Tuesday night notes

Tim Austen/IIHF

This and that on a Tuesday night...

• Olivers Murnieks and Team Latvia have secured a spot in the quarterfinals of the IIHF World Junior Championship thanks to a 6-3 win over Denmark on Tuesday. Murnieks played 21:45 and recorded two assists – his first points of the tournament – three shots, a + 1 rating and he went 14-13 in the faceoff circle. Latvia will play Czechia on Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. on the final day of preliminary round play. All four quarterfinals will take place Jan. 2.
• Egan Beveridge made his debut with the Quebec Remparts on Monday, recording two shots, two hits, two penalty minutes and a -1 rating in a 6-0 loss to the powerhouse Chicoutimi Sagueneens. He played on the team's fourth line with Nathan Birch and Andrew Waugh. 
• It's been a rough go for Jacob Beaulieu and the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada this week. After blowing a 3-0 lead and losing to Chicoutimi on Sunday, the Armada blew another 3-0 lead and fell 5-4 in a shootout to the Sherbrooke Phoenix on Monday. Beaulieu, playing on the Armada's fourth line again, took two minor penalties in Monday's loss and was a -1 with one hit.
• The Moncton Wildcats will host the Charlottetown Islanders in front of a sold out Avenir Centre on New Year's Eve. TD Station will definitely not be sold out, but hopefully there is a good crowd. The Sea Dogs had a season high 3,673 fans attend their home game on Sunday.
• All 18 QMJHL teams will play on New Year's Eve, ranging from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. local starts.
• The Halifax Mooseheads have signed free agent defenseman Brenden Espenell from the BCHL's Alberni Valley Bulldogs. The Winnipeg native is committed to Merrimack College for the 2026-27 season.
• The Newfoundland Regiment and Baie-Comeau Drakkar made a big trade on Tuesday, which included Gordie Dwyer's son, Ryan Dwyer, joining the Regiment.
• A reminder that the QMJHL's trade deadline is Jan. 6, which is now less than a week away.
• ECHL games will resume on New Year's Eve after the league and the Professional Hockey Players’ Association (PHPA) announced that both parties have ratified an agreement on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement.