Young is a Sea Dog + some other notes

@stanleyscreative

Eric Young is officially a Saint John Sea Dog.

The Sea Dogs announced the signing of the 19-year-old goaltender on Thursday, a day after he was added to the club's roster.

“With the January 10th deadline already past, we are very fortunate to acquire a goaltender of Eric’s caliber. He was a workhorse for his previous team in the first half and was rewarded by being part of the Top Prospects Game,” said Sea Dogs head coach and general nanager Travis Crickard in a news release. “In communications with folks out west, Eric received glowing reviews about his hunger and commitment to get better everyday. He will be a welcome addition to our program.”

Young leaves the BCHL's Coquitlam Express for the QMJHL. He posted a 13-8-0 record to go along with a .890 save-percentage and a 3.32 goals against average in 25 games this season.

Young will presumably be Justin Robinson's backup for the rest of the season. The Sea Dogs have been in search of a second netminder since the team suddenly released 20-year-old Charles-Edward Gravel on Jan. 19.

A few other news and notes...

• Young joins a long list of players that have left the BCHL for the QMJHL since the NCAA rule change. Young joins forward Dylan Krayer as Sea Dogs players who have done so.
• The Sea Dogs are back in action on Friday when they visit the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies at 8 p.m. They play the final game of this Quebec road trip on Saturday, visiting the Val-d'Or Foreurs at 5 p.m.
• Environment Canada's weather forecast for Friday night in Rouyn-Noranda: "Partly cloudy. Wind up to 15 km/h. Low minus 30. Wind chill minus 25 in the evening and minus 39 overnight. Risk of frostbite."
• The Huskies were in action on Thursday, hosting the Charlottetown Islanders.
• It looks like the Sea Dogs will be holding their skills competition on Feb. 4 at the Peter Murray Arena on the west side.
• A weird scheduling quirk: the Moncton Wildcats and Cape Breton Eagles will play their next three games against each other over the span of a week. The two meet Thursday in Sydney, Saturday in Moncton and next Thursday in Moncton.
• A few notable NCAA commitments:
• 17-year-old forward Ryan Dwyer, the son of former Sea Dogs head coach Gordie Dwyer, has committed to RPI. Dwyer is in his second season at Stanstead College in Quebec.
• Quebec Remparts captain Justin Côté has committed to Clarkson University.
• QMJHL leading scorer Jonathan Fauchon of the Rimiuski Oceanic has committed to Providence College.
• Oceanic captain Jacob Mathieu has committed to Northeastern University.
• The QMJHL has launched the Thursday Night Showdown, which will offer fans a free game to watch on YouTube and CHL TV every Thursday. It's a great idea but has the same problem as the CHL on TV days: the matchups aren't very appetizing. Offering the games in both languages would be great as well, especially if the league is truly trying to attract more Americans.

SEA DOGS NOTEBOOK

TEAM BLUE WINS SKILLS COMPETITION
PRESS RELEASE
The 2010 Sea Dogs Irving Oil Skills Competition was staged at Harbour Station on Monday night, with hundreds of spectators being treated to a highly-entertaining exhibition of hockey-related skill challenges.

After the speed skating, agility skating, accuracy shooting, and measured-speed shooting showdowns were staged, Team White owned a 4-3 advantage with several of the events being decided by extremely-thin margins. Team Blue pulled ahead in the decisive shootout segment of the competition, netting three goals to their opponents’ zero in capturing a 6-4 victory in the fun-filled event.

Individual winners from the 2010 Irving Oil Skills Competition are listed below:

Hardest Shot: Yann Sauvé – 94 mph
Most Accurate Shooter: Mike Thomas – 4/4 on targets
Fastest Skater: Nicholas Pard – 15.0 seconds
Breakaway Challenge: Tomas Jurco (awarded by audience applause)
NOTE: Sauvé reached 97 mph on a bonus shot which didn’t officially count.

HS 2000
Now that they are getting a new score clock, Harbour Station has decided to fully join the 21st century. They have officially signed up for a Twitter account and have a fan page of Facebook.

D-MAN WATCH
Hockey’s Future has released its latest QMJHL Defenseman rankings which features two Saint John Sea Dogs. Here is what they had to say:

3. Simon Despres, Saint John Sea Dogs
Drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins, 30th overall (1st round) in 2009

The highest drafted member of this list, Simon Despres has filled a key defensive role for the Saint John Sea Dogs since breaking into the league as a 16-year-old. As Despres has continued to improve, so have the Sea Dogs, culminating in this season with Saint John atop the QMJHL standings as well as the CHL rankings.

A tower on the blue line at 6'4 and a lanky 219 pounds, Despres doesn't use his size to his advantage as much as one would expect. Instead, he relies on smarts and positioning, while keeping things simple in his own end. To his credit, Despres' strongest attribute might be his unflappable play under pressure. Even as an 18-year-old, Despres' ability to keep calm under pressure makes him appear experienced beyond his age.

6. Yann Sauve, Saint John Sea Dogs
Drafted by the Vancouver Canucks, 41st overall (2nd round) in 2008

A two-way defender for the Saint John Sea Dogs, things couldn't be going better for Yann Sauve. Playing a key role for the top team in the QMJHL (and arguably the top team in the whole CHL), Sauve is closing off his junior career in style. There's only one thing missing at this point: an NHL contract. As Sauve and the Sea Dogs continue their march toward the league playoffs and maybe even a berth at the Memorial Cup, the Vancouver Canucks are watching their defensive prospect closely.

Sauve has come a long way since being selected first overall in the QMJHL draft in 2006. So far this season, he has six goals and 29 points in 46 games. Always a talented puck mover, he's worked hard to round out and improve his game. At 6'3 and 214 pounds, he's more than willing to get his nose dirty and often surprises attackers with devastating hits. But at times, he struggles with coverage in his own zone.

To read the full article click HERE.

ATTENDANCE STILL DOWN
In the latest QMJHL attendance report, Saint John is averaging the fourth highest amount of fans per game this season with 3,826. The Sea Dogs averaged 3,930 fans per game last season.

GAME OF THE WEEK
Rogers Sportsnet has named this Friday’s (and/or Sunday’s) game against Cape Breton the QMJHL game of the week. Here is what they had to say:

The Screaming Eagles will get the ultimate test in measuring their success when they take on the Sea Dogs for the first of two meetings this week. Cape Breton made a splash on the trade-front with the acquisition of Jacob Lagacé from Chicoutimi. Lagacé failed to make an impact with the Screaming Eagles in the first meeting with the Sea Dogs in a 3-1 loss on Jan. 8. The Sea Dogs continue finding ways to win, defeating both Halifax and Moncton in shootouts last week. The league's top team has a commanding lead in the Atlantic Division with 89 points.

In another note, Montreal has not won since their 6-4 win against Saint John last month. To read the full article click HERE.

DESPRES HEATING UP
Despite struggling in the Sea Dogs’ 5-4 shootout win on Saturday in Moncton, The Hockey News has named Simon Despres the number seven prospect in their “Hot List.”

7. Simon Despres, D – Saint John Sea Dogs (QMJHL): Despres has already bested his offensive career high with 36 points through 48 games, but even more important is his plus-minus. The 6-foot-4, 218-pounder is plus-27, by far the best mark of his 'Q' career. Drafted 30th overall by Pittsburgh in 2009.

The read the full list click HERE.

DON’T BET ON GALIEV
Stanislav Galiev failed to predict the winner of Super Bowl 44 this past weekend. The Sea Dogs’ winger picked the Indianapolis Colts to defeat the New Orleans Saints in Miami on Sunday. The Saints won the game.

Galiev played in Indiana last season with the Ice.

SKILLS COMPETITION TONIGHT

What: 2010 Irving Oil Saint John Sea Dogs Skills Competition
Who: Team Blue vs Team White
Where: Harbour Station
When: Tonight, February 8, 2010 at 6:30 pm
Admission: Free

HOSTS
Tim Roszell (News 88.9) and Dave Deline (Woodstock Bugle Observer)

FORMAT
A total of five team events will take place at this year’s competition: Fastest Skater (2 pts.), Accuracy Shooting (1pt.), Agility Skating (1 pt.), Hardest Shot (1 pt.), and a Shootout (2pts). The winning team will be determined by whichever side earns four or more of the seven available points.

A special exhibition Breakaway Challenge will also be staged this year, with Tomas Jurco, Jonathan Huberdeau, Mike Hoffman, and Michael Kirkpatrick set to showcase their most creative penalty shot moves against guest goaltender Bruce Smith, Team Chaplain. These four offensive specialists will have one minute to score as many dazzling goals as possible, with the winner being determined by audience applause. The victorious competitor will receive a special prize as well as bragging rights over his teammates.

ROSTERS – COMPETITION
Team Blue
Nathan Beaulieu – Accuracy Shooting, Agility Skating
Pierre Durepos – Fastest Skater, Accuracy Shooting
Kevin Gagné – Fastest Skater, Hardest Shot
Jonathan Huberdeau – Fastest Skater, Hardest Shot, Shootout
Mike Hoffman – Accuracy Shooting, Agility Skating, Shootout
Tomas Jurco – Agility Skating, Hardest Shot, Shootout
Michael Kirkpatrick – Accuracy Shooting, Agility Skating, Shootout
Stephen MacAulay – Fastest Skater, Hardest Shot
Christian Morin – Fastest Skater, Accuracy Shooting
Zack Phillips – Agility Skating, Hardest Shot, Shootout

Team White
Steven Anthony – Fastest Skater, Hardest Shot, Shootout
Gabriel Bourret – Agility Skating, Hardest Shot
Simon Després – Fastest Skater, Accuracy Shooting, Shootout
Stanislav Galiev – Accuracy Shooting, Agility Skating
Danick Gauthier – Agility Skating, Hardest Shot
Aidan Kelly – Fastest Skater, Accuracy Shooting
Nicholas Pard – Fastest Skater, Hardest Shot, Shootout
Nick Petersen – Accuracy Shooting, Agility Skating, Shootout
Yann Sauvé – Fastest Skater, Hardest Shot, Shootout
Mike Thomas – Accuracy Shooting, Agility Skating

WHO TO WATCH
Tomas Jurco, Jonathan Huberdeau, and Mike Hoffman should put on an impressive display in the shootout contest.

2009 VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS



With files from Saint John Sea Dogs.