Friday, January 2, 2026

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.

UP NEXT
The Sea Dogs have a few days off to prepare for their next game.

After playing three games in four days to start the second half, the Sea Dogs won't play until Sunday afternoon when they host the Halifax Mooseheads at 3 p.m. The Sea Dogs are 1-2-1-0 against the Mooseheads this season.

Wednesday's game kicked off a stretch of five stretch home games for the Sea Dogs – which includes next Thursday's game at Fredericton's Aitken Centre.

Dec. 31 vs Regiment
Jan. 4 vs Mooseheads
Jan. 8 vs Olympiques (Fredericton)
Jan. 9 vs Regiment
Jan. 11 vs Regiment

The Sea Dogs will play a three-in-three in Quebec following this homestand.

MOST READ STORIES
2025 is over. Here's a look at our five most read stories from the year.

OTHER STUFF
  • The Acadia Axemen have an article on former Sea Dogs goaltender Thomas Couture.
  • Former Sea Dogs forward Mitchell Wagner was traded from the Miramichi Timberwolves to the Pictou County Weeks Crushers on Thursday. The 20-year-old forward, who recently committed to play at McGill University next season, has not appeared in any games this season after having off-season surgery. 
  • ECHL action returned on New Year's Eve following a brief – but seemingly effective – player strike.
    • On that note: after appearing in nine games with the Tulsa Oilers, former Sea Dogs forward Kevin Gursoy has signed with the Allen Americans. He since been placed on reserve.
  • Former Sea Dogs defenseman Luke Green is on the move again. This is his sixth season playing in Europe.
  • I hope this all works out but I'll believe it when I see it. According to an Instagram post, the team hasn't confirmed a home gym yet. The season begins in late February.
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