Report: Veleno will be traded to Drummondville

The Saint John Sea Dogs are on the verge of pulling off one of the biggest trades in franchise history, reports Mikael Lalancette of TVA Sports.

As reported by Lalancette, the Sea Dogs will trade captain Joe Veleno to the Drummondville Voltigeurs in exchange for several draft picks - which includes three first round selections.

Joseph Veleno passera aux Voltigeurs lors de la prochaine période de transactions. Plusieurs choix impliqués. #tvasports

— Mikaël Lalancette (@MLalancetteTVA) December 9, 2017

Les choix reçus de Drummondville pour Joseph Veleno :

1er (Gat) 2018
1er (BLB) 2019
1er (Drum)2020
2e (Drum)2018
2e 2019#tvasports

— Mikaël Lalancette (@MLalancetteTVA) December 9, 2017

The transaction will take place when the Christmas trading period opens.

The deal, which is presumably accurate, will be one of the largest made in the QMJHL in recent years. When five draft picks are involved it's usually large - when three first rounders are involved it's huge.

Veleno, who is expected to be a first round pick in this year's NHL Draft, was in an odd spot at this trade period. He has extremely high value given he will likely be back in the league next season.

The Sea Dogs just recently said publicly they would listen to calls for Veleno. Notably, the Sea Dogs have played the Voltigeurs twice in the past week. Sherbrooke, Halifax, Rouyn-Noranda and Quebec also expressed interest, according to Lalancette.

This deal is a lot to take in. We do know this: this trade accelerates Saint John's rebuild significantly - and it's safe to call it a rebuild now.

The QMJHL's trade period begins on Monday, Dec. 18. Saint John's final game prior to the deadline is Dec. 16 against Charlottetown.

RECAP: Sea Dogs lose 4-3

FINAL: Drummondville 4, Saint John 3

SAINT JOHN - The Saint John Sea Dogs' inability to score on the power play proved costly on Wednesday night.

The Sea Dogs went 0/6 on the man advantage in a 4-3 loss to the Drummondville Voltigeurs at Harbour Station.

Saint John looked good at times but bad at other points. The team displayed some good offensive jump at points during the contest, but made a few costly defensive errors in this loss.

Joe Veleno netted a pair of goals and added an assist while Ostap Safin chipped in with one helper. Alex D'Orio made 23 saves in the loss.

Connor Bramwell, Cedric Desruisseaux, Robert Lynch and Nicolas Guay scored for Drummondville. Olivier Rodrigue made 26 saves in the win.

Game Day 31: vs Voltigeurs

SAINT JOHN - The Saint John Sea Dogs return home tonight, hosting the Drummondville Voltigeurs at Harbour Station.

Saint John is coming off a three-in-three weekend road trip through Quebec, which saw the team drop the first two games and then defeat the Quebec Remparts in a shootout to close out the journey.

Game time this evening is 7 p.m.

TV/Radio/Webcast: Rogers TV/96.1 NewSong FM/QMJHL Live

Records: The Sea Dogs are 8-16-4-2 for 22 points (6th Maritimes, 17th QMJHL) while the Voltigeurs are 19-8-1-1 for 40 points (2nd West, 4th QMJHL).

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 3-2 shootout win in Quebec City on Sunday. Kevin Gursoy and Robbie Burt scored for Saint John. Alex D'Orio made 34 saves in the victory. The Voltigeurs are coming off a 7-2 home win over the Sea Dogs on Saturday. Nicolas Guay scored a hat trick while singles came from Morgan Adams-Moisan, Robert Lynch, Cédric Desruisseaux and Nicolas Desgroseilliers. Olivier Rodrigue made 22 saves in the win.

2017-18 head-to-head: The Sea Dogs are 0-1-0-0 against the Voltigeurs this season while Drummondville is 1-0-0-0 against Saint John.

Last meeting: This past Saturday at the Marcel Dionne Centre where the Voltigeurs defeated the Sea Dogs 7-2. Nicolas Guay scored a hat trick while singles came from Morgan Adams-Moisan, Robert Lynch, Cédric Desruisseaux and Nicolas Desgroseilliers. Ostap Safin and William Poirier scored for Saint John. Olivier Rodrigue made 22 saves in the win. Matt Williams made 32 stops in the loss.

Safin, Salda receive Czech invites

At least two Saint John Sea Dogs will be attending a world junior training camp.

Sea Dogs forward Ostap Safin and defenceman Radim Salda were both invited to the Czech Republic's camp, the team announced on Monday.

👥 | Filip Pešán nominoval na přípravný kemp před MS juniorů 2️⃣7️⃣ hráčů! Český tým se bude připravovat na vrchol sezony v 🇺🇸 Niagara Falls💪🏻 #U20CZE pic.twitter.com/pPwo0EHQ0w

— Hokejový nároďák (@narodnitym) December 4, 2017

It's not a huge surprise to see both invited. Safin is a lock to make the team while Salda's numbers speak for themselves. Still, Salda was a bit of a question mark given he was basically an unknown heading into this season.

Safin, an Edmonton Oilers prospect, leads the Sea Dogs in scoring and his third in QMJHL rookie scoring with 11 goals and 29 points in 30 games. This is his first season in the league.

Salda, who was passed over in the 2017 NHL Draft, is 10th in QMJHL defencemen scoring with six goals and 16 assists in 30 games. He has been one of the biggest pleasant surprises in the league this season.

At this point, it's a long shot any other Sea Dogs will receive invites to a world junior camp. Joe Veleno is the only Dog who has a shot. Canada will name its camp roster this week.

The world juniors begin on Boxing Day in Buffalo. The Czechs play in the tournament's opening game against Russia.

Two Sea Dogs named to U Sports team

Two former Saint John Sea Dogs have been named to the U Sports team that will take on Canada's national junior team later this month.

Goaltender Sebastien Auger and forward Stephen Anderson have both been named to the all-star team, which was announced on Monday.

The U Sports squad will face Canada on Wednesday, Dec. 13 at 8 p.m. and Thursday, Dec. 14 at 5 p.m. at the Meridian Centre in St. Catharines, Ont. The games will be part of Canada's evaluation camp ahead of the World Junior Hockey Championship.

This is the third straight year a U Sports all star team has face Canada's junior team.

Auger, who spent four seasons with the Sea Dogs from 2011 to 2015, is in his third season with UQTR. He is 6-4 this year with an impressive 2.28 goals against average and a .917 save percentage.

Anderson, who played with the Sea Dogs from 2011 to 2014, is in his third season with UNB. He has 11 goals and nine assists 18 games to lead the Varsity Reds in scoring. His 11 goals is tied for the AUS lead.

Another notable on the U Sports team is UNB's Randy Gazzola.

There could be some Sea Dogs content on the Canadian side, but that seems unlikely. Joe Veleno is likely the only Saint John player who could get an invite. The camp invitations are expected to be announced this week.

The world juniors begin on Boxing Day in Buffalo.

RECAP: Sea Dogs win 3-2 (SO)

FINAL: Saint John 3, Quebec 2 (SO)

QUEBEC CITY, Que. - The Saint John Sea Dogs ended their road trip on a winning note on Sunday.

Anthony Boucher scored the only goal of the shootout in a 3-2 Sea Dogs victory over the Quebec Remparts at Videotron Centre. This was the final game a three-in-three Quebec road swing for the Sea Dogs, who dropped their previous two games.

Saint John can hopefully build off this win moving forward. The Dogs played a solid road game in an intimidating building. The team blew a 2-0 lead but managed to keep things even and win the match in a shootout.

Alex D'Orio returned to action and was named first star, making 34 saves in the win. He made a few spectacular saves, particularly with his glove hand. He did not allow a goal in the shootout.

Kevin Gursoy and Robbie Burt scored for Saint John.

Quebec goals came from Tomas Dajcar and Philipp Kurashev. Olivier Chalifour allowed two goals on three shot before getting pulled. Dereck Baribeau made 33 stops the rest of the way.