Sea Dogs make two deals with Cataractes

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The Saint John Sea Dogs and Shawinigan Cataractes made a couple deals on the opening day of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League trade period.

The Sea Dogs acquired 20-year-old defenseman Julien Lanthier from the Cataractes in exchange for a 2027 second-round pick (originally Charlottetown's) and a conditional 2028 second-rounder. In a separate deal, Saint John traded forward William Yared to Shawinigan for a conditional 2029 second-round pick.

Lanthier will likely be a key piece on Saint John's backend this year – one that looks to make major improvements. The overager has appeared in 225 regular season QMJHL games split between the Cataractes and Baie-Comeau Drakkar. He's also appeared in 38 playoff games.

“Julien is one of the most experienced defensemen in the league,” said Sea Dogs president and general manager Trevor Georgie in a news release. “We are adding a reliable, high-character, two-way defenseman with more than 30 playoff games of experience who wants to win.”

Lanthier posted three goals and 12 assists in 43 regular season games last year. He added a goal and three assists in 11 playoff games.

Listed at 6'0" and 185 lbs, Lanthier was the 10th overall pick in the 2022 QMJHL Entry Draft.

Yared, meanwhile, was rumoured to be on the move.

“After discussions with William, the timing made sense for a fresh start for him,” said Georgie in the team's press release. “We wish him the best of luck with his new team and in taking the next step in his hockey career.”

Yared was the fifth overall pick in the 2024 QMJHL Entry Draft. He posted 24 goals and 31 assists in 106 games with Saint John split over two seasons.

It will be interesting to see how Yared performs in Shawinigan, who should have a good team this coming season.

The Sea Dogs visit Shawinigan on Jan. 14 while the Cataractes play in Saint John on Feb. 24.

The QMJHL's pre-season trade period ends on Sept. 2.

Joseph to wear an 'A' at Hlinka Gretzky Cup

Alexis Joseph has officially been named to Canada's roster for the upcoming Hlinka Gretzky Cup.

Joseph was one of 22 players named to the team that will take part in the under-18 tournament beginning on Monday. The Saint John Sea Dogs forward will wear an 'A' on his sweater.

Meet the captains! / Voici nos capitaines! 🇨🇦

C: Landon DuPont (@HockeyAlberta)
A: Alexis Joseph (@HockeyQuebec)
A: Maddox Schultz (@hockeysask)#HlinkaGretzkyCup | #CoupeHlinkaGretzky pic.twitter.com/Yez2bgQhsd

— Hockey Canada (@HockeyCanada) August 1, 2026

Joseph was named to Canada's camp roster a couple weeks ago and was essentially a lock to make the team. Joseph has already represented Canada at both the under-17 and under-18 levels. 

The 17-year-old appeared in two games as an underager with Team Canada at the IIHF U18 World Championship this spring. Last fall, Joseph captained Canada Red to a gold medal at the U17 World Challenge, a tournament that saw him record six goals and seven assists in five games.

Other QMJHL players named to Canada's roster for the Hlinka Gretzky Cup include Sam Berthiaume (Cape Breton Eagles), Malik L'Italien (Halifax Mooseheads), Quinn Norman (Newfoundland Regiment) and Benjamin Veitch (Newfoundland Regiment).

The event takes place Aug. 3-8 in Edmonton. Canada will play Switzerland (Aug. 3), Slovakia (Aug. 4) and Sweden (Aug. 5) before the playoff round takes place Aug. 7-8. All of Canada's games will air on TSN.

Joseph is one of three Sea Dogs that will be playing in the tournament. Oliver Ozogany will play for Slovakia while Matyas Cancik was named to Czechia's roster.

Report: Yared to be traded

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

William Yared will be traded in the coming days, reports Matthew Vachon of La Nouvelliste.

Vachon reports that the Saint John Sea Dogs forward will be dealt to the Shawinigan Cataractes when the QMJHL's trade period opens on Monday.

Pause du congé de paternité:

À l’ouverture de la période des transactions dans la #LHJMQ, l’attaquant natif de Mont-Royal Will Yared va passer des Sea Dogs aux Cataractes.

Sélectionné au 5e rang en 2024, Yared, 18 ans, a 106 matchs et 55 points en deux saisons.

— Matthew Vachon (@MatthewVachon_) July 30, 2026

There has been speculation for a few months now that Yared would be on the move at some point this off-season.

The fifth overall pick in the 2024 QMJHL Entry Draft, Yared hasn't quite been able to find the level he was projected to reach – and a fresh start might be the right move for him. The 18-year-old recorded 10 goals and 15 assists in 48 games last season, five points less than he generated in his rookie season (a season where he played in 10 additional games).

Yared is committed to Penn State University following his QMJHL career.

The QMJHL's pre-season trade period opens on Monday and will end on Sept. 2.

Sea Dogs invite Hlacar, Connors to camp

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The Saint John Sea Dogs have announced a couple of intriguing training camp invites.

20-year-old forward Matthew Hlacar – a recent Memorial Cup champion with the Kitchener Rangers – and 19-year-old defenseman Jayden Connors – who was this year's Maritime Junior Hockey League playoff MVP – have both been invited to Saint John's training camp next month.

Hlacar was a seventh-round pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2025 NHL Draft. He's spent the past two seasons with the Rangers and is more known for his physicality than his offensive numbers.

In 94 career regular season OHL games, the Binbrook, ON native posted 13 goals and seven assists. He added two goals in 29 playoff games.

It'll be interesting to see how Hlacar performs at training camp. He'll need to have a strong camp to take one of the team's overage spots. It's interesting as well to see Saint John inviting a gritty forward from Ontario – something Jim Hulton did a lot of during his time with the Charlottetown Islanders.

Connors, meanwhile, also has OHL roots. The Toronto native has appeared in four career OHL games, including three last season with the Sudbury Wolves. Connors spent most of 2025-26 campaign with the MHL champion Truro Bearcats, posting seven goals and 19 assists in 32 regular season games and another two goals and seven helpers in 17 playoff contests. 

Connors, who was considered one of the MHL's top defensemen last season, also has BCHL and OJHL experience. He's committed to the NCAA's University of New Hampshire for the 2027-28 season.

Sea Dogs training camp will begin next month ahead of the team's pre-season schedule. Saint John's first exhibition game is set for Aug. 26 in St. Stephen where they'll host the Moncton Wildcats.

Glance scores at Showcase; Ozogany heading to Hlinka

Saint John Sea Dogs forward Jamie Glance showed off his scoring ability in Team USA Blue's 5-1 victory over Finland on Monday at the World Junior Summer Showcase.

Glance, playing on a third line with Cooper Simpson and Logan Stuart for a second straight game, scored in the third period to give the Americans a 4-1 lead at the time.

Jamie Glance has been quite noticeable today and he just made it 4-1 USA Blue. #WJSS #NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/Axs6CmZ3fU

— Steven Ellis (@SEllisHockey) July 27, 2026

Team USA Blue defeated Sweden 6-1 the day before.

Sea Dogs draft pick Vertti Svensk was in Finland's lineup again on Monday, playing on the team's second defense pairing.

There are no games at the event on Tuesday. Play resumes Wednesday with the United States facing Finland and Canada opening up their schedule against Sweden. Sea Dogs goaltender Samuel Meloche is part of the Canadian roster.

Rosters for the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, meanwhile, continue to take shape. On Monday, the Sea Dogs confirmed that forward Oliver Ozogany, who was selected 44th overall by the club in this year's CHL Import Draft, has been named to Slovakia's roster for the event.

The 17-year-old spent last season with the USHL's Tri-City Storm, posting nine goals and eight assists in 56 regular season games. 

Ozogany played with Slovakia at this year's IIHF U18 World Championship where he had one assist in five games.

The Sea Dogs will be well represented at this year's Hlinka Gretzky. Matyas Cancik has been named to Czechia's roster while Alexis Joseph was previously named to Team Canada's camp roster.

The tournament takes place Aug. 3-8 in Edmonton.

Cancik named to Czechia's Hlinka Gretzky Cup roster

Jan Běhounek

Fowrard Matyas Cancik, who officially signed with the Saint John Sea Dogs last week, has been named to Czechia's roster for the upcoming Hlinka Gretzky Cup.

Cancik has played internationally for Czechia in the past, most notably at last year's U17 World Challenge where he recorded a goal and an assist in four games.

Selected with the 14th overall pick in this year's CHL Import Draft, Cancik signed a QMJHL Scholarship and Development Agreement with the Sea Dogs on Thursday.

Czechia roster for the 2026 Hlinka Gretzky Cup. pic.twitter.com/wxwHKNXBad

— Czech Prospects (@CZprospects) July 26, 2026

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.

Czechia's first game is Monday, Aug. 3 against the United States. The tournament, which is being held in Edmonton, concludes on Aug. 8.

Sea Dogs forward Alexis Joseph was previously named to Team Canada's camp roster for the Hlinka Gretzky Cup.

It's going to be a busy couple weeks for Sea Dogs players and international play. On Sunday, the World Junior Summer Showcase got underway with the recently signed Jamie Glance and import pick Vertti Svensk both in action.

Svensk was on Finland's second defense pairing in a 4-1 win over USA White. In the second game of the day, Glance – playing on a third line with Cooper Simpson and Logan Stuart – helped USA Blue defeat Sweden 6-1.