Notebook: Donovan invited to Habs rookie camp

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

Saint John Sea Dogs forward Alexander Donovan will attend Montreal Canadiens rookie camp.

The Canadiens announced their rookie camp roster last week. Donovan will attend as a free agent invite, joining former Sea Dogs defenseman Kale McCallum and goaltender Arseni Radkov.

According to a news release, the camp "will be held at the CN Sports Complex in Brossard and Slush Puppie Centre in Gatineau, from September 11-15. Habs prospects will play two games against the Winnipeg Jets and Ottawa Senators at the Slush Puppie Centre on September 12 and 13 as part of the 2026 NHL Prospect Challenge."

Donovan, 19, is entering his second season with the Sea Dogs. Last year, the Connecticut native recorded 25 goals and 28 assists in 63 regular season games. He had another goal and an assist in four playoff games.

COMING UP

The start of the QMJHL regular season is now less than two weeks away.

The Sea Dogs will open the year Sept. 18-19 with a pair of games in St. John's against the Newfoundland Regiment. Saint John went winless at Mary Brown's Centre last season.

Saint John will host the Moncton Wildcats on Friday, Sept. 25 in the team's home opener at TD Station.

Before all that though, the Sea Dogs have one pre-season game left to play. Saint John, 2-2-0-0 in exhibition play, will take on the Halifax Mooseheads, 4-1-0-0, on Friday at Dartmouth's RBC Centre. These two met last Friday in Saint John where Halifax posted a 7-3 win.

TD Station going cashless

TD Station is going cashless, the venue announced Thursday.

At Friday's Saint John Sea Dogs pre-season game, signs about the change were placed at the front of concession line entrances.

Here's what TD Station shared on Facebook about the change:

TD STATION IS GOING CASHLESS!

We’re making things easier, faster, and more convenient for our guests! TD Station will be moving to a cashless payment system for food, beverage, and most purchases throughout the venue.

There will still be a few locations where cash will be accepted:

• Box Office: Cash will be accepted for tickets, gift cards, and our new **Food & Beverage Gift Cards.
• Sea Dogs Store: Cash will continue to be accepted.
• 50/50: Cash will continue to be accepted.
• Parking: Cash will continue to be accepted at select parking locations for now.
• Food & Beverage Gift Cards: We’ll be rolling out TD Station Food & Beverage Gift Cards, which can be purchased directly at the TD Station Box Office. These will be a great option for guests who prefer to use cash while enjoying food and beverages at the venue.

We appreciate your understanding as we make this transition and look forward to providing an even smoother experience at TD Station!

The move, unsurprisingly, brought quite a bit of negative feedback on social media. A number of people did point out, though, that many venues that are TD Station's size have been cashless for quite some time. Halifax's Scotiabank Centre, for example, is cashless.

Venues started going cashless just before the pandemic and the trend certainly picked up when live events returned.

While this will likely be a disturbance to some fans, it's becoming an industry norm, just like digital ticketing.

As written about a number of times in recent years, TD Station has really been falling behind venues like Scotiabank Centre and Moncton's Avenir Centre. Even Sydney's Centre 200 has gotten upgrades in recent years that give the fan experience more "bells and whistles" than TD Station. Hopefully some more modernizations to the fan experience are coming soon.

Sea Dogs claim Roop from Oceanic

Embed from Getty Images 

The Saint John Sea Dogs announced a roster move on Saturday, claiming forward Logan Roop off waivers from the Rimouski Oceanic.

A Brookfield, NS native, Roop has spent parts of the past three seasons with the Oceanic. In 62 games last season, Roop posted nine goals, seven assists and 56 penalty minutes.

The 19-year-old has appeared in 89 career QMJHL games, recording 10 goals and nine assists. He also appeared in five playoff games during Rimouski's 2025 run.

The #SJSeaDogs have claimed forward Logan Roop off waivers from the @oceanicrimouski.#GoDogsGo pic.twitter.com/8vbC57JDro

— Saint John Sea Dogs (@SJSeaDogs) September 5, 2026

Roop adds some size to Saint John's lineup. He's listed at 6'4" and 201 lbs. He'll likely be a bottom six, depth forward for the Dogs, assuming he sticks around.

The move doesn't come as a huge surprise given that Saint John's latest round of cuts left the team with just 12 forwards. The Sea Dogs played all 12 of them in Friday's pre-season loss to the Halifax Mooseheads.

The Sea Dogs play their final game of the pre-season on Friday when they take on the Mooseheads in Dartmouth.

Saint John begins regular season play on Sept. 18 in St. John's.

Videos: Beaulieu fights 22 seconds into WHL pre-season debut

Welcome to the Western Hockey League, Jacob Beaulieu.

Just 22 seconds into his first pre-season game with the WHL's Swift Current Broncos, Beaulieu dropped the gloves with Triston Mitchell-McElhone of the Saskatoon Blades – and what a tilt it was.

It only took 22 seconds for Jacob Beaulieu to make his presence felt in Swift Current. 👊🐴 pic.twitter.com/g0D2QyBhk6

— Swift Current Broncos (@SCBroncos) September 5, 2026

Heck of a tilt at the Broncos pre-season game today! Jacob Beaulieu and former Legionnaire Triston Mitchell-McElhone. pic.twitter.com/zBobcEHkPB

— Shawn Mullin 🇨🇦 (@shawnmullin) September 5, 2026

Beaulieu, an overage forward, was named to Swift Current's pre-season roster earlier this week. A fight in his debut felt inevitable.

Swift Current's head coach and general manager is Travis Crickard, who previously held those roles with the Saint John Sea Dogs.

Beaulieu spent parts of four seasons in Saint John. He was a seventh-round pick of the team in the 2022 QMJHL Entry Draft. 

The Sea Dogs traded Beaulieu to the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada during last season's holiday trade period. He appeared in 32 regular season games with the Armada and another 17 playoff contests.

In 210 career QMJHL games, Beaulieu posted 16 goals and 10 assists. He also had 249 penalty minutes – and was known more for his physical presence than offensive abilities.

The Broncos play the Moose Jaw Warriors on Saturday.

Recap: Sea Dogs lose 7-3

FINAL: Halifax 7, Saint John 3

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - With two weeks to go until the regular season begins, the Saint John Sea Dogs have plenty to work on.

That was evident on Friday night at TD Station as the Sea Dogs struggled in a 7-3 pre-season loss to the Halifax Mooseheads. Both teams dressed close-to-final rosters.

Saint John especially struggled defensively, allowing the Mooseheads to score seven times on 26 shots. Several Halifax goals were one-time shots by a Moosehead that was left wide open.

On offense, the Sea Dogs were able to generate 42 shots on goal but couldn't find enough finish. Halifax goaltender Jack Fichthorn was excellent in the first half of game, making 21 stops before leaving late in the second period.

Malik L'Italien scored twice for Halifax while singles came from Quinn Kennedy, Nathan Langlois, Mateo Nobert, Oleg Kulebiakin and Shawn Carrier. Fichthorn allowed two goals while Carson Mertz allowed a goal on 19 shots.

Saint John had goals from Alexander Donovan, Zachary Morin and Oliver Ozogany. Samuel Meloche, in his first game of the pre-season, allowed seven goals on 26 shots.

Pre-Season Game Day 4: vs Mooseheads

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - The Saint John Sea Dogs make their return to TD Station tonight.

While this will officially be Saint John's third home game of the pre-season, it will be their first inside their actual home. The Sea Dogs played "home" games in St. Stephen and Woodstock last week.

Tonight will see the Sea Dogs take on the Halifax Mooseheads for the first time in exhibition play. Game time is 7 p.m.

The Sea Dogs are 2-1-0-0 this pre-season and are coming off a 4-1 loss to the Rimouski Oceanic last Sunday.

Saint John's roster is now down to 24 players following reassignments earlier this week.

Radio/TV/Stream: None/None/Sea Dogs YouTube (probably?)

Pre-Season Records: Saint John is 2-1-0-0 for four points this pre-season while Halifax is 3-1-0-0 for six points.

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 4-1 loss to the Rimouski Oceanic in Woodstock on Sunday. Jamie Glance scored Saint John's lone goal on a penalty shot. Rafaël Courchesne allowed three goals on 10 shots while Sam Pitcher stopped all 12 shots he faced. The Mooseheads are coming off a 3-2 win over the Charlottetown Islanders on Saturday. Mateo Nobert scored twice for Halifax while Daniel Walters added a single. Carson Mertz made 37 stops in the win.

Murnieks officially joins Boston College

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

It's officially official: Olivers Murnieks will play college hockey this fall.

The Boston College Eagles officially named Murnieks a member of the team's freshmen class on Thursday. 

Our next freshman is Olivers Mūrnieks!

Olivers spent last season playing the Saint John Sea Dogs in the QMJHL! pic.twitter.com/0gCXTPKLVH

— BC Men's Hockey (@BC_MHockey) September 3, 2026

The Eagles begin play a month from now, visiting the USNTDP in Plymouth. The team's first NCAA game is Oct. 9 at home against Alaska.

Murnieks does have junior hockey eligibility remaining. Given that he was left off the Saint John Sea Dogs' training camp roster, it was expected that the Latvian would be playing NCAA hockey this fall.

The 18-year-old committed to Boston College in January. Murnieks was selected by the Buffalo Sabres in June's NHL Draft and, since then, it has looked like he'd be heading to the NCAA rather than back to the QMJHL.

"But we’re excited to see what he does," said Jerry Forton, Buffalo's assistant general manager, in July. "It was a big step for the Boston College staff – who we put a lot of faith in, we’re very close with – to bring him in this fall."

Murnieks was selected by Saint John in the first-round, sixth overall of the 2025 CHL Import Draft. He appeared in just 31 games with the Sea Dogs due to injuries last season, posting seven goals and 13 assists.

Murnieks played for Latvia at the IIHF World Junior Championship for a second straight year this past winter, recording a goal and three assists in five games. He also played in this year's men's IIHF World Championship.

It looks like the Sea Dogs will start the season with two imports on their roster: Czech forward Matyas Cancik and Slovakian forward Oliver Ozogany, who were both selected in this year's CHL Import Draft. The team also picked Finnish defender Vertti Svensk, who appears set to start the season in Finland.

Notebook: Beaulieu on Swift Current pre-season roster

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

A familiar name is on the Swift Current Broncos' pre-season roster.

Former Saint John Sea Dogs forward Jacob Beaulieu was among the 34 players named to Swift Current's roster for the Western Hockey League's pre-season. The Broncos head coach and general manager is Travis Crickard, who obviously knows Beaulieu quite well.

Beaulieu, an overager, spent parts of four seasons in Saint John. He was a seventh-round pick of the team in the 2022 QMJHL Entry Draft.

The Sea Dogs traded Beaulieu to the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada during last season's holiday trade period. He appeared in 32 regular season games with the Armada and another 17 playoff contests

In 210 career QMJHL games, Beaulieu posted 16 goals and 10 assists. He also had 249 penalty minutes – and was known more for his physical presence.

The Broncos continue pre-season play on Friday when they host Saskatoon Blades.

VILEN RETURING TO WILDCATS

The Sea Dogs will be seeing a lot of Max Vilen this season.

The Moncton Wildcats announced on social media that Vilen will return to the club for another season, occupying both an overage and import slot. The Wildcats acquired Vilen from the Sea Dogs during last season's holiday trade period.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Moncton Wildcats (@monctonwildcats)

Vilen recorded a goal and 12 assists in 27 games with the Wildcats in the second half. He added three goals and nine assists in 21 playoff games.

Over the summer, the Swedish defenseman was selected by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the seventh-round of the NHL Draft.

Vilen was selected in the third-round of the 2025 CHL Import Draft by Saint John. He posted two goals and 12 assists in 27 games with the Sea Dogs in the first half.

Sea Dogs acquire Delarosbil; three more released

Sherbrooke Phoenix

The Saint John Sea Dogs defense core is starting to take shape.

The Sea Dogs acquired 18-year-old defenseman Brandon Delarosbil from the Sherbrooke Phoenix on Wednesday. In exchange, Saint John dealt defenseman Vincent Croteau, the team's 2027 first-round pick and Drummondville’s 2028 second-round pick.

Later in the day, the team released free agent defensemen Jayden Connors and Joe Mense from the training camp roster. Forward Felix Pronovost was also released.

The Sea Dogs now have 24 players on their camp roster, which includes 12 forwards, nine defensemen and three goaltenders.

The nine defensemen are Delarosbil, Thomas Charbonneau, Cameron Chartrand, Bo Damphousse, Oskar Drabczynski, Olivier Duhamel, Jesse Dunlap, Julien Lanthier and Lawrence Williams. Duhamel is expected to start the season on the injured list.

Delarosbil, a second-round pick of the Phoenix in the 2024 QMJHL Entry Draft, posted eight goals and 14 assists in 60 games with Sherbrooke last season, his first full year in the league. He's committed to the NCAA's University of Nebraska-Omaha following his junior career.

“Brandon is a player that we have coveted for a while,” said Sea Dogs president and general manager Trevor Georgie in a news release. “He has offensive tools and instincts, and he competes. He fits with our age group and will grow with our core over the next two seasons.”

Mense, an overager, appeared in all three of Saint John's pre-season games. Pronovost also appeared in all three exhibition games. Connors, who was the Maritime Junior Hockey League's playoff MVP this past season, did not appear in any pre-season games but did play in intra-squad contests.

The Sea Dogs are back in action on Friday night when they host the Halifax Mooseheads in pre-season play at TD Station. Game time is 7 p.m.

It's September

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

September is here – which means regular season hockey is near.

The Saint John Sea Dogs will open up the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League season on Friday, Sept. 18 when they visit the Newfoundland Regiment at 6:30 p.m. Atlantic. They'll also face the Regiment the following night.

The Sea Dogs will play their first home game of the season on Friday, Sept. 25 when they host the Moncton Wildcats. The next day – note the 4 p.m. puck drop – they'll host the Cape Breton Eagles.

A few other early season scheduling notes:

• The Sea Dogs were 0-6-2-0 against the Regiment last season, which included going 0-4 at Mary Brown's Centre. They've not won in St. John's since the Fog Devils days.
• There's going to be a lot of talk about how good the competition will be amongst the Atlantic-based teams this season. The Sea Dogs will see all five of them within the first eight games of the season.
• Saint John will play eight of their first 11 games at TD Station. That includes a stretch of six straight home games in October.
• In case you were wondering, the opening week of the QMJHL season is sponsored by Nissan.

The Sea Dogs still have two pre-season games remaining before putting their focus on the regular season. The team will host the Halifax Mooseheads on Friday night at TD Station and visit the Moose next Friday, Sept. 11 at Dartmouth's RBC Centre.

Tickets for Friday's game are general admission.

Sea Dogs unveil new centre ice look

Centre ice at TD Station will have a different look this season.

The Saint John Sea Dogs shared on social media Monday what this year's centre ice creative will look like. Click the arrow on the below Instagram post to see a video.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Saint John Sea Dogs (@sjseadogs)

It's a darker look compared to last year and the team is bringing back a solid red line, one that has the team's wordmark printed on it.

The Sea Dogs had a similarly dark centre ice look for their 20th anniversary season in 2024-25.

Sea Dogs reassign three more

The Saint John Sea Dogs announced three more reassignments on Monday.

Forwards Brock Lyons and Eliot Tozer along with goaltender Sam Pitcher have all been cut from the team's training camp roster. The moves mean 27 players remain at Sea Dogs camp.

Lyons, selected in the ninth-round of this year's QMJHL Entry Draft after not being picked last year, leaves Sea Dogs camp tied for the team lead in pre-season scoring with a goal and two assists in three games.

The 17-year-old has spent the past two seasons with the Saint John Vito's. His Maritime Junior Hockey League rights are held by the Amherst Ramblers, where he appeared in three games last season.

Tozer, a 12th-round pick in 2025, played in all three of Saint John's pre-season games and was held pointless. Like Lyons, the 17-year-old has spent the past two seasons with the Vito's. His MHL rights were recently acquired by the Miramichi Timberwolves.

Pitcher, an 11th-round pick in 2025, played just over 90-minutes with the Sea Dogs during the pre-season, allowing one goal on a total of 30 shots. The 17-year-old Newfoundlander spent last season with Bourget Collège's under-18 team. His MHL rights are also held by the Steamers.

All three had strong camps and could certainly be called up at some during the regular season.

Saint John now has 13 forwards, 11 defensemen and three goaltenders remaining in camp. There's certainly a logjam on the backend, so we'll have to see how that plays out.

The Sea Dogs are back in pre-season action on Friday when they host the Halifax Mooseheads at 7 p.m. at TD Station.

Recap: Sea Dogs lose 4-1

FINAL: Rimouski 4, Saint John 1

WOODSTOCK, NB - The Saint John Sea Dogs couldn't find their finishing touch in a 4-1 pre-season loss to the Rimouski Oceanic on Sunday.

Saint John registered just 17 shots on goals – four shots in each of the final two periods – with their lone goal coming courtesy of Jamie Glance on a penalty shot. The Sea Dogs were able to generate some dangerous chances, but just not enough of them.

Jamie Glance gets his first of the pre-season on a penalty shot. pic.twitter.com/z0lMViWIaS

— Jamie Tozer (@station_nation) August 30, 2026

The Sea Dogs' power play entered the game 3/6 this pre-season. They went 0/3 in this game.

Saint John didn't dress several regulars, so the final result doesn't mean much. This was likely the final chance for a number of players to impress before another round of cuts come along.

Rafaël Courchesne got the start – his first appearance this pre-season – and allowed three goals on 10 shots. Sam Pitcher stopped all 12 shots he faced in the second half of the game.

Justin Gagnon, the eighth overall pick in this year's QMJHL Entry Draft, scored his third and fourth goals of the pre-season to lead the Oceanic to their fourth win of exhibition play. Mathys Dube and Matyas Cutta also scored.

Rimouski went 2/2 on the power play.

Tommy Saulnier played the first two periods in the Oceanic net, allowing a goal on 13 shots. Edouard Lord stopped all four shots he faced in the third.

Pre-Season Game Day 3: vs Oceanic

WOODSTOCK, NB - The Saint John Sea Dogs will play their third pre-season game of the week this afternoon at the AYR Motor Centre.

It's the second straight year the Sea Dogs have played a pre-season game in Woodstock. They fell 5-4 to the Moncton Wildcats last year.

This year they'll be facing a different opponent – one they've never faced in pre-season play. The Rimouski Oceanic will make the 3.5 hour drive to Woodstock. It's rare to see Quebec teams facing Atlantic teams in exhibition play, but the Oceanic and Acadie-Bathurst Titan did frequently partner up back in the day.

The Sea Dogs have 30 players remaining on their training camp roster following five reassignments on Saturday. This could be an important game for a number of players as the roster continues to trim down.

Game time today is 4 p.m.

Radio/TV/Stream: None/None/Sea Dogs YouTube

Pre-Season Records: Saint John is 2-0-0-0 for four points this pre-season while Rimouski is 3-0-0-0 for six points.

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 5-4 win over the Moncton Wildcats in Fredericton on Friday. Olivier Groulx, Alexis Joseph, Alexander Donovan, Brock Lyons and Dylan Rozzi all scored. Jase MacPherson made 33 stops. The Oceanic are coming off a 3-2 overtime win over the Quebec Remparts on Friday. Justin Gagnon scored twice while Max Brien added a single. Edouard Lord and Morgan Blackwood split the win in net.

Five more cut from camp

The Saint John Sea Dogs' training camp roster is now down to 30.

The team announced the reassignment of five players on Saturday. That leaves 15 forwards, 11 defensemen and four goaltenders remaining in camp. An updated roster is here.

The five players reassigned on Saturday were:

Forwards

Madison Bouchard

Nathan Riendeau

Kaidan Sahajpal

Defensemen

Brodie Anderson

Julien Lacroix

Riendeau and Anderson were both selected in this year's QMJHL Entry Draft while Bouchard was picked last year. Anderson played in both of Saint John's pre-season games as a seventh defensemen while Bouchard and Riendeau played in Wednesday's game.

Defenseman Lawrence Williams (first-round) and forward Brock Lyons (ninth-round) are the only 2026 picks remaining in camp.

Sahajpal, added as a free agent last year, also played in both of Saint John's pre-season games. Lacroix, a 2025 draft pick, played on Wednesday.

None of these reassignments come as big surprises. With 30 players left, now is when some tough cuts are coming.

The Sea Dogs play their third pre-season game of the week on Sunday when they host the Rimouski Oceanic at 4 p.m. in Woodstock.

Notebook: St. Stephen success

FREDERICTON - With Wednesday's victory over the Moncton Wildcats, the Saint John Sea Dogs improved to 3-2-0-0 all-time in pre-season play at St. Stephen's Garcelon Civic Center.

The Sea Dogs have hosted the Wildcats in three of the five meetings. Saint John has won two of those three games.

Here's a look at the Sea Dogs' all-time results in St. Stephen.

Aug. 26, 2018 - 3-2 win vs Moncton

Aug. 23, 2019 - 4-2 loss vs Halifax

Aug. 20, 2024 - 4-1 win vs Charlottetown

Aug. 20, 2025 - 4-1 loss vs Moncton

Aug. 26, 2026 - 4-1 win vs Moncton

The Sea Dogs continue pre-season play in another border town on Sunday when they host the Rimouski Oceanic at 4 p.m. in Woodstock.

It's the second time the Sea Dogs have held a pre-season game at the AYR Motor Centre. Last year, the Sea Dogs fell to the Wildcats 5-4 in Woodstock.

GLANCE'S FIRST SHIFT

Highly touted American forward Jamie Glance made his QMJHL pre-season debut on Friday. He finished the game with an assist, two shots, one hit and a -2 rating. He had a great scoring chance in the second period, skating through the Moncton defense only to be stopped.

Glance played on a line with Zachary Morin and Alexis Joseph. Here's a look at his first shift.

Recap: Sea Dogs win 5-4

FINAL: Saint John 5, Moncton 4

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

FREDERICTON - Olivier Groulx's power play goal was the difference as the Saint John Sea Dogs defeated the Moncton Wildcats 5-4 in pre-season play on Friday night at the Aitken Centre.

Groulx finished off a nice passing play, ripping the puck up on high on Wildcats goaltender Jacoby Weiner to give Saint John a 5-4 advantage with 4:21 to play. Moncton pressed at times in the final minutes but Saint John was able to hang on.

Along with Groulx, Alexis Joseph, Alexander Donovan, Brock Lyons and Dylan Rozzi also scored in what was an entertaining pre-season tilt. Jase MacPherson made 33 stops in the win.

Moncton had goals from Niko Tournas, Charlie Benigno, Elliott Mullen and Jiko Laitinen. Yegor Rybkin played the first half of the game, allowing three goals on 23 shots. Weiner allowed two goals on 11 shots in the second half.

After playing to a 1-1 tie after 20 minutes, the two teams combined for six goals in the second period. Moncton grabbed a 2-1 lead early on only for Donovan and Lyons to score 50 seconds apart to give Saint John a 3-2 advantage.

After the Wildcats tied it up again, Rozzi scored at 15:42 to put Saint John ahead again – only for Laitinen to score the equalizer less than three minutes later.

In the third, Groulx netted the lone goal on a power play. Saint John went 2/3 on the man advantage while Moncton went 0/2.

Pre-Season Game Day 2: at Moncton

FREDERICTON - The Saint John Sea Dogs and Moncton Wildcats are set to meet again.

The two provincial rivals faced off in St. Stephen on Wednesday night with the Sea Dogs skating away with a 4-1 victory. Tonight, the two will meet in the provincial capital as the Wildcats host Saint John at UNB's Aitken Centre. Game time is 7 p.m.

The Sea Dogs played three regular season games at the Aitken Centre last season, losing two of them. Tonight they will be the road team.

Saint John had a pretty strong showing on Wednesday but we'll likely see several lineup changes from both teams. Both squads still have quite a few cuts to make before final rosters are set.

This will be the fourth game of the pre-season for the Wildcats but just the second for the Sea Dogs. These two won't meet again until Saint John's regular season home opener on Sept. 25 at TD Station.

Radio/TV/Stream: None/None/Wildcats YouTube (probably?)

Pre-Season Records: Saint John is 1-0-0-0 for two points this pre-season while Moncton is 1-2-0-0 for two points.

Last games: The Sea Dogs and Wildcats met on Wednesday night in St. Stephen where Saint John posted a 4-1 win.  Jabez Seymour, Madison Bouchard, Ryan Howard and Kaiden Sahajpal all scored for Saint John. Brody Leet scored Moncton's lone goal. Sam Pitcher made 17 stops in the win. For Moncton, Jacoby Weiner played the first two periods and allowed three goals on 13 shots while Nathan Chenier played the third and allowed a goal on eight shots.

Some video from training camp

For those who haven't been able to catch some of Saint John Sea Dogs training camp or pre-season, here's some video of a few of the new players in action.

Defenseman Lawrence Williams, Saint John's top pick in June's QMJHL Entry Draft.

Recap: Sea Dogs win 4-1

FINAL: Moncton 1, Saint John 4

ST. STEPHEN, NB - The Saint John Sea Dogs opened the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League pre-season with a win on Wednesday night.

Jabez Seymour, Madison Bouchard, Ryan Howard and Kaiden Sahajpal all scored while Sam Pitcher made 17 stops in a 4-1 win over the Moncton Wildcats at St. Stephen's Garcelon Civic Center.

Pitcher nearly posted a shutout, recording 54:55 of shutout hockey. Brody Leet scored Moncton's lone goal late in the third. Returning netminder Jacoby Weiner played the first two periods and allowed three goals on 13 shots. Nathan Chenier played the third and allowed a goal on eight shots.

The Sea Dogs opened the scoring just 4:10 in when Seymour converted. Then on a power play at 10:37, Bouchard cut through the crease and slid the puck between Weiner's outstretched leg and the post to make it 2-0 after 20 minutes.

At 18:13 of the second, Howard scored on a long shorthanded breakaway to make it 3-0.

Saint John grabbed a 4-0 advantage at 2:52 when Sahajpal went in alone and made a nice deke on Chenier.

Moncton went 0/6 on the power play while Saint John went 1/3.

Pre-Season Game Day 1: vs Wildcats

ST. STEPHEN, NB - The Saint John Sea Dogs begin Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League pre-season play tonight against a familiar foe.

The Sea Dogs will host the Moncton Wildcats this evening at St. Stephen's Garcelon Civic Center, the opponent that swept them in the opening round of the QMJHL playoffs last season.

Both teams should look quite a bit different tonight. Both squads are at similar stages of training camp and have several cuts yet to make.

The Wildcats have already played two pre-season games, defeating the Newfoundland Regiment 6-4 last Friday before falling 8-2 to the Charlottetown Islanders on Saturday.

The Sea Dogs and Wildcats met last season in St. Stephen with Moncton posting a 4-1 win.

Game time tonight is 7 p.m.

Radio/TV/Stream: None/None/YouTube

Pre-Season Records: Moncton is 1-1-0-0 this pre-season. This is the first game of the pre-season for Saint John.

Last games: The Wildcats are coming off an 8-2 loss to the Charlottetown Islanders on Saturday. Noah Survilas and Evan Foiles scored for Moncton. Will Cole and Nathan Chenier split the loss in net. Saint John has yet to play this pre-season.

2025-26 records: The Sea Dogs finished 23-36-5-0 for 51 points (eighth Eastern/14th QMJHL) last season while the Wildcats were 50-10-2-2 for 104 points (first Eastern/first QMJHL). 

2025-26 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs were 1-7-0-0 against the Wildcats last season while Moncton went 7-1-0-0. 

Mense added to camp roster; Hlacar staying in OHL

USHL

The Saint John Sea Dogs announced an addition to the club's training camp roster on Monday.

Joe Mense, an overage defenseman who played in the USHL last season, has been added. He joins forward Olivier Lemieux and defenseman Julien Lanthier as 20-year-olds currently on the camp roster.

A Port Jefferson, New York native, Mense has spent the past three seasons in the USHL, splitting time between the Sioux City Musketeers and Cedar Rapids RoughRiders. Last season in Cedar Rapids, the d-man posted five assists in 22 games.

In 115 USHL games split over three seasons, Mense has posted four goals and 27 assists.

He's listed at 6'2" and 214 lbs.

The Sea Dogs also announced Monday that overage forward Matthew Hlacar will not be joining the team's training camp, instead signing in the OHL. It was announced in late July that Hlacar would attend Sea Dogs camp as a free agent.

Former Kitchener Rangers F Matthew Hlacar isn't skating yet, but is at Brantford Bulldogs training camp.

— Josh Brown (@BrownRecord) August 24, 2026

Hlacar has spent the past two seasons in the OHL with the Kitchener Rangers, helping the team win a league title and Memorial Cup last year. He posted six goals and six assists in 51 regular season games last season and another goal in 15 playoff matches.

Hlacar was a seventh-round pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2025 NHL Draft.

With these announcements, Saint John's camp roster now sits at 35 players: 18 forwards, 13 defensemen and four goaltenders.

The Sea Dogs begin pre-season play on Wednesday night when they host the Moncton Wildcats in St. Stephen. Game time is 7 p.m.

21 players reassigned from training camp

QUISPAMSIS, NB - The Saint John Sea Dogs have wasted little time making a significant round of cuts from the team's training camp roster.

The Sea Dogs announced Sunday night that 21 players have been reassigned. The cuts come following the completion of phase one of training camp, which featured rookies and free agent invites.

There were no big surprises amongst the reassignments.

Forwards

Kareem Baig-Mirza (free agent)

Thomas Bond

Dylan-Alec Chery

Samuel Deschenes (free agent)

Carson Ferdinand (free agent)

Dylan Hug (free agent)

Wyatt Jinman (free agent)

Zack Labelle

Glenfall Lewis (free agent)

Carter Odell

Travis Tremblay (free agent)

Brayden Waterhouse (free agent)

Defensemen 

Xavier Ayotte (free agent)

Justin Hamel

Ben Loucks (free agent)

Louis Métivier

Goaltenders 

Daniel Blanchard (free agent)

Pierce Brackett (free agent)

Philippe Harvey 

Olivier Pépin (free agent)

Will Torres

Players that took part in phase one of camp and are advancing to the second phase include forwards Madison Bouchard, Matyas Cancik, Brock Lyons, Felix Pronovost, Nathan Riendeau, Kaidan Sahajpal and Elliot Tozer; defensemen Brodie Anderson, Jayden Connors (free agent), Jesse Dunlap, Julien Lacroix and Lawrence Williams; and goaltenders Jase MacPherson and Sam Pitcher.

The Sea Dogs have posted an updated training camp roster which now consists of 18 forwards, 12 defensemen and four goaltenders.

Phase two of training camp is set to begin on Monday. The Sea Dogs will play their first game of the pre-season on Wednesday when they host the Moncton Wildcats in St. Stephen.

Team Blue rebounds with 6-3 win

QUISPAMSIS, NB - After falling 9-2 to Team White on Saturday, Team Blue responded with a 6-3 victory in Saint John Sea Dogs intrasquad action on Sunday.

Brock Lyons netted a pair of goals for the winning side while Glenfall Lewis (or Dylan-Alec Chery – unsure who made the last touch), Matyas Cancik, Brodie Anderson and Felix Pronovost added singles.

Team White had a pair of goals from Travis Tremblay and a solo marker from Dylan Hug.

Unlike Saturday's action that saw the teams play two 25-minute periods, Sunday's play was split into three periods of 15-minutes each. All six goaltenders saw action.

For Team Blue, Pierce Brackett got the start followed by Olivier Pepin and Will Torres. Each netminder allowed one goal.

On the Team White side, Daniel Blanchard started and allowed two goals in the opening frame. Philippe Harvey allowed one goal in the second period and Sam Pitcher let in two in the third. Team Blue's sixth goal was an empty netter.

Like Saturday, there was a short fight. In the third period, Brayden Waterhouse and Julien Lacroix dropped the gloves.

This concluded the first phase of Sea Dogs training camp, which featured rookies and free agent invites. The second phase, which is set to begin Monday, will include returning players and newly acquired veterans.

Here are a few videos from Sunday's action.

Notebook: Magnusson signs in BCHL

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

Carl-Otto Magnusson has found a home for the 2026-27 season.

The overage defenseman has signed with the Nanaimo Clippers of the BCHL. The move comes after Magnusson was not part of UConn's freshman class for this upcoming season.

“I’m really excited to join the Nanaimo Clippers and get to know all the guys, the town and the community,” said Magnusson in a news release. “I’m looking forward to getting over there, meeting everyone and competing with the team. I can’t wait to get started!”

The defensive defenseman was traded to Saint John from the Moncton Wildcats during the holiday trade period. Magnusson was held pointless in 25 regular season games with the Sea Dogs and in three playoff contests. He was listed as a healthy scratch for one of the Sea Dogs' post-season matches.

While eligible to play another season in the QMJHL, he would take up both an overage and import spots, something that doesn't happen too often.

REGIMENT CAMP IN SUMMERSIDE

The Newfoundland Regiment are holding the first portion of their training camp in Summerside.

The Regiment are using the Gerard "Turk" Gallant Arena, which is the secondary ice surface at Summerside's Credit Union Place. In attendance on Thursday was Gallant himself. 

The former Sea Dogs head coach was seen catching up with another former Sea Dogs head coach in Gordie Dwyer, the Regiment's bench boss and general manager.

The pride of Summerside 🤩

Jack Adams winner and local legend Gerard Gallant stopped by the rink this morning to take in some intrasquad action.

Unite. Inspire. Defend. pic.twitter.com/imzS74xhjB

— Newfoundland Regiment (@nlregiment) August 20, 2026

The Regiment will play a couple pre-season games in the Maritimes this weekend before shifting things to Newfoundland.

Sea Dogs open training camp with intrasquad game

QUISPAMSIS, NB - Team White defeated Team Blue 9-2 on the opening day of on-ice sessions at Saint John Sea Dogs training camp.

Defenseman Jesse Dunlap and forward Kareem Baig-Mirza led Team White with a pair of goals each. Singles came from Madison Bouchard, Oliver Ozogany, Samuel Deschenes, Dylan Hug and Lawrence Williams.

Team Blue had goals from Wyatt Jinman and Matyas Cancik.

The game consisted of two 25-minute periods. Both teams played three goaltenders. On the Team White side, Philippe Harvey started the game and allowed two goals. Sam Pitcher and Daniel Blanchard did not allow any goals.

For Team Blue, Olivier Pepin started and allowed one goal. Will Torres then took over and allowed five goals. Pierce Brackett ended the game and allowed three goals.

The full rosters for the game are below. Glenfall Lewis also dressed for Team Blue.

Rosters are set for our first Blue vs White game of training camp.

Puck drops at 10:30 a.m. at the @Quispamsisqplex.#GoDogsGo | #SeaDogsCamp pic.twitter.com/yl7VGWLEvJ

— Saint John Sea Dogs (@SJSeaDogs) August 22, 2026

The Sea Dogs will hold more on-ice sessions on Sunday at the qplex beginning at 10:30 a.m.

Here are a few videos from Saturday's action.

Training camp is here

QUISPAMSIS, NB – Here we go.

What has the makings of a fascinating season officially gets underway Saturday morning as the Saint John Sea Dogs open up training camp at the Quispamsis qplex.

The first phase of camp begins at 10:30 a.m. with an on-ice session which will be followed by a goaltending session at 12:30 p.m.. The team will do that all over again on Sunday before the second phase of camp – which will feature veterans and returning players – begins on Monday.

This weekend's sessions will give fans their first look at the team's 2026 draft class along with free agent invites. That includes defenseman Lawrence Williams, the team's first-round pick from June's QMJHL Entry Draft.

While there will be plenty of attention on the players, there will also be some eyes on the coaching staff. The Jim Hulton era of Sea Dogs hockey is set to begin – and it's no doubt going to bring a fresh style to Saint John.

Sea Dogs introduce two new season ticket packages

The Saint John Sea Dogs released season ticket information on Friday – with notable additions.

The team has introduced a season value pass – appropriately sponsored by No Frills – and an under-13 season ticket membership option, giving fans two more affordable options to watch Sea Dogs hockey.

From the team:

The No Frills Season Value Pass offers fans the opportunity to attend all 32 Sea Dogs regular-season home games for $299, plus taxes and fees. That means fans can enjoy a full season of Sea Dogs hockey for less than $10 per game, providing the most affordable way to experience CHL hockey in Eastern Canada.

The No Frills Season Value Pass allows fans to secure their seat for every regular-season home game in select upper-bowl corner sections without the added costs and benefits that come with a full Season Ticket Membership.

The Sea Dogs are also introducing the 13U Season Ticket Membership, a new option created specifically for younger fans.

For $168, plus taxes and fees ($200 all-in), children who are 13 or younger for the entire 2026-27 season can enjoy a full Season Ticket Membership experience. The 13U Season Ticket Membership provides families with an affordable way to build memories at the rink while introducing the next generation of Sea Dogs fans to the game.

The season value pass is available only in sections 4, 5, 11 and 12 at TD Station, as the map below indicates. It's also important to note that this package offers digital-only tickets, no member benefits and no ticket transfers or exchanges.

As for traditional season ticket memberships, it appears prices remain unchanged from last season. Here's what 2026-27 season tickets cost after including taxes and fees at check out.

	2025-26	2026-27
Adult	$575	$575
Senior	$495	$495
25U	$300	$300
13U	N/A	$200
Season Value Pass	N/A	$350.85

Despite inflation and the switch to Ticketmaster, the Sea Dogs have kept season ticket prices relatively flat for several years now.

Donovan commits to Providence

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

Alexander Donovan has committed to Providence College.

The Saint John Sea Dogs forward made the announcement Wednesday on Instagram.

"I’m excited to announce my commitment to play Division 1 hockey at Providence College," Donovan wrote. "Grateful for my family, teammates, coaches, and all who have supported me along the way."

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Alex Donovan (@alexdonovan19)

Donovan was previously committed to the University of Denver. It was reported during the summer that he was no longer committed to the NCHC school.

The Connecticut native is set to play his second season with the Sea Dogs. In 63 games with the club last season, Donovan posted 25 goals and 28 assists. He added a goal and an assist in four playoff games.

Providence College is becoming a popular landing spot for Sea Dogs alumni. The Hockey East school had Kale McCallum on its roster last season and this year will have Everett Baldwin.