Moncton, Quebec named 2028 Memorial Cup host finalists

The 2028 Memorial Cup will be hosted by either the Moncton Wildcats or Quebec Remparts.

The Canadian Hockey League announced Monday that the two cities are the finalists to host the 2028 tournament, which is the next time the QMJHL has the event.

According to a news release, "Moncton and Quebec were selected by the 2028 Memorial Cup Site Selection Committee, an independent panel of five individuals with extensive experience across the sports landscape. As the first step in the process, the committee reviewed submissions from QMJHL clubs that declared their intent to bid before identifying the two finalist clubs that would advance."

The Newfoundland Regiment and Gatineau Olympiques were believed to also have interest in hosting the event.

Both Moncton and Quebec City have hosted the Memorial Cup in the past – but neither have done so in their new buildings. The Moncton Coliseum hosted the 2006 tournament while Colisee Pepsi hosted a few times, most recently in 2015.

“The Memorial Cup holds a special place in our game because of the players, fans, volunteers, and communities who bring it to life each year,” said Dan MacKenzie, president of the CHL, in a news release. “Moncton and Quebec are two proud hockey markets with deep connections to this championship, passionate fan bases, strong organizational leadership, and a clear understanding of what it takes to host an event of this calibre. We are confident either city would provide an exceptional stage for the 2028 Memorial Cup presented by Kubota, and we thank all of the QMJHL clubs that expressed interest in being part of this process.”

The 2028 host city is expected to be announced by the end of October.

The Rimouski Oceanic were the most recent QMJHL host, holding the event in 2025. The last Maritime city to host was Saint John in 2022.

The OHL's Guelph Storm will host the 2027 Memorial Cup.

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.

Glance signs with Sea Dogs

Mathieu Savidant/Saint John Sea Dogs

Jamie Glance is officially a Saint John Sea Dog.

After months of speculation, the Sea Dogs announced Saturday – on July 4, fittingly – that the American forward has been signed to a QMJHL Scholarship and Development Agreement.

Glance, who will turn 18 in September, just completed his second and final season with the USNTDP. He's projected to be a first-round pick in next year's NHL Draft.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Jamie to the Sea Dogs,” said Sea Dogs president and general manager Trevor Georgie in a news release. “Jamie is an offensive weapon. He is a pure goal-scorer. He will be a great addition to our team and elevate others around him. He wants to win in Saint John, and after completing two years with the NTDP, this is the natural next step for him.”

Glance led the USNTDP under-18 team in scoring last season, posting 23 goals and 33 assists in 62 games. He also appeared in five games at the IIHF U18 World Championship, recording a goal and four assists.

Glance was selected by Saint John in the sixth-round of the 2024 QMJHL Entry Draft. A New Hampshire native, Glance is committed to Boston University, a commitment currently scheduled to begin in 2027-28.

While the signing was made official on Saturday, this is not a new development. The signing has been expected to cross the finish line for a few months now.

Obviously, this is a huge addition to Saint John's offense, especially with the expected departure of Olivers Murnieks. It also makes the Sea Dogs one of the most intriguing teams to watch in terms of the NHL Draft with Glance joining forces with Alexis Joseph. There should be no shortage of scouts at TD Station this year.

Questions remain on Murnieks, Svensk

The 2026 CHL Import Draft is over but some questions still remain for the Saint John Sea Dogs.

The biggest question: what's the status of Olivers Murnieks? Nothing has been made official, but it certainly looks like the Latvian forward will play for Boston College beginning this fall.

Murnieks was selected in the fourth-round of last weekend's NHL Draft by the Buffalo Sabres. In an article on the Sabres website, the team wrote that "the 6-foot-1 centre is committed to Boston College and expected to start there this fall."

"But we’re excited to see what he does," said Jerry Forton, Buffalo's assistant general manager. "It was a big step for the Boston College staff – who we put a lot of faith in, we’re very close with – to bring him in this fall."

The Sea Dogs have said that Murnieks' home for the 2026-27 season would likely be decided by the NHL team that selected him – and it's looking like Buffalo would prefer him playing NCAA hockey. But we'll see how things play out over the next few weeks.

With uncertainty around Murnieks' future, Saint John made three selections in this year's Import Draft, picking Czech forward Matyas Cancik, Slovakian forward Oliver Ozogany and Finnish defender Vertti Svensk.

Busy start to free agency for Sea Dogs alumni

Embed from Getty Images

It was a busy start to NHL free agency for several former Saint John Sea Dogs on Wednesday. Here's a quick rundown of the moves.

• Joe Veleno signed a one-year contract – with a cap hit of $1.2 million – with the New York Rangers for the 2026-27 season. The 26-year-old spent last season with the Montreal Canadiens where he posted two goals and three assists in 61 games. He also saw his first career Stanley Cup Playoff action, posting an assist in nine games. Veleno has now played for four of the NHL's Original Six franchises: Detroit, Chicago, Montreal and now New York.
• Mathieu Joseph signed a one-year deal with the Edmonton Oilers worth an AAV of $1 million. The 29-year-old split last season between the St. Louis Blues and Los Angeles Kings, posting two goals and nine assists in 51 games. He also appeared in two playoff games with the Kings. This will be Joseph's fifth NHL team (Tampa Bay, Ottawa, St. Louis, Los Angeles and Edmonton).
• Riley Bezeau has signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets. The 24-year-old spent all of last season with Columbus' AHL affiliate in Cleveland where he recorded five goals, two assists and 74 penalty minutes in 24 regular season games. He added a goal in eight playoff games. “Riley is a physical and hard-working forward that competes every shift,” said Blue Jackets' president of hockey operations and general manager Don Waddell. “He has earned his opportunity and we look forward to see his further growth in the Blue Jackets organization.”
• Philippe Daoust has signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Ottawa Senators. The 24-year-old just completed his fourth season with the AHL's Belleville Senators. In 63 games last season, Daoust recorded 14 goals and 36 assists – by far the most productive of his professional career, one that has had some injury troubles along the way.
• Boko Imama is heading south, signing a one-year, two-way contract with the Florida Panthers. The 29-year-old has spent the past two seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins organization. Last season, Imama recorded six goals, five assists and 137 penalty minutes in 66 regular season AHL games with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. He added an assist and 18 penalty minutes in six playoff games. He also appeared in two NHL games with Pittsburgh. Florida's AHL affiliate is the Charlotte Checkers.
• A few days ago, Joshua Roy signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Utah Mammoth that's worth $850,000 at the NHL level. The 22-year-old spent most of last season with the AHL's Laval Rocket where he had 23 goals and 22 assists in 57 regular season games and another two goals in five playoff matches. He also appeared in three NHL games with the Montreal Canadiens.

Other former Sea Dogs to play in the NHL last season: Charlie Coyle (Columbus), Thomas Chabot (Ottawa), Jonathan Huberdeau (Florida), Yan Kuznetsov (Calgary) and William Villeneuve (Toronto).

Sea Dogs pick three in CHL Import Draft

Jan Běhounek

The Saint John Sea Dogs added two forwards and a defenseman during Tuesday's CHL Import Draft.

With their first selection, 14th overall, Saint John selected 17-year-old Czech forward Matyas Cancik. With their second pick of the first-round, the Sea Dogs chose 17-year-old Slovakian forward Oliver Ozogany at 44th overall.

In the second round, the Sea Dogs boosted their backend by selecting Finnish defender Vertti Svensk with the 66th overall pick. Svensk, who was a fifth-round pick of the Los Angeles Kings in this year's NHL Draft, will turn 19 in November.

Cancik split last season with Bílí Tygři Liberec's under-20 and under-17 teams. At the U17 level, the forward posted 22 goals and 22 assists in just 23 games while adding three goals and seven assists in nine playoff games. At the U20 level, he recorded a goal and seven assists in 12 games.

Cancik, listed at 5'9" and 170 lbs, is familiar with the Maritimes having played in the U17 World Challenge in Truro this past November. He recorded a goal and an assist in four games with Czechia.

Ozogany, meanwhile, is more familiar with the North American game having played with the USHL's Tri-City Storm this past season. In 58 games with the Storm, the forward posted nine goals and eight assists.

Listed at 6'2" and 197 lbs, Ozogany played with Slovakia at the recent IIHF U18 World Championship where he recorded an assist in five games.