Monday, July 13, 2026

Notebook: Poirier signs in Germany

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs
Jeremie Poirier is heading overseas.

The former Saint John Sea Dogs defenseman has signed with Adler Mannheim of the DEL, Germany's highest level of professional hockey. The club announced the signing on Thursday.

The 24-year-old has spent his entire professional career in the AHL, mostly with the Calgary Wranglers. Poirier was traded to the Texas Stars this past season.
In 51 games split between the Wranglers and Stars in 2025-26, Poirier posted five goals and 11 assists. He leaves North America having recorded 22 goals and 90 assists in 214 regular season AHL games. He had another three goals and nine assists in 17 playoff contests.

Poirier was a third-round pick of the Calgary Flames in the 2020 NHL Draft but never got into an NHL game. He spent four seasons with Saint John and helped the club win the 2022 Memorial Cup.

SPADAFORE SIGNS WITH FLAMES
Jordan Spadafore is returning to Saint John.

The former Sea Dogs defenseman has signed with the Saint John Flames of the Beausejour Senior Hockey League for the 2026-27 season, the club announced last week. 

The 25-year-old spent parts of two seasons with the Sea Dogs. He also played with the Rimouski Oceanic and Val-d'Or Foreurs during his QMJHL career.

Spadafore played a couple seasons at Nipissing University in North Bay before turning pro in 2023-24. He spent a season with the SPHL's Evansville Thunderbolts before signing with the Milton Keynes Lightning of the National Ice Hockey League, the second-tier of pro hockey in Great Britain. He has played the past two seasons overseas.

So far, along with Spadafore, the Flames will feature former Sea Dogs Nick Blagden, Zach Alchorn and Kiefer Lyons.

INNISS BACK WITH LIONS
Former Sea Dogs defenseman Christopher Inniss is returning to the ECHL's Trois-Rivieres Lions, the team announced last week.

Inniss made his professional debut with the Lions this season, appearing in two games following the conclusion of Concordia University's campaign. The 25-year-old has spent the past four seasons at Concordia.

Inniss spent parts of two seasons with the Sea Dogs, playing the entire 2020-21 COVID season with the team and half of 2021-22. He was traded to the Chicoutimi Saguenéens where he finished his junior career.

MCCALLUM SIGNS AHL DEAL
Former Sea Dogs defenseman Kale McCallum has signed a one-year, two-way AHL contract with the Laval Rocket, the team announced Sunday.

The 24-year-old spent this past season playing college hockey at Providence College where he posted five goals and nine assists in 31 games. When Providence's season ended, McCallum joined the ECHL's Trois-Rivieres Lions where he recorded a goal and five assists in eight games.

McCallum spent two seasons with the Sea Dogs before being traded to the Foreurs. He went on to spend parts of three seasons with the UNB Reds before playing a season of NCAA hockey.

QMJHL DRAFT GRADES
Puck Preps gave Saint John's performance at the QMJHL Entry Draft an 'A' grade.
MHL DRAFT AFTERMATH
The Maritime Junior Hockey League held its 2026 draft last month in Campbellton.

Forward Carter Odell, who was a sixth-round pick of Saint John in this year's QMJHL Entry Draft, was selected in the fourth-round, 47th overall by the Truro Bearcats. Odell spent last season with the Halifax Macs.

17-year-old goaltender Sam Pitcher, who was an 11th-round pick of the Sea Dogs in the 2025 QMJHL Entry Draft, was taken in the eighth-round, 85th overall by the West Kent Steamers.


PRONOVOST TRADED
18-year-old forward Félix Pronovost, who was traded to the Sea Dogs in the Egan Beveridge deal back in December, will be playing in the Maritimes next season it appears.

The MHL's Valley Wildcats announced a few weeks ago that they selected the forward with the first overall pick in this year’s QMJHL Supplementary Draft.

"We are even more thrilled to announce that Félix has signed a letter of commitment to join the Wildcats for the upcoming season," a Wildcats news release stated. That same news released mentioned that Pronovost "is expected to attend the Sea Dogs’ training camp in August."

Pronovost, a fourth-round pick of the Quebec Remparts in the 2024 QMJHL Entry Draft, has appeared in seven career QMJHL games. He spent most of last season with the QCHL's Champlain St. Lawrence Lions.

“We are very excited to bring a player of Felix’s calibre to our hockey club,” said general manager and head coach Jesse MacLean. “He is a shifty, versatile, 200-foot forward who can be used in all situations. His championship experience, combined with his time in the QMJHL, makes him someone we expect to come in and make an immediate impact as we work toward our goals for the upcoming season.”

NHL DRAFT NOTES
According to the CHL, 106 players developed from the league – which includes those like Gavin McKenna, who was drafted out of the NCAA – were selected during this year's NHL Draft.

The Ontario Hockey League had 47 selections, its highest total since 2016 and one shy of its seven-round era high. The Western Hockey League, meanwhile, had 39 selections, its highest total since 2010. Lastly, the QMJHL reached 20 selections for the first time since 2021.

The Medicine Hat Tigers and Ottawa 67's led all CHL clubs with five selections. In the QMJHL, both the Moncton Wildcats and Quebec Remparts had three players picked.

A few other news and notes...

  • USNTDP forward Casey Mutryn, the brother of Wildcats forward Teddy Mutryn, was selected in the second-round, 38th overall by the Seattle Kraken. Casey Mutryn is on Moncton's protected list.
  • One of the most notable QMJHL players not selected: Blainville-Boisbriand Armada goaltender William Lacelle, who was the seventh ranked North American goaltender by NHL Central Scouting. Lacelle will play college hockey at Nebraska-Omaha this season.
  • Olivers Murnieks was one of four Latvian players to be drafted this year – the most ever for the country.
  • The OHL's London Knights continue to be a draft pick factory with four players selected.
  • 7'1", 272 lbs defenseman Alexander Karmanov of the North Bay Battalion was selected in the seventh-round by San Jose Sharks.
  • According to College Hockey Inc., 109 current or committed NCAA Division I players were picked. From their news release: "An impressive 36 different NCAA schools had at least one player or recruit selected this weekend – up from 27 one year ago – led by Michigan State with nine. That tied Minnesota (2007) for the largest draft class ever by one school. Boston University, UMass, North Dakota and Penn State were next with eight selections each, while Boston College, Denver and Providence each had six."

OTHER THINGS
  • The CHL website takes a look at some of the league's top prospects for the 2027 NHL Draft – which includes Sea Dogs forward Alexis Joseph.
  • It looks like tickets are now available to be purchased for Saint John's Aug. 26 pre-season game against the Moncton Wildcats, which will be played at St. Stephen's Garcleon Civic Center.
  • Former Sea Dogs head coach Gerard Gallant "will be the special guest on Aug. 13 for the Pictou County Sports Heritage Hall of Fame’s celebrity sports dinner at Summer Street in New Glasgow," reports The Advocate.
  • The ECHL's Bloomington Bison – who are now affiliated with the Winnipeg Jets – recently acquired the rights to former Sea Dogs forward Nick Deakin-Poot.
  • It sounds like there is a good chance former Sea Dogs defenseman Max Vilen will return to the Moncton Wildcats for an overage season. He recently celebrated his 20th birthday while attending Tampa Bay Lightning development camp.
  • The Wildcats have signed Detroit Red Wings prospect Myles Brosnan.
  • The Charlottetown Islanders have named former NHLer John Mitchell the team's new head coach, replacing Jim Hulton. Mitchell doesn't have a lot of coaching experience, so it will be interesting to see how he handles leading a QMJHL team. According to an Isles release, "this past season, Mitchell served as head coach of the Okanagan Hockey Academy Colorado 16U AAA program, leading the team to a dominant USA Hockey 16U National Championship."
  • Drummondville Voltigeurs head coach Sylvain Favreau has been named an assistant coach of the AHL's Syracuse Crunch.
  • The Gatineau Olympiques announced three key appointments within their hockey operations department, which includes Serge Beausoleil being the club's head coach.
  • In random but neat news: the Newfoundland Regiment will host the OHL's Saginaw Spirit for three pre-season games that will be played in Gander, Grand Falls-Windsor and Corner Brook. The Regiment have also added road pre-season games against Moncton and Charlottetown.
  • This flew under the radar at this year's QMJHL Entry Draft, but Mario Durocher is retiring after more than 30 years of involvement in the league. Most recently, he's been an assistant general manager with the Baie-Comeau Drakkar. The Sea Dogs know him well from his days in Bathurst, Cape Breton and Val-d'Or.
  • Guelph's Sleeman Centre is undergoing some renovations ahead of the 2027 Memorial Cup – which includes the unique addition of a digitized logo at centre ice.
  • The Maritime Junior Hockey League's 2026-27 schedule has been released. The season begins Sept. 10.
  • The AHL's 2026-27 schedule has been released. The season starts on Oct. 2, the earliest start date for the league since 2009.
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