Ex-Dogs qualify for Stanley Cup Playoffs

Embed from Getty Images

A handful of former Saint John Sea Dogs have qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Thomas Chabot (Ottawa Senators), Mathieu Joseph (Los Angeles Kings) and Joe Veleno (Montreal Canadiens) have all qualified for the NHL's post-season, which begin Saturday.

The Senators will face the Carolina Hurricanes; the Kings will take on the Colorado Avalanche; and the Habs will battle the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Chabot, who recently returned much sooner than expected from an arm injury, will play a key role for the Senators. We'll see how much action Joseph, who didn't record a point in 12 games with the Kings, and Veleno get.

Here's a look at how Sea Dogs alumni performed in the NHL this season.

Player	Team	GP	Goals	Assists	Points
Charlie Coyle	CBJ	82	20	38	58
Thomas Chabot	OTT	57	7	24	31
Jonathan Huberdeau	CGY	50	10	15	25
Yan Kuznetsov	CGY	57	4	8	12
Mathieu Joseph	STL LAK	51	2	9	11
Joe Veleno	MTL	61	2	3	5
Boko Imama	PIT	2	0	0	0
Joshua Roy	MTL	3	0	0	0
William Villeneuve	TOR	3	0	0	0

Charlie Coyle had a strong season with the Columbus Blue Jackets and has likely made himself one of the top unrestricted free agents entering the off-season.

Jonathan Huberdeau appeared in just 50 games due to an injury.

William Villeneuve, who was a late season call up by the Toronto Maple Leafs, has been reassigned to the AHL's Toronto Marlies for the Calder Cup Playoffs.

Boko Imama (Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins) and Joshua Roy (Laval Rocket) spent most of their seasons in the AHL. Both teams have qualified for the playoffs.

Three series sweeps completed

Dany Germain/Val-d'Or Foreurs

And just like that, three of the four teams that will take part in the semifinals of the Gilles-Courteau Trophy Playoffs are locked in.

The Moncton Wildcats, Chicoutimi Sagueneens and Rouyn-Noranda Huskies all completed series sweeps on Wednesday night, securing spots in the next round. The only second round series remaining is between the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada and Newfoundland Regiment, which is currently tied at 2-2.

The Wildcats won a 17th straight game on Wednesday, defeating the Val-d'Or Foreurs 4-1. Former Saint John Sea Dogs defenseman Max Vilen had three shots in the victory.

Moncton swept Saint John in the first round with their lone hiccup coming in Game 2, which required overtime. In the Val-d'Or series, the Wildcats' toughest match was also Game 2, which they won 3-2.

Like the Wildcats, the Sagueneens are also 8-0 in these playoffs. Lucas Beckman stopped all 20 shots he faced in a 5-0 win over the Quebec Remparts on Wednesday.

Former Sea Dogs forward Egan Beveridge did not play for the Remparts after getting injured in Monday's Game 3.

The Huskies, meanwhile, needed seven games to eliminate the Gatineau Olympiques in the opening round. They really shortened that timeline in the second round, completing a sweep of the Shawinigan Cataractes on Wednesday with a 4-2 victory.

Three of the four games of this series were decided by two goals or less.

This result ends the junior career of former Sea Dogs forward Vince Elie, who scored in the loss. Elie, who is committed to play at Clarkson University this fall, finishes the playoffs with a goal and three assists.

The Sagueneens will face the Huskies in the third round while the Wildcats will take on the winner of the Armada/Regiment series.

Notebook: Two Sea Dogs named to U18 camp roster

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

Two Saint John Sea Dogs were named to Hockey Canada's camp roster for the 2026 IIHF U18 Men's World Championship.

Sea Dogs forward Alexis Joseph and defenseman Cameron Chartrand were both named to the 23-player roster. More players are likely to be added as teams get eliminated from the CHL playoffs.

Joseph posted 24 goals and 36 assists in 54 regular season games this past season. He also captained Canada Red to gold at the U17 World Challenge this past fall, recording 13 points in five games.

Chartrand appeared in just 35 games with the Sea Dogs this season due to injuries, recording two goals and five assists. He played for Canada Red at the U17 World Challenge in 2024.

Sherbrooke Phoenix forward Thomas Rousseau was the only other QMJHL player invited to the camp. Fredericton's Tynan Lawrence of Boston University also earned an invite.

The under-18 tournament takes place April 22 to May 2 in Bratislava and Trencin, Slovakia.

TRANSFER PORTAL OPENS

It's been a wild few days in NCAA hockey with the sport's transfer portal opening up – which is essentially college hockey's version of free agency.

Here are the Sea Dogs alumni who entered the portal:

• Charles-Edward Gravel (Mercyhurst)
• Charles Savoie (Lindenwood)
• Matteo Mann (Colorado College)

Gravel was essentially forced into the portal with Mercyhurst cutting men's hockey. Mann, meanwhile, was seemingly being pushed out of a roster spot with Colorado College adding defensemen while Savoie was likely looking for an opportunity with a team that is part of a conference (Lindenwood is an independent).

Of the three, only Savoie has found a new home. The 23-year-old, who played at Concordia University during the 2024-25 season, has joined the Lake Superior State Lakers of the CCHA.

McCallum scores first pro goal; Beveridge hurt by blindside hit

Trois-Rivieres Lions

Kale McCallum has scored his first professional goal.

The former Saint John Sea Dogs defenseman scored in the Trois-Rivieres Lions' 5-1 win over the Adirondack Thunder on Sunday. The goal came midway through the first period to make it 2-0 at the time.

KALE MCCALLUM INSCRIT SON PREMIER BUT CHEZ LES PROFESSIONNELS 🚨

TR 2 - 0 ADK pic.twitter.com/REqeOWLfny

— Lions de Trois-Rivières (@Lions3r) April 12, 2026

McCallum was also a +2 with two shots in the game.

The night prior, the offensive defenseman registered his first professional points, posting two assists against the Thunder.

The Lions have two regular season games remaining. They will not qualify for the ECHL's Kelly Cup Playoffs.

McCallum spent this past season with the NCAA's Providence College Friars where he recorded five goals and nine assists in 31 games. 

The 24-year-old spent the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons with the Sea Dogs.

A few other news and notes...

• Former Sea Dogs forward Egan Beveridge was injured in the Quebec Remparts' 4-0 loss to the Chicoutimi Sagueneens on Monday. The Sags now lead the series 3-0 and will look to complete the sweep on Wednesday in Quebec City.

  Blindside hit by Liam Lefebvre on Egan Beveridge. Lefebvre gets 5 and a game for it, Beveridge has not returned.
  
  Expecting a possible suspension for Lefebvre as well, the league will look at this pic.twitter.com/vsoGiizqHk

  — Robert Chalmers (@IvanIvanlvan) April 13, 2026

• The Blainville-Boisbriand Armada have taken a 2-1 series lead with a 4-1 win over the Newfoundland Regiment on Monday in St. John's. Jacob Beaulieu had three shots and got into some rough stuff with Ryan Dwyer late in the third period. Game 4 is Tuesday night.
• In the Maritime Junior Hockey League playoffs, the Summerside Western Capitals have forced a Game 7 in the North Division final thanks to a 2-1 win over the Truro Bearcats on Sunday. The winner of Thursday's Game 7, which will be played in Summerside, will take on the Edmundston Blizzard in the MHL final.

Notebook: Lottery odds announced

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

The Saint John Sea Dogs will have a 4.8% chance of winning the first overall pick in this year's QMJHL Entry Draft lottery.

The lottery will take place April 21 at 7:30 p.m. Atlantic and be broadcast live on RDS, the league announced this week.

The Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, who own the Baie-Comeau Drakkar's top pick, will have the best odds of winning followed by the Halifax Mooseheads – who are hosting this year's draft. The full odds are below.

18th position: Rouyn-Noranda (from Baie-Comeau) – 9 balls – 42.9% 

17th position: Halifax (from Rimouski) – 6 balls – 28.6% 

16th position: Shawinigan (from Gatineau) – 3 balls – 14.3% 

15th position: Victoriaville – 2 balls – 9.5% 

14th position: Saint John – 1 ball – 4.8%

The Sea Dogs have had good fortune in the draft lottery over the years. They won last year's and went on to select Alexis Joseph with the first overall pick.

The 2026 QMJHL Entry Draft will take place June 5-6 in Halifax.

JOSEPH MAKES ROOKIE TEAM

Sea Dogs forward Alexis Joseph has been named to the QMJHL's rookie all-star team, the league announced this week.

Joseph finished sixth in rookie scoring, posting 24 goals and 36 assists in 54 games.

The full team is below.

Goaltender : Jan Larys, Drummondville 

Defenseman : Tommy Bleyl, Moncton 

Defenseman : Malik L’Italien, Halifax 

Forward : Egor Shilov, Victoriaville 

Forward : Alexey Vlasov, Victoriaville 

Forward : Alexis Joseph, Saint John

The QMJHL also announced its first and second all-star teams.

Villeneuve makes NHL debut; other Saturday notes

Embed from Getty Images 

At long last, William Villeneuve made his NHL debut on Saturday night.

After appearing in 224 games with the American Hockey League's Toronto Marlies and getting called up on a few occasions this season only to sit out, the former Saint John Sea Dogs defenseman dressed for the Toronto Maple Leafs in their 6-2 loss to the Florida Panthers.

rookie lap for William Villeneuve pic.twitter.com/kfkHPgtGCv

— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) April 11, 2026

The 24-year-old had 18:45 of ice time and had one block in the loss.

Villeneuve has three goals and 26 assists in 59 games with the Marlies this season.

According to the Sea Dogs, Villeneuve is the 22nd alumnus to skate in an NHL game. That number is believed to officially be 23 as the team does not recognize Joshua Roy.

🎙️ | William Villeneuve | Post Game vs. Florida Panthers | April 11 pic.twitter.com/7IwwpCOwuC

— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) April 12, 2026

Villeneuve was drafted second overall by the Sea Dogs in the 2018 QMJHL Entry Draft. He skated in 216 regular season games with the club and another 11 playoff contests. He helped the team capture the 2022 Memorial Cup title.