Sea Dogs sign Krayer from BCHL

Tami Quan Photography

The Saint John Sea Dogs have made another roster addition.

The Sea Dogs announced Monday the signing of 17-year-old forward Dylan Krayer. The Concord, Massachusetts native had been playing with the BCHL's West Kelowna Warriors.

“We would like to welcome Dylan to our organization,” said Sea Dogs head coach and general manager Travis Crickard in a news release. “He is very hungry to get better every day. Sea Dogs fans can expect a very motivated young man who will play to the identity of our great city.”

Krayer is the brother of Sea Dogs forward Matthew Krayer, who signed with the Saint John on Jan. 3.

With West Kelowna this season, Krayer posted 11 goals and five assists in 33 games. His last game with the club was on Jan. 4 and wasn't even listed as a scratch by the team this past weekend.

Krayer is a Mount St. Charles prep school alumnus where he appeared in 37 games last season. He also played two games with both the Warriors and the USHL's Tri-City Storm.

Krayer is committed to play at Arizona State University beginning in 2026-27, a program that has been on the rise in recent years and recently joined the NCHC, one of college hockey's powerhouse conferences.

The Sea Dogs now have three Americans on their roster: the Krayer brothers and Egan Beveridge. Dylan Krayer is the only one officially committed to a NCAA program.

Saint John's next game is this Friday at TD Station against the Charlottetown Islanders.

Recap: Sea Dogs lose 5-1

FINAL: Halifax 1, Saint John 5

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - If the Saint John Sea Dogs gained any momentum from Saturday's overtime win, it certainly didn't look like it on Sunday at TD Station.

The Sea Dogs struggled at both ends of the ice in a 4-1 loss to the Halifax Mooseheads. It was the second time in less than 24 hours that the two met after Saint John defeated the Mooseheads 4-3 in overtime at Scotiabank Centre the night before.

Saint John fell behind early in the first period and were never able to really get back into the game. Saint John allowed five goals and 40 shots against the QMJHL's worst offense (they sit last in both goals and shots per game) and, once again, struggled to generate many dangerous scoring chances of their own.

Halifax, who ended a seven-game losing streak with the victory, had a pair of goals from Quispamsis native Liam Kilfoil while singles came from Shawn Carrier, Quinn Kennedy and Patrick McNab. Rookie goaltender Nicolas Gillham-Cirka made 33 saves to earn his first QMJHL win.

William Yared scored Saint John's only goal. Justin Robinson made 35 saves in the loss.

The Mooseheads led 2-0 after the first period. Halifax opened the scoring at 5:54 when a pass into the slot found Kilfoil who backhanded a low shot past Robinson.

Saint John didn't record a shot on goal until the 8:35 mark of the opening period.

Halifax took a 2-0 lead with a late goal in the opening frame. At 19:46, Carrier walked in from the top of the circle and beat Robinson top corner.

Halifax took a 3-0 lead at 8:57 of the second when Kennedy put in a rebound while on a power play. Then at 13:26, McNab also put in a rebound, giving Halifax a commanding 4-0 advantage.

Saint John got on the board at 14:48 when a low Yared shot from the circle appeared to go off Ben Cross and in, making it 4-1. The Sea Dogs pressured in the final minute of the frame but could not add another.

In the third, the Sea Dogs pulled Robinson with four minutes remaining. Saint John was able to generate some sustained pressure in the offensive zone but could not score. Kilfoil iced the game with an empty netter at 18:02.

Game Day 39: vs Mooseheads

SAINT JOHN - The Saint John Sea Dogs and Halifax Mooseheads are right back at it this afternoon.

After meeting last night at Scotiabank Centre, the two teams will meet again this afternoon in Saint John. The Sea Dogs needed extra time to defeat the Mooseheads last night, earning a 4-3 overtime win thanks to a Tyler Peddle power play goal.

It was a fairly evenly played game last night with both teams carrying the play at times. Saint John and Halifax are two of the youngest teams in the QMJHL.

Saint John ended a five-game losing streak last night while Halifax lost a seventh straight.

Game time this afternoon at TD Station is 3 p.m.

TV/Radio/Stream: None/Sea Dogs Radio/CHL TV

2024-25 regular season records: The Sea Dogs are 17-21-0-0 for 34 points (fifth Maritimes/ninth Eastern/14th QMJHL) while the Mooseheads are 11-21-6-0 for 28 points (sixth Maritimes/10th Eastern/16th QMJHL).

Last games: The Sea Dogs and Mooseheads met last night in Halifax where Tyler Peddle won the game with a power play goal. Olivier Groulx scored all three of Saint John's regulation time goals in the 4-3 win. Shawn Carrier, Braeden MacPhee and Owen Phillips all scored for Halifax. Charles-Edward Gravel made 27 stops in the win. Jacob Steinman made 37 saves in the loss.

Recap: Sea Dogs win 4-3 (OT)

FINAL: Saint John 4, Halifax 3 (OT)

HALIFAX - The Saint John Sea Dogs needed some overtime magic to end their five-game losing streak.

Tyler Peddle scored on a power play at 4:20 of overtime to give the Sea Dogs a 4-3 victory over the Halifax Mooseheads on Saturday night at Scotiabank Centre. The win – Saint John's first since the Christmas break – ended a lengthy losing skid and improved the team to 9-0 in extra time contests.

Olivier Groulx scored all three of Saint John's goals in regulation time. Charles-Edward Gravel made 27 stops in the win.

It was a fairly evenly played game between two of the QMJHL's youngest teams. The point separation between the two has thinned of late, but this victory gives Saint John a bit more breathing room as the second half continues to roll along.

Shawn Carrier, Braeden MacPhee and Owen Phillips all scored for Halifax, who have now dropped seven straight. The newly acquired Jacob Steinman made 37 saves in the loss.

Halifax got on the board early in the first period. After a Nate Tivey turnover, Carrier beat Gravel from the slot at 3:26 to make it 1-0.

The Sea Dogs responded to the goal well, dominating possession for several minutes. Finally, on a power play at 11:50, they were rewarded when Groulx redirected a William Yared shot to tie things at 1-1.

Halifax pulled in front again at 15:35. On a man advantage, a point shot hit some bodies in front and the rebound went to MacPhee who put the puck into an open net.

Saint John evened things up again at 18:50 just after a power play ended. A shot went off the back boards and bounced in front where Groulx was able to sneak the puck between Steinman and the post to make it 2-2 after 20 minutes.

The Sea Dogs were unable to generate many quality scoring chances in the middle frame but only needed one to take a 3-2 lead into intermission. At 19:56, Groulx fired an innocent looking shot from the slot that went past a couple bodies and upstairs on Steinman, giving Saint John their first lead of the game.

Halifax tied the game at 6:09 of the third when Phillips fired a high shot from the point that beat a screened Gravel. Halifax had a couple of other good chances in the third but could not score a fourth goal.

Saint John went to a power play at 2:29 of overtime when Quinn Kennedy tripped up Peddle. On that man advantage, Tivey setup Peddle for a one-timer, ripping a shot past Steinman to give the Sea Dogs a 4-3 victory.

Game Day 38: at Halifax

HALIFAX - The Saint John Sea Dogs will, once again, try to end a lengthy losing streak.

The Sea Dogs have dropped five straight games heading into tonight's contest with the Halifax Mooseheads. They've also lost seven straight away from home.

The good news for the Sea Dogs is that they are coming off a decent performance against one of the QMJHL's top teams on Wednesday. Saint John fell 3-0 to the Drummondville Voltigeurs in their most recent match but, despite not generating many scoring chances, hung around for most of the game.

This is the first of back-to-back meetings between the Sea Dogs and Mooseheads. The two also meet tomorrow afternoon at TD Station.

Halifax enters tonight's match on a six-game losing streak. Game time is 7 p.m. at Scotiabank Centre.

TV/Radio/Stream: None/None/CHL TV

2024-25 regular season records: The Sea Dogs are 16-21-0-0 for 32 points (fifth Maritimes/ninth Eastern/14th QMJHL) while the Mooseheads are 11-21-5-0 for 27 points (sixth Maritimes/10th Eastern/16th QMJHL).

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 3-0 home loss to the Drummondville Voltigeurs on Wednesday. Charles-Edward Gravel made 33 saves in the loss. The Mooseheads are coming off a 4-3 home loss to the Voltigeurs on Thursday. Quinn Kennedy, Antoine Fournier and Liam Kilfoil all scored for Halifax. Jacob Steinman made 41 saves in his Mooseheads debut.

Oceanic went hard after Mateiko

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

The Rimouski Oceanic badly wanted Eriks Mateiko, Saint John Sea Dogs head coach and general manager Travis Crickard said in an interview this week.

Speaking with Sea Dogs radio broadcaster Bruce Smith before Wednesday's game at TD Station, Crickard said about five teams showed interest in Mateiko after he took on the role of general manager. As the trade period neared, it ultimately came down to two teams.

"It kind of just came down to one team, being Rimouski, being very convinced or stern with their need to get Eriks and they were going to do whatever it took to get him," Crickard said. "They weren't interested in doing a negotiation in terms of, okay, we'll offer this and then I come back, no, I want this, and then we'd maybe meet in the middle. It was just like, what do you want for him? This is what I want? And okay, we'll do it. And that's kind of how it it played out with that transaction, so to speak."

Officially, the Sea Dogs traded Mateiko to the Oceanic for a third-round pick; two fourth-round picks; and a fifth-round pick. That's expected to change at this summer's QMJHL Entry Draft where the Oceanic will send Saint John two first-round picks – a significant price for what is likely to be just half a season of the Latvian forward.

"I think one of the things with the deal itself is that Eriks is a player who's only going to be in the league for less than 30 more regular season games and then playoffs, so when we enter the the draft we'll see that it was a pretty expensive price to to pay for Eriks to finish his junior career in Rimouski. But at the same time, that's what he's worth, really."

The Oceanic are expected to keep Mateiko out of the lineup this weekend, giving him some extra rest following the IIHF World Junior Championship.

A few other news and notes...

• In the Telegraph-Journal, Kevin Barrett reports that one of the first-round picks Saint John will receive will be for the 2025 draft while the other will be for 2027. Saint John, at this time, would have three first-round picks in this year's draft.
• Barrett notes Crickard sees Tyler Peddle, Nicolas Bilodeau and Ben Cross as the team's trio of overagers next season.
• Crickard on Mateiko's impressive performance with Latvia at the IIHF World Junior Championship: "His performance at the world juniors is not surprising to anyone in this room. Moreover, when moments are big, that's the kind of player he is, and that's what was the focal point of the discussion with a team like Rimouski. While you may not know him that well, you're getting a big time player in big time moments and he showed that."
• Crickard noted in the radio interview that the team wasn't able to practice much at TD Station after the Christmas break due to Cirque du Soleil taking over the building. The team finally returned to their usual ice surface on Wednesday morning.
• Saint John will look to snap a five-game losing streak on Saturday in Halifax. The two teams meet again on Sunday afternoon in Saint John. The Mooseheads sit last in the Eastern Conference but are now just five points behind the Sea Dogs.