Notebook: Sea Dogs attend USA Hockey Festival

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

Three players with Saint John Sea Dogs connections recently took part in USA Hockey's Boys National 17 Festival in Amherst, NY.

Sea Dogs forward Matthew Krayer recorded a goal and two assists in six games with the Massachusetts District, who finished fourth at the event. Defensive prospect Brian McFadden, a seventh-round pick of Saint John in the 2024 QMJHL Entry Draft, was also part of that team and registered a goal in six games.

Both Krayer and McFadden recently took part in Sea Dogs development camp in Quispamsis.

Defenseman Oskar Drabczynski, a seventh-round pick of Saint John in this year's draft, registered two assists in six games with the New England District, who finished second.

According to USA Hockey, "the Boys National 17 Festival is a District team-based tournament format, but the priority is still to improve and showcase the players participating. Players will experience a competitive, age-specific environment with on-ice training (drills, small area games, competitions, etc.) and off-ice training (strength & conditioning, team building, mental skills, nutrition, classroom, etc.)."

CRICKARD NAMED TO HLINKA STAFF

Sea Dogs head coach and general manager Travis Crickard has been named an associate coach for Team Canada at this year's Hlinka Gretzky Cup, which will take place Aug. 11-16

From Hockey Canada:

Crickard recently completed his third season as the head coach of the QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs and was promoted to general manager in October 2024. He also spent time with the Ontario Hockey League’s (OHL) Ottawa 67’s (2013-14) and Western Hockey League’s (WHL) Kelowna Rockets (2014-19). Crickard has won three gold medals with Canada’s National Men’s Under-18 Team at the IIHF U18 World Championship, twice as an assistant coach (2024, 2025) and once as a video coach in 2021. He also won a silver medal as the head coach of Canada Red at the 2024 U17 World Challenge. Crickard was an assistant coach for Canada’s men’s hockey team at the 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games, finishing fourth. He was a member of Canada Black at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge as a video coach (2016)—winning a silver medal—and an assistant coach in 2017.

Mathieu Turcotte will be the team's head coach. Rick Steadman of the London Knights will join Crickard behind the bench as an assistant.

Sea Dogs forward William Yared and defenseman Cameron Chartrand have both been invited to Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team selection camp later this month in Oakville.

Five Sea Dogs earn Hockey Canada invites

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

Five Saint John Sea Dogs have received invites to Hockey Canada's Program of Excellence summer camps, which will be held later this month in Oakville.

Forward William Yared and defenseman Cameron Chartrand have earned invites to Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team selection camp while forwards Alexis Joseph and Nolann Héroux along with goaltender Jase MacPherson have been invited to the national under-17 development camp.

Yared, selected with the fifth overall pick in the 2024 QMJHL Entry Draft, posted 14 goals and 16 assists in 58 games during his rookie season with the Sea Dogs.

Chartrand, meanwhile, spent most of this past season with the Bishop Kearney Selects under-16 team. Selected 18th overall by Saint John in 2024, Chartrand signed with the Sea Dogs in March.

One notable omission from the camp is Sea Dogs forward Dylan Rozzi, who registered 34 points in 62 games in his rookie QMJHL season. Rozzi was picked eighth overall by Saint John in 2024.

40 players—four goaltenders, 12 defensemen and 24 forwards—were invited on the under-18 side. The selected players will represent Canada at the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, set for Aug. 11-16 in Brno, Czechia, and Trencin, Slovakia. Sea Dogs head coach and general manager Travis Crickard will be an associate coach with the team.

The selection camp is set for July 29  to Aug. 1.

On the under-17 side, it's no surprise to see Jospeh earn an invite after he was picked first overall by Saint John in this year's draft. He registered 56 points in 42 games with Collège Esther-Blondin Phénix last season and it would be quite a surprise to see him left out of this year's U17 World Challenge.

Three ex-Dogs ink pro deals

Embed from Getty Images

 

Three former Saint John Sea Dogs recently locked in homes for the 2025-26 season.

The most recent signing was Joe Veleno, who inked a one-year, one-way deal with the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday. Veleno was previously seen at the club's practice facility, so the signing didn't come as a huge surprise.

From the Habs:

Veleno played 74 games with the Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks in 2024-25, scoring eight goals and adding nine assists. The Montreal native was traded to the Blackhawks at the NHL Trade Deadline and recorded seven points (3G, 4A) in 18 games with Chicago to conclude his fifth NHL campaign.

Veleno has appeared in 306 NHL games since making his debut in 2020-21, tallying 38 goals and 43 assists in addition to serving 98 penalty minutes. The 6-foot-1, 201-pound forward set career highs for goals (12), assists (16) and points (28) in 2023-24.

The Blackhawks traded Veleno to the Seattle Kraken on June 21. He was later placed on waivers for the purpose of a buyout, making him a free agent.

The 25-year-old was a first-round pick of the Red Wings in the 2018 NHL Draft.

Veleno, who was taken first overall by the Sea Dogs in the 2015 QMJHL Entry Draft after receiving exceptional player status, spent parts of three seasons in Saint John. He helped the club win the President's Cup in 2017.

Another member of that 2017 QMJHL championship squad was forward Cedric Pare, who has re-signed with the AHL's Toronto Marlies for the upcoming season.

In his first season with the Marlies, Pare registered 12 goals and 14 assists in 59 games. The 26-year-old has now appeared in 207 career AHL contests, posting 39 goals and 56 assists.

More forwards added to camp roster

Embed from Getty Images

Three more forwards have been added to the Saint John Sea Dogs' online pre-season roster.

18-year-old Brayden Campbell, a Saint John native, has been added. Campbell spent last season with the Maritime Hockey League's Grand Falls Rapids where he posted 11 goals and 21 assists in 52 games.

Campbell appeared in nine games with the Rapids the previous season along with 34 contests with the Saint John Vitos. He also spent some time at North Shore Academy, a US prep school.

This will be Campbell's second year attending Sea Dogs training camp as a free agent invite.

20-year-old Natan Éthier has been added as well. Étheir has spent parts of the last four seasons with the Shawinigan Cataractes. Last season he appeared in just five games with the Cataractes after requiring surgery to repair an upper body injury he suffered on Oct. 4.

In 169 career QMJHL games, Éthier has posted 24 goals and 45 assists. He was a third-round pick of Shawinigan in the 2021 QMJHL Entry Draft. 

Also added to Saint John's pre-season roster is 16-year-old Kaidan Sahajpal, a Newfoundlander who has spent the past couple seasons in the US. Last season with The Winchendon School, Sahajpal had five goals and 17 assists in 30 games.

Elite Prospects lists him on the roster for the Islanders Hockey Club Prep East for the 2025-26 season.

Sahajpal was a 10th-round pick of the Summerside Western Capitals in the 2024 MHL Draft. 

It's looking like the Sea Dogs will have a large training camp roster this season. We reported on a number of invites on June 24 and a few more on June 29.

The Sea Dogs are expected to make a formal announcement about the free agent group once the full list is finalized.

Saint John's training camp will presumably open the weekend of Aug. 16 with the team's first pre-season game set for Aug. 19 in Dieppe against the Moncton Wildcats.

Dufour signs with KHL club

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

William Dufour's time in North America is over for the time being.

The former Saint John Sea Dogs forward has signed a one-year deal with the KHL's Lada Togliatti, the club announced earlier this week.

Dufour will have a familiar teammate on the Russian-based team: former Sea Dog Josh Lawrence, who signed earlier this off-season. Dufour and Lawrence were both part of Saint John's 2022 Memorial Cup championship team.

It's been a difficult few years for Dufour who has struggled to find the form he had during his first pro season in 2022-23. This past season, the 23-year-old recorded nine goals and 13 assists in 57 AHL games split between the Bridgeport Islanders and Colorado Eagles.

Dufour registered 25 points the season prior. In his rookie season, the Quebec City native had an impressive 21 goals and 27 assists in 69 games with Bridgeport. He also appeared in one NHL game with the New York Islanders that year, the team that drafted him in the fifth-round in 2020.

The Islanders dealt Dufour to the Avalanche at the trade deadline. He was not re-signed by the Avs.

Dufour had a legendary 2021-22 season with the Sea Dogs, recording 56 goals and 116 points in 66 regular season games. He added seven goals and an assist in four games at the Memorial Cup, earning tournament MVP honours.

Along with Dufour and Lawrence, former Sea Dogs defensemen Alex Grant (Avangard Omsk) and Ostap Safin (Traktor Chelyabinsk) are currently signed with KHL clubs for next season. The number of ex-Dogs signed to play in the league will likely increase before the season starts.

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.