young men in this room continue on that tradition as the next wave. It is our expectation," said Georgie. "Hope is not a strategy. It is our expectation. It is not our hope that you leave a lasting impact on this community. It is our expectation."

Sea Dogs head coach and general manager Travis Crickard also spoke briefly, welcoming players and family into town.

"As we move into this part of our phase where we compete, contend and become champions, there are many of you in this room and your families who will be key members of them," said Crickard. "So I'm really happy to have all of you here this weekend for this development camp so we can start this next wave off together on a nice July weekend in Saint John."

Joseph impresses on final day of development camp

QUISPAMSIS - On the final day of Saint John Sea Dogs summer development camp, Alexis Joseph showed everyone why he was picked first overall in the QMJHL Entry Draft.

Joseph scored six times – with one coming in a shootout and another two being empty netters – to help Team Smallman defeat Team Thomas on Sunday morning at the qplex.

Playing three 10-minute games of four-on-four hockey, Joseph scored on his first shift, carrying the puck in from the blue line and cutting into the top of the crease. It's evident his size and strength are a step above where most players are when they enter the league at 16.

Cole Renaud scored for Team Thomas to send the first 10-minute game into a shootout. Joseph scored a beautiful shootout goal but Team Thomas took the win thanks to Renaud and Olivier Groulx converting on their attempts.

Sea Dogs unveil revamped logo, jerseys

SAINT JOHN - The Saint John Sea Dogs will have an entirely new look for the 2025-26 season.

At an event held at The Country Club on the Boardwalk on Saturday, the team unveiled an updated logo and jerseys. It's the first logo redesign since the club entered the QMJHL in 2005. As for the jersey, the Sea Dogs have been wearing nearly the same design since the 2009-10 season.

Here's a look at the revamped logo, which still resembles the team's original logo.

And here's a look at the team's new home and away jerseys, which are notably Under Armour branded – the CHL's new jersey supplier.

The Sea Dogs will not have a third jersey for this coming season.

Sea Dogs to unveil "evolved brand"

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

QUISPAMSIS - The Saint John Sea Dogs are poised to make a major announcement at a private event on Saturday.

In an email to invitees, Sea Dogs president Trevor Georgie said the team will unveil an "evolved brand."

Over the past year, we’ve been working closely with a top-tier design agency—renowned for its work with NHL teams and major professional sports brands—to evolve the Sea Dogs identity. 

As we look ahead to the future while honouring 20 seasons of history, we invite you to be the first to experience the next wave of Sea Dogs hockey, both on and off the ice. This will be the official first look at our evolved brand, and we’ll also be joined by several of our young players and recently drafted Sea Dogs.

Over the past couple weeks, the Sea Dogs have been posting creative with the "Next Wave" tagline attached to it. New font has also been utilized. 

Notebook: It's development camp weekend

Vincent Ethier/QMJHL

It's development camp weekend for the Saint John Sea Dogs.

The camp kicks off this Friday at the qplex in Quispamsis and will conclude Sunday morning. According to the team, "on-ice activities get underway at 6:30 p.m. on July 4, followed by more on-ice sessions throughout the rest of the weekend. Players will also undergo fitness testing and take part in various off-ice sessions focused on nutrition and sports psychology."

Development Camp is BACK 🏒#SJSeaDogs prospects and players will hit the ice for three days of on-ice and off-ice development sessions from July 4-6 at the @Quispamsisqplex.

Roster and schedule are subject to change.#GoDogsGo pic.twitter.com/URl0YuyIOv

— Saint John Sea Dogs (@SJSeaDogs) June 27, 2025

33 players were invited to the camp, including Alexis Joseph, who was drafted by the Sea Dogs with the first overall pick in this year's QMJHL Entry Draft. Joseph recently said in an interview this will be his first time visiting Saint John.

A breakdown of the roster can be found here.

Development camp is open to the public.

IMPORT DRAFT AFTERMATH

A bit more on Olivers Murnieks, the Latvian forward who the Sea Dogs selected with the sixth overall pick in Wednesday's CHL Import Draft.

He's very much a legit prospect for the 2026 NHL Draft.

The Latvia to Saint John pipeline continues. Big get for the Sea Dogs. Murnieks should have an immediate impact. Potential first rounder for 2026. https://t.co/SZDiFjNbzG

— Scott Wheeler (@scottcwheeler) July 2, 2025

Murnieks was ranked 26th for next year's draft by Daily Faceoff.

Here's some more video.

Murnieks was named to the all-USHL rookie second team this past season. From the USHL:

Finishing sixth in rookie scoring, the Riga, Latvia native had 15 goals and 20 assists in 52 games for the Musketeers. Murnieks had five multi-point games and scored a pair of shorthanded goals, tied for first among league rookies. He totaled only eight penalty minutes with a +2 rating. Internationally, Murnieks represented his home country at the World Junior Championship.

Murnieks was one of seven Latvians picked in this year's import draft, a record number (most countries saw record numbers due to the draft being expanded to three rounds).

Sea Dogs announce three hires

Andy Campbell/UNB Athletics

The Saint John Sea Dogs have announced three additions to their hockey operations staff.

Kyle MacDonald has been named director of hockey operations and assistant coach; Tim Archambault joins the club as an assistant coach; and Zak Larnaudie has been named Saint John's head equipment manager.

Here's a bit more in each hire from the team's press release:

• Kyle MacDonald: "MacDonald brings significant experience to the organization, having spent eight seasons with the University of New Brunswick, where he served as goaltending coach for both the men’s and women’s hockey teams. Along with his goaltending coach duties, MacDonald held the role of video coach and director of hockey operations for the men’s team from 2019 to 2022, before becoming associate coach and later interim head coach of the women’s team. Originally from Rothesay, N.B., he also worked with the Saint John U18 Vito’s prior to joining the UNB Reds, and this past season served as goaltending coach for the Acadie-Bathurst Titan."
• Tim Archambault: "Archambault joins the coaching staff after working as a Quebec regional scout with the Sea Dogs this past season. Originally from Châteauguay, Que., he has served as head coach of the Cégep Saint-Laurent Patriotes since 2021."
• Zak Larnaudie: "Larnaudie joins the Sea Dogs after two seasons as head equipment manager for the Niagara IceDogs of the Ontario Hockey League. He previously spent three and a half years as equipment manager with the Laurier Golden Hawks women’s hockey team, followed by half a season with the TMU Bold men’s hockey team. He also served as head equipment manager for the Brock Badgers men’s and women’s hockey teams during the 2022–23 season."

The Sea Dogs had a hole in their coaching staff after it was announced that assistant coach Jeff Hansen had accepted a position in Calgary. Goaltending and video coach Max Essiambre is also no longer with the team.

The new hires will presumably be in town this weekend when the team hosts its development. The camp opens Friday at the qplex in Quispamsis.

Bilodeau joins Gee-Gees

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

20-year-old defenseman Nicolas Bilodeau will join the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees for the 2025-26 season.

The Gee-Gees, the defending University Cup champions, made the announcement official on social media Wednesday.

Bilodeau, who turned 20 in March, had one year of junior eligibility remaining. The Gatineau native will instead play much closer to home.

Bilodeau was a fourth-round pick of Saint John in the 2021 QMJHL Entry Draft. He appeared in 198 career QMJHL games over three seasons, posting 19 goals and 83 assists.

Last season, Bilodeau posted four goals and 30 assists in 63 games. He also sported an 'A' on his sweater.

The Gee-Gees pulled off one of the all-time great underdog stories at the University Cup this past March. As the No. 8 seed, the host team strung together three straight upset wins to capture the U Sports national title.

This announcement continues to signify a major revamp of the Sea Dogs' defensive core. With recent additions, Saint John could have an almost entirely new group on the backend to open the season.

Sea Dogs pick three in Import Draft

As expected, the Saint John Sea Dogs made three selections in Wednesday's CHL Import Draft.

With the sixth overall selection, the Sea Dogs headed back to Latvia, selecting forward Olivers Murnieks. The soon-to-turn-17-year-old is eligible for the 2026 NHL Draft and is considered a top prospect by Elite Prospects.

Murnieks spent last season with the USHL's Sioux City Musketeers where he posted 15 goals and 20 assists in 52 games. He also played at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship alongside former Sea Dogs captain Eriks Mateiko where he recorded a goal and three assists in five games – an impressive showing for a 16-year-old.

The 2024-25 season was Murnieks' first in North America.

Mateiko, who was a second-round pick of Saint John in the 2022 CHL Import Draft, is the only other Latvian the team has ever selected. 

In the second round, the Sea Dogs selected Slovakian defenseman Patryk Zubek with the 67th overall selection. The 18-year-old is listed at 6'3" and 203 lbs.

Mann commits to Colorado College

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

Matteo Mann is heading west for the 2025-26 season.

It was announced Tuesday that Mann has committed to the NCAA's Colorado College Tigers for next season. The 20-year-old just completed his final season of junior hockey and was not signed by the Philadelphia Flyers to an entry-level deal, making him a free agent.

Mann, who was a seventh-round pick of the Flyers in the 2023 NHL Draft, recently earned an invite to Dallas Stars development camp.

The 6'6", 234 lbs defenseman recorded six goals and eight assists in 56 games with Saint John last season. He spent two seasons with the club after playing three with the Chicoutimi Sagueneens.

Join us in welcoming Matteo Mann to Colorado Springs‼️

Mann is a 2023 7th round pick by the Flyers in the NHL Draft👏#CCTigers pic.twitter.com/Q4IKV0KHp7

— CC Hockey (@CCTigerHKY) July 1, 2025

Mann joins a Tigers program that is expected to be on the rise in the coming years. The school, located in Colorado Springs, recently opened a beautiful on-campus arena that should give their recruiting a huge boost.

The Tigers play in a powerhouse conference – the NCHC. The conference is home to the likes of Denver, North Dakota, Arizona State and defending national champion Western Michigan.

The Tigers begin the 2025-26 season at home with a non-conference series against the UConn Huskies on Oct. 3-4.

Defenseman Nate Tivey, who also just completed his overage season with the Sea Dogs, has committed to Quinnipiac University for next season. Overage goaltender Charles-Edward Gravel, who was released by the team in the second half, has committed to Mercyhurst University.