NHL season begins for former Sea Dogs

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Three former Saint John Sea Dogs debuted with their new NHL clubs on Tuesday.

Bokondji Imama made his Florida Panthers debut in the team's 1-0 overtime win over the Carolina Hurricanes; Mathieu Joseph made his first appearance with the Edmonton Oilers in their 6-5 overtime loss to the Vancouver Canucks; and Joe Veleno played with the New York Rangers in their 3-0 loss to the Boston Bruins.

Imama played just 6:03 for the Panthers but his ice time was highlighted by this fight against Nicolas Deslauriers.

Nic Deslauriers vs. Boko Imama.

A heavyweight battle on opening night. 🥊 pic.twitter.com/liZTfE31AU

— Walt Ruff (@WaltRuff) September 29, 2026

Joseph, meanwhile, had five hits and a -1 rating in 14:57 of ice time under Mike Babcock.

Veleno had three hits in 15:57 of ice time in his Rangers debut.

Sea Dogs slip to 9th in CHL Top 10

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

The Saint John Sea Dogs have slid to ninth in the latest CHL Top-10 rankings.

The Sea Dogs were ranked seventh in the pre-season and week one rankings. The slip comes after a pair of losses on the weekend: a 4-3 shootout loss to the Moncton Wildcats and a 5-4 overtime loss to the Cape Breton Eagles – both of whom were and are also ranked.

The Eagles were ranked fifth this week while the Wildcats were seventh. The Quebec Remparts were the highest ranked QMJHL team at No. 4.

Here's what the CHL website said about the Sea Dogs this week:

9. Saint John Sea Dogs (QMJHL): Saint John earned two points against ranked opponents this past weekend, falling to Moncton in a shootout on Friday and Cape Breton in overtime on Saturday afternoon. The Sea Dogs have collected points in three of their first four games, but have one win. Alexis Joseph scored with 1:15 left in regulation on Friday night to force overtime and help the Sea Dogs secure a point. Captain Olivier Groulx (1G-2A) and Matyas Cancik (3A) each had three-point weekends, while Dylan Rozzi (1G-2A) has four goals and six points through four games. Alexander Donovan (1G-1A), Oliver Ozogany (1G-1A), Olivier Lemieux (1G-1A) and Zachary Morin (2A) each recorded two points over the weekend, while defenceman Thomas Charbonneau scored his second goal of the season, matching his total from 48 games with Québec last season. The Sea Dogs visit Cape Breton for a rematch on Friday before hosting Halifax on Sunday.

The Sea Dogs have a rematch with the Eagles on Friday night in Sydney. On Sunday, the team returns to TD Station where they'll host the Halifax Mooseheads at 3 p.m.

Notebook: Council sports Sea Dogs jerseys

City of Saint John

There were plenty of Saint John Sea Dogs jerseys on display at last week's City Council meeting.

Council members sported Sea Dogs jerseys ahead of the team's home opening weekend. Mayor Donna Reardon wore Olivier Groulx's captain jersey.

The jerseys are discussed at the 14-minute mark of the video below.

RARE SHOOTOUT LOSS

After going the entire 2025-26 season without playing in a shootout, the Sea Dogs took part in one just three games into the 2026-27 campaign.

The Sea Dogs went 0/3 in the breakaway contest and fell 4-3 to the Moncton Wildcats on Friday at TD Station. It was the first career QMJHL shootout attempts for Alexis Joseph and Jamie Glance while Groulx was making just his second appearance.

The Sea Dogs went to extra time nine times last season but all were decided in overtime. Saint John was 4-5 in those games.

Saint John took part in three shootouts during the 2024-25 season, winning all three. The last shootout they played in took place on Dec. 14, 2024 against the Acadie-Bathurst Titan.

The Sea Dogs' last shootout loss came on March 20, 2024, fittingly against the Wildcats at TD Station.

Late goals have been costly for Sea Dogs

Jeff Parsons/Newfoundland Regiment

SAINT JOHN - Just four games into the regular season, there is certainly one trend the Saint John Sea Dogs will no doubt want to correct.

Third period goals against have proved costly for the Sea Dogs so far. In all three of their losses, the team allowed goals in the final half of the third period, goals that proved to be pivotal in the game's outcome.

Sept. 19 - 4-2 loss at Newfoundland: allowed game-tying goal at 11:50 of the third period and the game-winning goal at 16:12. Regiment added an empty netter at 19:31.

Sept. 25 - 4-3 SOL vs Moncton: allowed Moncton to take a 3-2 lead at 13:29 of the third period on a power play. Saint John tied the game with 1:15 to go before falling in a shootout.

Sept. 26 - 5-4 OTL vs Cape Breton: allowed game-tying goal at 13:20 of the third period on a power play. Eagles went on to win the game in overtime.

The Sea Dogs have been outscored 7-3 in third periods this season. They've outscored opponents 6-3 in first periods and 4-3 in seconds, respectively.

All three of Saint John's losses have been close games. The team is 1-1-1-1 after four games, which is certainly not bad – but this weekend's losses sting given how they played out. 

Recap: Sea Dogs lose 5-4 (OT)

FINAL: Cape Breton 5, Saint John 4 (OT)

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

SAINT JOHN - The Saint John Sea Dogs blew 3-0 and 4-3 leads in an overtime loss to the Cape Breton Eagles on Saturday at TD Station.

Reece Peitzsche scored 1:07 into the extra frame to give the Eagles the 5-4 victory – the team's first of the season after three straight losses to start the year. The Sea Dogs, meanwhile, have now lost three straight after winning their season opener, falling to 1-1-1-1.

Saint John led 3-0 after the first period, scoring on their first two shots of the game. But Cape Breton slowly got back into it during the second period, scoring three straight to even things up at 3-3. Alexander Donovan scored a late power play goal to give the Dogs a 4-3 lead heading into the third.

In the final frame, the Eagles were able to swing momentum back in their direction, outshooting the Sea Dogs 11-5. It looked as though Saint John – who went to a shootout the night before – had ran out of gas at times.

At 13:20 of the the third, Liam Lefebvre scored on a power play to make it 4-4 and eventually force overtime, allowing Peitzsche to net the winner.

Along with Peitzsche and Lefebvre, Eliot Litalien, Elias Schneider and Jacob Hartlin also scored. Lucas Beckman recovered from a rough opening frame, making 21 stops in the victory.

Donovan, Oliver Ozogany, Thomas Charbonneau and Olivier Groulx scored for Saint John. Rafaël Courchesne made 22 saves in the loss.

The Sea Dogs will have the week to recover from this tough loss – but they have a chance at revenge. These two meet again on Friday at Centre 200.

Game Day 4: vs Eagles

JaimeLee Gouthro/Cape Breton Eagles

SAINT JOHN - An early season home-and-home between two of the CHL's top-ranked teams begins today at TD Station.

The Saint John Sea Dogs, ranked seventh in the latest CHL Top-10 rankings, host the Cape Breton Eagles, ranked third, today at 4 p.m. The two teams then battle on Friday night at Sydney's Centre 200.

Both teams will be looking to end early season losing skids today. The Sea Dogs have dropped two straight after falling in a shootout to the Moncton Wildcats last night. The Eagles, meanwhile, are still looking for their first win, starting the year off 0-1-0-2.

It's early, obviously, but this will be a big test for both clubs.

Today also marks the beginning of new Saturday start times for the Sea Dogs. All Saturday home games will begin at 4 p.m. this year at TD Station.

Stream/TV/Radio: FloHockey/None/Sea Dogs Audio Network

2026-27 regular season records: The Sea Dogs are 1-1-0-1 for three points (fifth Eastern/10th QMJHL) while the Eagles are 0-1-0-2 for two points (eighth Eastern/16th QMJHL).

Last games: The Sea Dogs are coming off a 4-3 shootout loss to the Moncton Wildcats last night at TD Station. Olivier Lemieux, Dylan Rozzi and Alexis Joseph scored for Saint John. Samuel Meloche made 22 stops in the loss. The Eagles are coming off a 4-1 loss in Charlottetown last night. Noah Jettelson scored Cape Breton's lone goal. Lucas Beckman made 21 stops in the loss.