Notebook: Seed named to Team Italy

Jason Seed – a Memorial Cup champion with the Saint John Sea Dogs – has been named to Team Italy for the upcoming Olympic Winter Games.

Seed, who will turn 34 next week, has spent the past four seasons playing in Italy. Elite Prospects lists him as a Canadian and Italian dual citizen.

The Ottawa native spent parts of three seasons with the Sea Dogs, helping the club win back-to-back QMJHL titles in 2011 and 2012 and a Memorial Cup championship in 2011. He was a depth defensemen but did appear in all 17 of the team's playoff games in 2012.

Seed finished his junior career with the Maritime Junior Hockey League's Summerside Western Capitals. He went on to play four seasons at Carleton University before playing professional hockey in Europe.

Seed is likely to be the only Sea Dog alumnus playing at this year's Games. Former Sea Dogs captain Eriks Mateiko was named to Latvia's roster but he has been ruled out due to a season-ending injury.

COMING UP

The Sea Dogs are back at TD Station this weekend, hosting the Sherbrooke Phoenix on Saturday afternoon. Note that this is a 4 p.m. start.

This will be the first meeting of the season between the Sea Dogs and Phoenix. Sherbrooke features former Sea Dogs forward Chad Bellemare. They also include goaltender Kyan Labbé, who was a Sea Dogs draft pick.

This will be Saint John's last game at TD Station until Feb. 6. The Sea Dogs are in Moncton on Jan. 29 and Charlottetown on Jan. 31 before hosting the Baie-Comeau Drakkar on Feb. 1 in Fredericton.

A peek at the playoff race

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

It's looking like the Saint John Sea Dogs will be – yet again – fighting for the final few playoff spots in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League.

The top-16 teams in the QMJHL will qualify for the post-season. The Sea Dogs currently sit 15th overall with a 16-22-4-0 record for 36 points.

With just over two months of regular season play remaining, it's shaping up to be an entertaining race, especially if the Baie-Comeau Drakkar can make a push out of the basement. We'll see how things shake down in the coming weeks.

Here's what the first-round matchups would look like if the playoffs started today. Saint John, as the ninth-place team in the Eastern Conference, would move over to the Western side and become the No. 7 seed (they have more points than Victoriaville currently).

Eastern Conference

1) Chicoutimi vs 8) Rimouski

2) Moncton vs 7) Halifax

3) Newfoundland vs 6) Quebec

4) Cape Breton vs 5) Charlottetown

Western Conference

1) Drummondville vs 8) Victoriaville

2) Blainville-Boisbriand vs 7) Saint John

3) Shawinigan vs 6) Sherbrooke

4) Rouyn-Noranda vs 5) Val-d'Or

The Sea Dogs did not qualify for the last year's playoffs, finishing with a 21-43-0-0 record for 42 points.

Saint John has not won a playoff series since 2017. They've not finished higher than 15th overall in the standings since the 2022 playoffs, where they were upset in the best-of-five first-round.

Robinson, Zubek debut with new teams

Summerside Western Capitals Facebook

MONCTON - Justin Robinson earned a win in his Summerside Western Capitals debut on Saturday.

Robinson made 20 saves in Summerside's 3-2 win over the Pictou County Weeks Crushers. Both of Pictou's goals came in the third period with one coming on a power play in the final minute.

In net for the Crushers was George Gallant, who the Capitals traded to Pictou to make room for Robinson.

The Saint John Sea Dogs traded Robinson to the Moncton Wildcats on deadline day. The Wildcats are keeping Jacoby Weiner as Rudy Guimond's backup, allowing Summerside to sign Robinson.

The Capitals, who are hosting the Centennial Cup national championship in May, currently sit first overeall in the Maritime Junior Hockey League standings with a 25-7-4-3 record.

In 19 games with the Sea Dogs this season, Robinson went 6-9-1 with a 3.97 goals against average and a .886 save percentage.

Some other Sunday news and notes...

• Defenseman Patryk Zubek, who was released by the Sea Dogs and claimed off waivers by the Newfoundland Regiment, finally debuted with his new team on Friday. The import d-man was a +3 with one shot in the Regiment's 8-4 home win over the Rimouski Oceanic.
• The Moncton Wildcats fell 7-4 to the Chicoutimi Sagueneens on Saturday night, a major showdown between two of the top teams in the QMJHL. The Sags led 5-1 in the second period but Moncton was able to make a game of it with a third period push.
• The Sagueneens won all three games of a challenging three-in-three through the Maritimes, defeating Halifax, Charlottetown and Moncton.
• The Sagueneens were outshot 12-2 in the third period on Saturday. Both of their shots were empty net goals. I doubt that has ever happened in league history.
• Packed house of 8,470 at Avenir Centre for Hockey Day in Canada. 
• The Wildcats and Sagueneens meet again next Saturday in Chicoutimi.
• The Cape Breton Eagles had a seven-game road trip come to an end on Sunday in Moncton, which included two games in both Shawinigan and Boisbriand along with stops in Rimouski, Drummondville and finally Moncton.
• The much hyped Ivan Ryabkin made his Charlottetown Islanders debut on Friday. In Saturday's 6-3 win over the Halifax Mooseheads, the Carolina Hurricanes second-rounder posted a goal and four assists. After posting another three points on Sunday, the Russian has an impressive two goals and eight points in three games. 
• The Ottawa 67's – one of the top teams in the OHL – won both of their games against the Gatineau Olympiques this weekend. They were close games, though, with Ottawa winning 2-1 on Friday and 5-3 on Saturday. The Sudbury Wolves, meanwhile, defeated the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies 5-3 on Sunday.
• The expansion Penticton Vees, who entered the CHL Top-10 for the first time in team history last week, have now won 11 straight games. They sit second in the WHL's Western Conference behind the Everett Silvertips.
• The Medicine Hat Tigers had a 19-game winning streak come to an end on Saturday when they fell 8-5 to the Prince Albert Raiders.

Recap: Sea Dogs lose 5-1

FINAL: Saint John 1, Blainville-Boisbriand 5

Sebastien Gervais/Blainville-Boisbriand Armada

BOISBRIAND, QC - The Saint John Sea Dogs ended their three-game Quebec road trip with a loss on Saturday.

The Blainville-Boisbriand Armada scored three times in the first period en route to a 5-1 win over the Sea Dogs at Centre d'excellence Sports Rousseau.

Vincent Collard, Mael Lavigne, Mateo Nobert, Jan Golicic and Bill Zonnon scored for the Armada. Zach Pelletier made 29 saves in the win.

William Yared scored for Saint John. Arseni Radkov, playing against his former team for the first time, made 21 saves in the loss.

The Sea Dogs fell behind early, allowing the game's first goal just 2:51 in, and were never able to get back into it, trailing 4-0 at one point.

The Sea Dogs were playing their third game in four days. The club defeated the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies 4-3 in overtime on Wednesday before falling 6-3 to the Val-d'Or Foreurs on Thursday.

Game Day 42: at Blainville-Boisbriand

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

BOISBRIAND, QC - A three-game Quebec road trip comes to a close today for the Saint John Sea Dogs.

After splitting the first two games of the trip, Saint John will look to head home with a winning record. The team will play their third game in four days when they visit the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada for a 5 p.m. Atlantic puck drop.

The Armada are one of the favourites to contend for a league title this season – but they've been struggling over the past few weeks, going 4-4-1-1 in their last 10 games and sliding into third in the Western Conference.

The Armada feature former Sea Dogs forwards Jacob Beaulieu and Elliott Dubé, who were both dealt during the holiday trade period.

Stream/TV/Radio: FloHockey/None/Sea Dogs Audio Network

Records: The Sea Dogs are 16-21-4-0 for 36 points (ninth Eastern/15th QMJHL) while the Armada are 22-12-5-1 for 50 points (third Western/fifth QMJHL).

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 6-3 loss in Val-d'Or on Thursday. Everett Baldwin, Dylan Rozzi and Olivers Murnieks all scored for Saint John. Arseni Radkov made 34 saves in the loss. The Armada are coming off a 6-1 home win over the Cape Breton Eagles on Wednesday. Justin Carbonneau and Vincent Desjardins both scored twice for the Armada while singles came from Olivier Lemieux and Mael Lavigne. William Lacelle made 25 saves in the win. 

Notebook: Mateiko done for season

Hershey Bears

Some brutal news for former Saint John Sea Dogs captain Eriks Mateiko.

Mateiko will miss the rest of his rookie American Hockey League season and the upcoming Winter Olympic Games after having surgery this week.

"Hershey Bears forward Eriks Mateiko underwent a surgical procedure to repair his right Achilles tendon yesterday afternoon following a skate blade laceration during Sunday’s game in Hershey," the team tweeted on Tuesday. "Based on the nature of the procedure, Mateiko will miss the remainder of the season."

You can the see incident below.

This is where Mateiko got injured. He turns a little awkwardly and goes down right away but note the officials scraping the ice a little at the blue line. pic.twitter.com/lUlayiV0fB

— Bears Hockey Nation (@HBHNationBlog) January 11, 2026

The 20-year-old has posted a goal and five assists in 27 AHL games. He was recently named to Latvia's Olympic roster.

TICKET DISCOUNT

This from the Saint John Regional Hospital Foundation Facebook page:

The discount applies to Saint John's next home game: Saturday, Jan. 24 against the Sherbrooke Phoenix. Note that this is a 4 p.m. start.

Recap: Sea Dogs lose 6-3

FINAL: Saint John 3, Val-d'Or 6

Noemie Rondeau/Val-d'Or Foreurs

VAL-D'OR, QC - Philippe Veilleux showed why he's the leading scorer in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League on Thursday.

Veilleux netted a hat trick and added an assist to lead the Val-d'Or Foreurs to a 6-3 win over the Saint John Sea Dogs at the Agnico Eagle Centre.

The Sea Dogs erased a 2-0 deficit and headed into the third period with a 2-2 tie. But Saint John couldn't hold back one of the league's top offensive teams in the third period as the Foreurs scored four times – including an empty netter – to take it 6-3.

It wasn't a bad road performance by the Sea Dogs but it highlighted once again that they're just not quite there defensively to hang with some of these high powered teams.

Along with Veilleux, Josh Demers scored twice and Maxime Coursol added a single. Emile Beaunoyer made 29 saves in the win.

The Foreurs have now won six straight games.

Everett Baldwin, Dylan Rozzi and Olivers Murnieks scored for Saint John. Arseni Radkov made 34 stops in the loss.

A positive was Saint John's power play. After going 2/2 in Rouyn-Noranda on Wednesday, the Sea Dogs went 3/4 in this game (and allowed a shorthanded goal).

Game Day 41: at Val-d'Or

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

VAL-D'OR, QC - The northern part of this Quebec road trip continues tonight for the Saint John Sea Dogs.

After upsetting the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies 4-3 in overtime last night, the Sea Dogs will face another tough test tonight in Val-d'Or. The Foreurs are have won five straight and are one of the league's top offensive teams.

Game time tonight is 8 p.m. Atlantic.

Last night's win improved the Sea Dogs to 8-7-3-0 on the road this season. Half of their wins have come away from TD Station.

Stream/TV/Radio: FloHockey/None/Sea Dogs Audio Network

Records: The Sea Dogs are 16-20-4-0 for 36 points (ninth Eastern/15th QMJHL) while the Foreurs are 18-16-2-3 for 41 points (fifth Western/12th QMJHL).

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 4-3 overtime win in Rouyn-Noranda last night. Olivers Murnieks netted a pair of goals while Olivier Groulx and Zachary Morin added singles. Arseni Radkov made 28 saves in the win. The Foreurs are coming off a 6-1 win over the Shawinigan Cataractes on Saturday. Maxime Coursol scored twice for Val-d'Or while singles came from Philippe Veilleux, Benjamin Olivier, Jeremy Leroux and Etienne Maheu. Vincent Moreau made 26 saves in the win.

Recap: Sea Dogs win 4-3 (OT)

FINAL: Saint John 4, Rouyn-Noranda 3 (OT)

Jean Lapointe/Rouyn-Noranda Huskies

ROUYN-NORANDA, QC - It was far from the prettiest win of the season, but the Saint John Sea Dogs got it done at Glencore Arena on Wednesday night.

Olivers Murnieks scored on a power play 1:22 into overtime to give the Sea Dogs a 4-3 upset win over the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies. The Huskies entered the game with the fourth best record in the QMJHL.

It felt like separate games within one. The Sea Dogs – a bit unexpectedly – dominated the first period, leading 2-0 and outshooting the Huskies 11-3. But the script flipped halfway through the night with the Huskies scoring twice in the first 10 minutes of the second and carrying a lot of the play from there.

Credit to Saint John, though. The Sea Dogs never trailed in the game as Murnieks put Saint John up 3-2 late in the second. But, as has been a trend in recent weeks, the Sea Dogs quickly allowed the tying goal and couldn't maintain momentum.

Saint John was outshot 12-4 in the third period but managed to get the game into overtime.

Murnieks had a pair of goals for Saint John while Oliver Groulx and Zachary Morin added singles. Arseni Radkov made 28 saves in the win.

The Sea Dogs went 2/2 on the man advantage. The Huskies were 0/3.

Nathan Langlois, Samuel Beauchemin and Eliot Ogonowski scored for the Huskies, who have now lost three straight. Samuel Meloche made 20 saves in the loss.

This was Saint John's first win in Rouyn-Noranda since Oct. 14, 2016.

Game Day 40: at Rouyn-Noranda

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

ROUYN-NORANDA, QC - The Saint John Sea Dogs are a long way from home.

The Sea Dogs begin a three-game Quebec road trip tonight in Rouyn-Noranda, facing a Huskies team that sits fourth overall in the QMJHL standings. Game time is 8 p.m. Atlantic.

Both of these teams have lost back-to-back games. The Sea Dogs had a difficult end to their five-game homestand over the weekend, losing a pair of one-goal games to the Newfoundland Regiment.

This will be Saint John's most challenging Quebec road trip of the season, facing Rouyn-Noranda (22-11-3-2), Val-d'Or (18-16-2-3) and Blainville-Boisbriand (21-12-5-1) over a four-day period.

Stream/TV/Radio: FloHockey/None/Sea Dogs Audio Network

Records: The Sea Dogs are 15-20-4-0 for 34 points (ninth Eastern/16th QMJHL) while the Huskies are 22-11-3-2 for 49 points (second Western/fourth QMJHL).

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 4-3 overtime loss against the Newfoundland Regiment on Sunday. Everett Baldwin, William Yared and Angelo Fullerton all scored for Saint John. Arseni Radkov made 26 saves in the loss. The Huskies are coming off a 4-3 loss to the Shawinigan Cataractes on Sunday. Lars Steiner had a pair of goals for Rouyn-Noranda while William Vezina added a single. Alexandre Raymond allowed three goals on eight shots in the first period while Samuel Meloche allowed a goal on 13 shots in relief. 

Plenty of Sea Dogs in midterm rankings

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

Several Saint John Sea Dogs are on the NHL Draft radar.

NHL Central Scouting unveiled its midterm rankings for the 2026 NHL Draft on Monday night. Seven current Sea Dogs and one prospect cracked the list.

Here's a rundown

North American Skaters

71 - Olivers Murnieks

95 - Cameron Chartrand

111 - Brian McFadden*

161 - Dylan Rozzi

163 - William Yared

181 - Carl-Otto Magnusson

204 - Bo Damphousse

North American Goaltenders

27 - Rafaël Courchesne

*prospect who has not played a game for Saint John

As a Sea Dogs news release notes, when McFadden is included, the team leads all CHL squads in ranked players.

"57 of the CHL’s 61 clubs are represented on the list," stated a CHL release. "Both the Saint John Sea Dogs (QMJHL) and the Prince Albert Raiders (WHL) led all CHL teams with seven players included in the rankings, while the Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL), Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL), Prince George Cougars (WHL), Ottawa 67’s (OHL), London Knights (OHL), Guelph Storm (OHL), Owen Sound Attack (OHL), and Oshawa Generals (OHL) trail close behind with six players each."

The 2026 NHL Draft will take place in Buffalo from June 26-27.

After a few down years, this is expected to be a bit of a bounce back year for the QMJHL. 44 QMJHL players were ranked, including four amongst the top-29 North American players.

Penn State's Gavin McKenna was ranked first. Fredericton native Tynan Lawrence, now at Boston University, was seventh.

NHL Central Scouting's full rankings can be found here.

Notebook: Robinson signs with Summerside

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

Justin Robinson has signed with the Maritime Junior Hockey League's Summerside Western Capitals, it was announced on Saturday.

The Sea Dogs traded Robinson to the Moncton Wildcats on deadline day in the deal involving Max Vilen and Carl-Otta Magnusson. The Wildcats, it appears, added Robinson for depth as they're keeping Jacoby Weiner as Rudy Guimond's backup.

The 19-year-old has spent the past three seasons in the QMJHL, recording a 17-40-2 record to go along with a 4.10 goals against average and a .885 save percentage, playing with Sea Dogs teams that were not defensively strong.

We have signed goaltender Justin Robinson. The 6’1”, 185 lb Robinson was acquired in a previous trade with the Chaleur Lightning and played the past 2+ seasons with the Saint John SeaDogs. Welcome to #CapsArmy Justin! pic.twitter.com/iS2cocbpYm

— Summerside Capitals (@SsideCapitals) January 11, 2026

Robinson joins a Capitals team that is hosting the Centennial Cup national championship this season. Entering play Monday, they sit in a tie for first in the MHL standings with a 22-7-4-3 record.

Robinson did not dress for the Capitals on Sunday or Monday.

The Capitals traded 19-year-old netminder George Gallant – a Summerside native – to make room for Robinson.

SPARTANS WIN DOG BOWL

The St. Stephen High School Spartans are Dog Bowl AAA champions, defeating KVHS in overtime on Sunday night at TD Station.

Spartans goaltender Daniel Blanchard, who made 95 saves in the tournament, was named Dog Bowl MVP, earning an invite to Sea Dogs training camp in August. The 17-year-old spent the 2023-24 season with the Saint John Vito's.

Congratulations to the 2026 #DogBowl Most Valuable Player with 95 saves in two games...

St. Stephen Spartans goaltender, Daniel Blanchard!#GoDogsGo pic.twitter.com/mcZONfONjn

— Saint John Sea Dogs (@SJSeaDogs) January 12, 2026

The Hampton High School Huskies won the AA side, defeating Simonds High School.

Beveridge producing with Remparts

Maxime Amyot/Rimouski Oceanic

MONCTON - In just seven games with the Quebec Remparts, Egan Beveridge has nearly doubled in his point total on the season.

After recording four points in 26 games with the Saint John Sea Dogs in the first half, Beveridge has recorded four goals and two assists since joining the Remparts. That included a career high four points – and his first QMJHL hat trick – in Quebec's 10-6 win over the Rimouski Oceanic on Saturday.

The Sea Dogs and Remparts do not meet again this season.

A team that the Sea Dogs will be seeing a few more times this season is the Moncton Wildcats, where defenseman Max Vilen has been fitting in quite well. Two games in, he's been playing on the team's second pairing with fellow newcomer Evan Dépatie.

Defenseman Patryk Zubek, meanwhile, has yet to play for the Newfoundland Regiment. He was listed as a healthy scratch in all three of the team's games this past weekend – but did take part in warmup.

In the Western Conference, the Blainville-Boisbriand have been struggling over the past few weeks and are just 3-5-1-1 in their past 10 games. With the Armada, Jacob Beaulieu has been held pointless with 12 penalty minutes in eight games while Elliot Dubé made his debut on Sunday, going 5/6 on faceoffs in a 5-0 win over the Cape Breton Eagles.

Recap: Sea Dogs lose 4-3 (OT)

FINAL: Newfoundland 4, Saint John 3 (OT)

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - The Saint John Sea Dogs let a 2-0 lead slip away in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Newfoundland Regiment on Sunday at TD Station.

The Sea Dogs led 2-0 in the second period but the Regiment went on to score three straight goals and lead 3-2 midway through the third period. Angelo Fullerton tied things up at 14:09 of the third to ultimately send the match into extra time.

40 seconds into the extra frame, Marek Danicek scored the game-winner – and complete his hat trick – to give the Regiment the extra point.

Newfoundland is now 5-0-0-0 against Saint John this season, which includes three one-goal wins at TD Station since New Year's Eve.

Dominic Pilote also scored for Newfoundland. Louis-Antoine Denault made 36 stops in the win.

Fullerton, Everett Baldwin and William Yared had Saint John goals. Arseni Radkov, making his first start as a Sea Dog at TD Station, made 26 stops in the loss.

The Sea Dogs are no doubt thinking they let this one slip away. Not only did they blow a 2-0 lead, but they were outshooting the Regiment 29-15 through the first two periods. But it was Newfoundland, despite playing a third game in three days, who were able to grind their way back into it and pull out a win.

Game Day 39: vs Regiment

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - The Saint John Sea Dogs will try once again to defeat the Newfoundland Regiment.

The Sea Dogs have lost all four meetings with the Regiment this season, including a 5-4 loss on Friday night at TD Station. The two will meet again this afternoon at 3 p.m. in Saint John.

The Regiment had a four-game winning streak come to an end last night in Moncton. They'll be playing their third game in three days.

Today's game ends a five-game homestand for the Sea Dogs. They are 2-2-0-0 during the span and have scored at least four goals in each game. The team won't be at home again until Jan. 24.

Stream/TV/Radio: FloHockey/None/Sea Dogs Audio Network

Records: The Sea Dogs are 15-20-3-0 for 33 points (ninth Eastern/16th QMJHL) while the Regiment are 21-16-1-1 for 44 points (fourth Eastern/eighth QMJHL).

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 5-4 loss to the Regiment on Friday. Oliver Groulx scored twice for Saint John while William Yared and Alexis Joseph added singles. Rafaël Courchesne made 32 stops in the loss. The Regiment are coming off a 9-2 loss in Moncton last night. Tyson Goguen and Maddex Marmulak scored Newfoundland's goals. Antoine Proulx was kept in the entire game, allowing nine goals on 29 shots.

Gendron joins UdeM

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

Justin Gendron has joined the Université de Moncton Aigles Bleus for the remainder of the 2025-26 season, the team announced Saturday morning.

The 20-year-old forward was released by the Saint John Sea Dogs earlier this week.

The Dieppe native appeared in 14 games with Saint John, recording two goals. He was acquired in a trade from the Baie-Comeau Drakkar in November. Before joining the Sea Dogs, Gendron posted two goals and two assists in nine games with the Drakkar.

Gendron played 232 regular season QMJHL games, posting 59 goals and 58 assists.

He joins a UdeM team that is in a fight for top spot in the Atlantic University Sport standings. The Aigles Bleus were ranked sixth in the U Sports men's hockey top-10 rankings last week.

This has been one of the most competitive AUS regular seasons over the past two decades with five teams still within striking distance of first-place.

UdeM's roster also includes former Sea Dogs forward Jeremie Jacob.

UdeM hosts the UNB Reds on Saturday.

Notebook: New Dogs, new numbers

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

Five players made their Saint John Sea Dogs debuts this week. Here's a quick look at the numbers they're wearing.

23 - Jabez Seymour: was worn by Max Vilen this season. The number was worn most by Pierre Durepos, who sported it for 303 games.

26 - Bo Damphousse: was worn by Patryk Zubek this season. Noah Zilbert wore the number for 136 games whole Nico Laforge wore it for 133 games.

31 - Arseni Radkov: the number has been used a couple times in recent years by emergency backups. Alex Bishop is the only player to wear it for an extended period, having it for 165 games.

44 - Carl-Otto Magnusson: was worn by Elliot Dubé this season – but it hasn't been worn a lot. Only five players have ever used it, led by Brett Gallant's 142 games.

91 - Maxime Côté: Justin Gendron wore the number 11 times this season. Only six players have ever worn it with Tomas Jurco being the most well-known.

It's worth mentioning as well that Nolann Héroux, who joined the team full-time for the second half, is just the third player to wear No. 54. Jeremie Poirier was the first, wearing it for 175 games.

LEADERS

Olivier Groulx continues to lead Saint John in points this season.

With a couple goals in Friday night's game, Groulx now has a team high 38 points. He also continues to lead the team in assists with 25.

Alexis Joseph leads the team in goals with 18 while Alexander Donovan is second with 15. Entering play on Saturday, Joseph was tied for fifth in QMJHL rookie goal scoring.

Groulx and Donovan each have a team high five power play goals on the year.

DEFENSE LEADERS

Everett Baldwin's strong offensive play of late has moved him up the defensemen goal scoring leader board.

Entering play on Saturday, Baldwin sat fifth in goal scoring amongst defensemen with eight on the year. Four of those goals have come since the Christmas break ended.

With four goals and four assists in his past six games, the Tampa Bay Lightning prospect has eight goals and 12 assists in 36 games this season.

Recap: Sea Dogs lose 5-4

FINAL: Newfoundland 5, Saint John 4

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - The Newfoundland Regiment seem to have the Saint John Sea Dogs' number.

The Regiment have won all four meetings with the Sea Dogs this season, the latest coming on Friday night at TD Station where the visitors skated away with a 5-4 win. The two meet again on Sunday in Saint John.

Louis-Francois Belanger, Alexis Michaud, Liam Arsenault, Blake Pilgrim-Edwards and Dawson Sharkey all scored for Newfoundland. Louis-Antoine Denault made 29 saves in the win.

Oliver Groulx scored twice for Saint John while William Yared and Alexis Joseph added singles. Rafaël Courchesne made 32 stops in the loss.

The game was a bit similar to the New Year's Eve matchup between the two. In this round, Joseph scored in the second period to cut Newfoundland's lead to 3-2. But the Regiment responded just under a minute later, which ended any momentum the Sea Dogs had gained.

Sharkey scored at 8:56 of the third to make it 5-2. Groulx then scored two power play goals to make it a one-goal game again. Like the New Year's Eve game, a Saint John penalty – this time a high stick from Angelo Fullerton at 16:57 – hurt any chance of a comeback.

Saint John went 3/5 on the power play in this game after going 3/6 on New Year's Eve. The Regiment have the worst penalty kill in the QMJHL.

Game Day 38: vs Regiment

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - A busy few days continues for the Saint John Sea Dogs.

After taking on the Gatineau Olympiques last night in Fredericton, the Sea Dogs are back in their true home tonight to face the Newfoundland Regiment. The two will meet again on Sunday at TD Station.

The Sea Dogs are still looking for their first win of the season against the Regiment. Newfoundland has won the previous three meetings, including a wild 6-5 victory on New Year's Eve in Saint John.

Saint John will look to win a third straight game tonight, something they've only done once this season.

Game time is 7 p.m.

Stream/TV/Radio: FloHockey/None/Sea Dogs Audio Network

Records: The Sea Dogs are 15-19-3-0 for 33 points (ninth Eastern/16th QMJHL) while the Regiment are 20-15-1-1 for 42 points (fourth Eastern/eighth QMJHL).

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 5-1 win over the Gatineau Olympiques in Fredericton last night. Olivier Duhamel, Alexander Donovan, Everett Baldwin, Angelo Fullerton and Maxime Côté scored for Saint John. Arseni Radkov made 36 saves in the victory. The Regiment are coming off a 3-2 overtime win over the Olympiques last Sunday at Mary Brown's Centre. Louis-Francois Belanger scored twice for Newfoundland while Justin Larose added a single. Antoine Proulx made 28 stops in the win.

Murnieks commits to Boston College

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

Olivers Murnieks became the latest member of the Saint John Sea Dogs to commit to an NCAA program on Thursday.

The team confirmed that Murnieks has committed to play at Boston College "following the completion of his QMJHL career." Elite Prospects has the commitment beginning in the 2027-28 season.

"I’m excited to share that I’ve committed to play Division I hockey at Boston College," Murnieks wrote in an Instagram post. "Huge thanks to my family, teammates, coaches, and everyone who has been with me on this hockey journey. I can’t wait to represent Boston College on the ice in the years ahead. #goeagles🦅"

According to Eagle Insider, Murnieks is Boston College's first-ever recruit to come directly out of the CHL (Cameron Chartrand, for example, was committed before coming to the CHL).

Murnieks, who played in the USHL last year, is in his first season with the Sea Dogs and has recorded three goals and 10 assists in 23 QMJHL games. He returned to Saint John's lineup on Thursday night after being away at the IIHF World Junior Championship where he posted a goal and three assists in five games.

The 17-year-old is expected to be picked in this year's NHL Draft.

Recap: Sea Dogs win 5-1

FINAL: Gatineau 1, Saint John 5

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

FREDERICTON - The new-look Saint John Sea Dogs overcame a tough first period in a 5-1 win over the Gatineau Olympiques on Thursday night.

Playing their second of three regular season games at Fredericton's Aitken Centre, the Sea Dogs trailed 1-0 and were outshot 12-8 in the opening frame. But Saint John turned the tides in the second, scoring three times to take a commanding 3-1 lead into the third.

Saint John added two more in the final frame to earn their second straight win.

Olivier Duhamel, Alexander Donovan, Everett Baldwin, Angelo Fullerton and Maxime Côté scored for Saint John. Arseni Radkov, making his first start for Saint John, was very good in net, making 36 saves in the victory.

Côté and Radkov were two of the five players making their Sea Dogs debuts in this game.

Alex Dagenais scored Gatineau's lone goal. Danai Shaiikov made 27 saves in the loss.

The Sea Dogs entered this game owning the QMJHL's 16th and final playoff spot with 31 points. The Olympiques sat 17th, also with 31 points. This win pushes the Dogs two points up – and they've played one less game.

Game Day 37: vs Olympiques

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

FREDERICTON - The Saint John Sea Dogs take another home game on the road tonight.

The Sea Dogs will host the Gatineau Olympiques at Fredericton's Aitken Centre at 7 p.m. It's the second of three regular season games the Sea Dogs are playing in the city this year.

Saint John dropped their first Fredericton game, falling 5-2 to the Cape Breton Eagles on Nov. 30. There will be some new faces in the Sea Dogs lineup compared to that previous game thanks to a number of trade deadline moves.

Maxime Côté, Carl-Otto Magnusson, Arseni Radkov, Bo Damphousse and Jabez Seymour have all joined the club for the second half following deadline day deals. It will be interesting to see what kind of results this new mix of players can bring.

Stream/TV/Radio: FloHockey/None/Sea Dogs Audio Network

Records: The Sea Dogs are 14-19-3-0 for 31 points (ninth Eastern/16th QMJHL) while the Olympiques are 19-20-3-0 for 31 points (eighth Western/17th QMJHL).

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 5-2 win over the Halifax Mooseheads on Sunday at TD Station. Oskar Drabczynski, Angelo Fullerton, Everett Baldwin, Olivier Duhamel and Dylan Rozzi all scored for Saint John. Rafaël Courchesne made 31 stops in the win. The Olympiques are coming off a 7-0 loss in Moncton last night. Danai Shaiikov allowed four goals on 11 shots while Finn Moffett allowed three on 23.

Zubek claimed off waivers; Gendron released

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

Following a very busy deadline day, the Saint John Sea Dogs have announced a couple more roster moves.

Defenseman Patryk Zubek has been claimed off waivers by the Newfoundland Regiment while forward Justin Gendron has been released.

Both moves were expected as Tuesday's deadline deals gave the Sea Dogs four imports and four overagers. It looks like Saint John will go with forward Olivers Murnieks, defenseman Carl-Otto Magnusson and goaltender Arseni Radkov as imports while forwards Angelo Fullerton and Maxime Côté along with defenseman Julien Wasmer will be the overagers.

Zubek, a second-round pick of Saint John in this year's CHL Import Draft, recorded six assists in 29 games with the Sea Dogs. The 18-year-old had been sliding down the team's depth chart and has been an occasional healthy scratch in recent weeks.

Zubek joins a Regiment squad that is in town this weekend. The Sea Dogs host Newfoundland on Friday and Sunday at TD Station.

Gendron, meanwhile, was acquired by the Sea Dogs from the Baie-Comeau Drakkar in late November. He appeared in just 14 games with the club, recording two goals. He played nine games with the Drakkar this season before getting dealt, posting two goals and two assists.

The Dieppe native has appeared in 232 career QMJHL games, playing with Victoriaville, Baie-Comeau and Saint John.

The new-look Sea Dogs are in action on Thursday night when they host the Gatineau Olympiques – who entered play Wednesday in a tie with Saint John – at 7 p.m. at Fredericton's Aitken Centre.

Sea Dogs make several deadline day deals

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The Saint John Sea Dogs were busy in the final few hours of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League trade period.

Here's a rundown of what happened.

• As was reported, the Sea Dogs acquired 18-year-old import goaltender Arseni Radkov from the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2027 QMJHL Entry Draft.
• Also as reported, the Sea Dogs acquired 20-year-old forward Maxime Côté from the Gatineau Olympiques in exchange for a sixth-round pick (Quebec) in the 2027 QMJHL Entry Draft.
• The Sea Dogs acquired 19-year-old import defenseman Carl-Otto Magnusson, a 2026 second-round pick (Drummondville) and a 2027 second-round pick (Blainville-Boisbriand) from the Moncton Wildcats in exchange for import defenseman Max Vilen and goaltender Justin Robinson.
• The Sea Dogs acquired 18-year-old defenseman Bo Damphousse from the Armada in exchange for forward Elliot Dubé.
• The Sea Dogs acquired 18-year-old forward Jabez Seymour from the Charlottetown Islanders in exchange for sixth- and eighth-round picks in 2028.

Magnusson is in his first QMJHL season and has posted a goal and seven assists in 31 games with the Wildcats. Listed at 6'7" and 229 lbs, he's more of a stay-at-home defenseman that could certainly provide some help to Saint John's backend.

The Swede was a second-round pick of Moncton in this year's CHL Import Draft. He was not picked in the NHL Draft but is committed to play NCAA hockey at UConn next season.

Going to Moncton is another Swedish defenseman in Vilen. A third-round pick by Saint John in this year's CHL Import Draft, Vilen's offensive numbers have picked up of late, registering two goals and 12 assists in 27 games with Saint John.

Sea Dogs acquire Côté from Olympiques

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The Saint John Sea Dogs have made a move ahead of the QMJHL's trade deadline.

The team announced Tuesday morning the acquisition of 20-year-old forward Maxime Côté from the Gatineau Olympiques in exchange for a 2027 sixth-round pick.

From the Sea Dogs:

The Saint John Sea Dogs have acquired forward Maxime Côté from the Gatineau Olympiques in exchange for a 2027 sixth-round pick, the team announced Tuesday. 

Côté is a 20-year-old from Sherbrooke, Quebec with 197 games of experience in the QMJHL. The six-foot, 167-pound left winger has 17 points (six goals, 11 assists) in 29 games this season. 

Last year, Côté finished with 42 points (19 goals, 23 assists) in 60 games split between the Sherbrooke Phoenix and the Moncton Wildcats. He added six points in 19 playoff games helping Moncton win the Gilles-Courteau Trophy.

The move gives the Sea Dogs four overagers at the moment: forwards Côté, Angelo Fullerton and Justin Gendron along with defenseman Julien Wasmer. Obviously, another move will need to be made here.

The Sea Dogs are expected to acquire import goaltender Arseni Radkov as well, a move that will require Saint John to shuffle their netminders and import spots.

The QMJHL's trade deadline is Tuesday (Jan. 6) at 1 p.m. Atlantic.

Mateiko to Milano Cortina

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There will be at least one former Saint John Sea Dog the 2026 Winter Olympic Games.

Former Sea Dogs captain Eriks Mateiko was named to Latvia's men's hockey roster on Tuesday morning. The 20-year-old has represented his country at the both the under-20 and under-18 levels, which included being captain of the U18 squad.

🇱🇻 Team Latvia men’s roster for the 2026 Olympic Winter Games just dropped!➡️

Athlete participation requires confirmation by their respective NOC.@lhf_lv @olympics @nhl @nhlpa#Olympics #NHL #IIHF pic.twitter.com/EbcW17NxqB

— IIHF (@IIHFHockey) January 6, 2026

The Washington Capitals prospect is in his first season of professional hockey. In 25 games with the AHL's Hershey Bears, Mateiko has a goal and four assists.

Mateiko spent parts of three seasons with the Sea Dogs. He was traded to the Memorial Cup host Rimouski Oceanic at last year's trade deadline.

Men's Olympic hockey will take place Feb. 11-22. Latvia will be in Group C with the United States, Germany and Denmark.

Latvia's first game will be Feb. 12 against the United States.

Reports: Sea Dogs to acquire Radkov

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The Saint John Sea Dogs are poised to acquire a goaltender before the QMJHL's trade period comes to an end, according to reports on Sunday evening.

According to Blainville-Boisbriand Armada broadcaster Cédrik Blondin, the Sea Dogs will be acquiring goaltender Arseni Radkov in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2027 QMJHL Entry Draft. RDS is also reporting the deal.

Arseni Radkov est échangé aux @SJSeaDogs par l’@ArmadaBLB.

En retour, l’Armada obtiendra un choix de 3e ronde en 2027.

C’est la fin de l’aventure avec l’espoir des #GoHabsGo.

— Cédrik Blondin (@cedrikblondin) January 4, 2026

Radkov, 18, is in his first season in North America after being selected in the first-round, 33rd overall by the Armada in this year's CHL Import Draft. 

Listed at 6'4" and 203 lbs, Radkov was a third-round pick of the Montreal Canadiens in the 2025 NHL Draft. 

The Belarusian has had his struggles this season, posting a 12-7-1-2 record but with a 3.01 goals against average and a .894 save percentage. We'll see what a new environment does for him.

Radkov is committed to play at the University of Massachusetts next year, which adds another wrinkle to this acquisition. 

This trade obviously means that at least two other roster moves are coming for the Sea Dogs. They'll need to move a goaltender and an import player. Notably, import defenseman Patryk Zubek has been a healthy scratch in three of the team's first four games in the second half.

The QMJHL's trade deadline is Tuesday.

Recap: Sea Dogs win 5-2

FINAL: Halifax 2, Saint John 5

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - What a start to the new year.

Playing in their first game since the calendar changed, the Saint John Sea Dogs never trailed in a 5-2 victory over the Halifax Mooseheads on Sunday afternoon at TD Station.

The Sea Dogs opened the scoring and led 2-0 after the opening frame despite being outshot 13-5. Saint John would add three more in the third – which included an empty netter – in the victory.

Shots in the game were 33-23 in favour of the Mooseheads.

Oskar Drabczynski, Angelo Fullerton, Everett Baldwin, Olivier Duhamel and Dylan Rozzi all scored for Saint John. Rafaël Courchesne made 31 stops in the win.

Liam Kilfoil and William Bent had Halifax goals. Nicolas Gillham-Cirka made 18 stops in the loss.

Game Day 36: vs Mooseheads

Trevor MacMillan/Halifax Mooseheads

SAINT JOHN - Just two days out from the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League trade deadline, the Saint John Sea Dogs host the Halifax Mooseheads at TD Station.

Game time this afternoon is 3 p.m.

The Sea Dogs have fallen to 1-2-1-0 against the Mooseheads this season thanks to back-to-back losses prior to the Christmas break. 

The Mooseheads were in action last night, falling 3-2 in a shootout to the Moncton Wildcats. The Sea Dogs, meanwhile, have not played since that wild 6-5 loss to the Newfoundland Regiment on New Year's Eve.

Stream/TV/Radio: FloHockey/None/Sea Dogs Audio Network

Records: The Sea Dogs are 13-19-3-0 for 29 points (ninth Eastern/17th QMJHL) while the Mooseheads are 18-14-1-2 for 39 points (sixth Eastern/10th QMJHL).

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 6-5 loss to the Newfoundland Regiment on Wednesday. Alexis Joseph had a hat trick for Saint John while singles came from Everett Baldwin and Alexander Donovan. Rafaël Courchesne made 35 saves in the loss. The Mooseheads are coming off a 3-2 shootout loss in Moncton last night. Malik L'Italien and Quinn Kennedy scored for Halifax. Nicolas Gillham-Cirka made 34 stops in the loss.

World Juniors end for Murnieks

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SAINT PAUL, MN - The IIHF World Junior Championship has come to an end for Saint John Sea Dogs forward Olivers Murnieks.

Murnieks and Team Latvia fell 6-3 to Sweden in Thursday's quarterfinal action. Murnieks played 20:37 and recorded his first goal of the tournament. He also had three shots and went 14-15 on faceoffs.

MURNS 🚨🇱🇻

Olivers Murnieks buries a one-timer on the man advantage! He finishes the tournament with four points in five games.#GoDogsGo | #WorldJuniorspic.twitter.com/POLmfYWaxs

— Saint John Sea Dogs (@SJSeaDogs) January 2, 2026

Murnieks had a goal and three assists in five games at the tournament, matching his totals from a year ago. The 17-year-old remains eligible for next year's tournament in Edmonton and Red Deer where he's likely to be a key piece for Latvia again.

Murnieks had been sidelined with a concussion prior to this year's tournament. In 22 games with the Sea Dogs this season, he's registered three goals and 10 assists. The team is no doubt hoping he can get back into the groove he was in earlier this season.

Sweden will play Finland in Sunday's first semifinal. Finland upset the host Americans with a 4-3 overtime win on Friday.

Gardiner MacDougall and Team Canada will take on Czechia in the late semifinal. The two have gotten to know each other quite well in recent years and have developed a nice rivalry. Canada defeated Czechia 7-5 in preliminary round play.

The semifinal winners will play for gold on Monday while the losers will play for bronze.

Notebook: Top prospect signs USHL tender

USHL

The player recruitment issues aren't going away for the QMJHL.

Earlier this week the USHL's Muskegon Lumberjacks announced that forward Zaac Charbonneau, one of the top prospects for the 2026 QMJHL Entry Draft, has signed a tender agreement with the club for the 2026-27 season.

“We are getting an elite player that is passionate and loves the game, and it shows in his compete, his IQ, and his ability to score goals from anywhere,” said Lumberjacks general manager Jim McGroarty in a news release. “When you are talking hockey, or anything with Zaac, he always has a smile on his face. These are the types of young men we want in the locker room and our community.”

Charbonneau has played US prep school hockey at Mount St. Charles the past two seasons.

There's still a chance Charbonneau could opt to play in the QMJHL next season, but players have been honouring these commitments of late – which hasn't been good news for the Q. The hope was that these types of things would go away with the NCAA rule change – but they're still happening.

The Lumberjacks in particular have been a problem for the QMJHL. Fredericton native Tynan Lawrence, a top prospect for this year's NHL Draft, is in his second season with the Lumberjacks.

WORLD JR UPDATE

Olivers Murnieks and Team Latvia will face Sweden in Friday's quarterfinals.

Murnieks registered an assist and went 16-14 in faceoffs in 19:54 of ice time in Latvia's 4-2 loss to Czechia on Wednesday, the final day of preliminary round play at the IIHF World Junior Championship.

Latvia finished fourth in Group B with four points. They'll now crossover and face Sweden, who finished first in Group A thanks to a 6-3 win over the United States on Wednesday.

The other quarterfinals will see Czechia face Switzerland, the US take on Finland and Canada face Slovakia.

Following Friday's quarterfinals, the semifinals will take place Sunday and the finals on Monday.

JOSEPH HAT TRICK

Alexis Joseph recorded his second career QMJHL hat trick on Wednesday in Saint John's 6-5 loss to the Newfoundland Regiment.

Here's a look at all three goals:

Joseph also had an assist in the game. He tied a career high for both goals and points in a single game.

Joseph sits sixth in QMJHL rookie scoring with 33 points and is tied for fourth in goals with 17.