2027 NHL Draft hype underway for Saint John

Mathieu Savidant/Saint John Sea Dogs

With Alexis Joseph on their roster, the Saint John Sea Dogs were already a team to watch for the 2027 NHL Draft.

Now, with Jamie Glance officially a Sea Dog, the team will have even more attention on them.

Joseph was ranked as the third best player available for the 2027 NHL Draft by Daily Faceoff last week while Glance was ranked 27th.

"Joseph really impressed me when I watched him at the U-17 World Challenge training camp a year ago," writes Steven Ellis. "In one game, in particular, he had an incredible four goals and five points – a scrimmage, sure, but he was clearly a step ahead of the rest."

The Hockey News recently released a list of five QMJHL players to watch for the 2027 NHL Draft (which was published before Saturday's Glance signing). Joseph was included. 

"He has a fantastic offensive brain that allows him to run a power play and find deft passes in the slot, a trait pretty rare for a player his size, and possesses a very respectable wrist shot that can beat junior goalies easily," writes Rory Arthur.

Joseph had 24 goals and 36 assists in 54 games during his rookie season. It'll be interesting to see what he can do production wise with a better (on paper, at least) supporting cast around him – a cast that now includes Glance.

"Glance plays a highly detailed game – a lot of what he does well doesn’t get rewarded on the scoresheet," writes Ellis. "He forces giveaways, does a good job of chasing after attackers, and draws penalties as well as anyone on the USNTDP this past year. It just feels like every time I zeroed in on Glance, he made something happen."

Glance led the USNTDP under-18 team in scoring last season, posting 23 goals and 33 assists in 62 games.

The Sea Dogs have not had a player selected in the first-round of the NHL Draft since Joe Veleno in 2018. They haven't had two players picked in the opening round since 2015 when Jakub Zboril and Thomas Chabot were both drafted.

Carter Meyer of the USNTDP – who reportedly wants to leave the program early to join the Quebec Remaprts – was ranked fifth. Quebec's James Scantlebury was ranked 29th.

Quebec's lone regular season visit to Saint John is sadly on a Thursday night (Nov. 12). They also meet on Friday, March 12 in Quebec City.

Defenseman Landon DuPont, who recently announced he's leaving the Everett Silvertips to join the University of Michigan, was ranked first by Daily Faceoff.