Villeneuve makes NHL debut; other Saturday notes

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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.

Wildcats beat Foreurs; Armada tie series

Blainville-Boisbriand Armada

MONCTON - The Moncton Wildcats picked things up right where they left off.

After sweeping the Saint John Sea Dogs in the first round – and dominating the final two games of the series – the Wildcats defeated the Val-d'Or Foreurs 8-1 at Avenir Centre on Friday to take a 1-0 lead in the second round series.

Moncton went 3/5 on the power play.

A few other news and notes from Friday night...

• The Foreurs opened the scoring against the Wildcats on Friday. Moncton has allowed the first goal in all three of their home playoff games but have gone on to win all of them.
• The Blainville-Boisbriand Armada picked up a crucial win in Game 2, erasing a 3-1 deficit to defeat the Newfoundland Regiment 5-3 and tie the series 1-1. Elliot Dubé and Jacob Beaulieu each had one shot on goal. The next three games will be played in St. John's.
• The Chicoutimi Sagueneens scored three unanswered goals to defeat Egan Beveridge and the Quebec Remparts 3-1 to take a 1-0 series lead.
• The Rouyn-Noranda Huskies erased a 3-1 deficit to beat Vince Elie and the Shawinigan Cataractes 8-3 in Game 1. The Huskies scored six goals in the third period.
• In the Maritime Junior Hockey League playoffs, the Summerside Western Capitals scored four times in the first period to defeat the Truro Bearcats 4-2. The Bearcats lead the series 3-2 heading into Game 6 on Sunday in Truro.
• The Edmundston Blizzard took a 3-2 series lead over the Chaleur Lightning with a 4-2 win in Game 5 on Thursday. Former Sea Dogs forward Ben Cross and defensive prospect Jesse Dunlap were both in the Lightning lineup. Game 6 is Saturday in Bathurst.
• In the NCAA's Frozen Four, Wisconsin will face Denver in Saturday's national championship game.

Second round playoff predictions

Mike Bernard/Quebec Remparts

If the first round is any indication, we could be in for a very entertaining playoffs in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League.

Three series went to Game 7. There was a major upset with the Val-d'Or Foreurs eliminating the Drummondville Voltigeurs in five games and there was nearly another with the Gatineau Olympiques coming up one win short of pulling off a reverse sweep of the heavily favoured Rouyn-Noranda Huskies.

Will the entertainment continue into round two?

Here are my picks.

1. Moncton vs 13. Val-d'Or - Wildcats in 4

The Wildcats will need to respect the Foreurs given what they did to the Voltigeurs. Moncton likely learned some lessons from their Game 2 scare against Saint John, winning the final two matches easily. The Foreurs should have some confidence coming into this – but they are not playing the Voltigeurs here. This will be a massive challenge for them. I expect Val-d'Or to push Moncton at times, but not enough to win the series.

2. Chicoutimi vs 9. Quebec - Sagueneens in 4

I don't feel good about this prediction given how long some of the first round series went. But I do feel good about Chicoutimi, who outscored Halifax 24-4 in the opening round. We could see some tight games here, but the Sagueneens have too much firepower and depth for the Remparts to handle. Always fun to get this matchup in the playoffs.

3. Rouyn-Noranda vs 7. Shawinigan - Huskies in 6

Both are coming off Game 7 victories. Both had their problems in the opening round and I'm not overly confident in either – which makes this a fun series to keep an eye on. I'll take the Huskies.

4. Blainville-Boisbriand vs 6. Newfoundland - Armada in 6

The Armada swept the Victoriaville Tigres in the opening round but there were a couple of close games. They had an up-and-down season, but completing a sweep shows they're on the right track so far in these playoffs. The Cape Breton Eagles gave the Regiment some problems in the first round. Newfoundland will need to keep their cool and stay out of the box, which is what we've been saying about them all season.

I picked five of the eight first round series winners correctly. I had Drummondville, Charlottetown and Sherbrooke all advancing.

Second round matchups are set

Vincent Létourneau/Shawinigan Cataractes

The first round of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League playoffs ended with three Game 7s on Tuesday night.

Here's a quick recap of all three:

• The Quebec Remparts held the Charlottetown Islanders to just 10 shots in the first two periods in a 1-0 win. The Islanders made a push in the third, outshooting the Remparts 12-3, but could not beat goaltender Patrick Déniger. Charlottetown led this series 3-2 coming back to PEI but dropped the final two games on home ice.
• The Gatineau Olympiques came up short of pulling off the reverse sweep, falling 5-0 to the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies. The Olympiques, who finished 40 points back of the Huskies in the standings, dropped the first three games but shockingly won the next three to make a series out of it.
• The Shawinigan Cataractes knocked off the pesky Sherbrooke Phoenix with a commanding 6-1 win on home ice. The road team had won every game in the series up until Game 7.

With those series now completed, the second round matchups have been confirmed. As a reminder, teams have been reseeded based on the overall standings.

1. Moncton vs 13. Val-d'Or

2. Chicoutimi vs 9. Quebec

3. Rouyn-Noranda vs 7. Shawinigan

4. Blainville-Boisbriand vs 6. Newfoundland

The second round begins Thursday night with the Armada – the franchise formerly known as the St. John's Fog Devils – hosting the Regiment.

Here are the former Sea Dogs still in the playoffs (in no particular order): Vince Elie (Shawinigan), Max Vilen (Moncton), Elliot Dubé (Blainville-Boisbriand), Egan Beveridge (Quebec), Jacob Beaulieu (Blainville-Boisbriand) and Patryk Zubek (Newfoundland).

Chad Bellemare (Sherbrooke) and Tyler Peddle (Charlottetown) had their seasons end in the first round. Bellemare posted three goals and two assists in his series while Peddle, playing his overage season, had three goals.

Baldwin signs ATO with Crunch

JaimeLee Gouthro/Cape Breton Eagles

It looks like Everett Baldwin's season isn't over quite yet.

The American Hockey League's Syracuse Crunch announced Tuesday that the Saint John Sea Dogs defenseman has joined the club on a tryout basis. The Crunch have five regular season games remaining and have already clinched a playoff spot.

The Crunch are the AHL affiliate of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Baldwin was a fifth-round pick of the Lightning in last year's NHL Draft.

This move will not impact Baldwin's ability to play NCAA hockey at Providence College. The 19-year-old is committed to play for his hometown school this coming season.

Baldwin will still be able to attend Providence without a problem, even if he plays AHL games. Eligibility rules are different before and after initial full-time enrollment. You can't leave school and play on an ATO and then return, but you can play on an ATO before enrolling. https://t.co/mIfFzMR1kz

— Mike McMahon (@MikeMcMahonCHN) April 7, 2026

Baldwin had an impressive 2025-26 season with the Sea Dogs, posting 15 goals and 29 assists in 62 regular season games. He added two assists in four playoff games.

Baldwin's 15 goals placed him in a tie for the league lead in goals by a defenseman.

The Crunch are back in action on Wednesday night when they host the Rochester Americans.

Notebook: Joseph ranked second in 2027 draft rankings

JaimeLee Gouthro/Cape Breton Eagles

The 2027 NHL Draft hype for Saint John Sea Dogs forward Alexis Joseph continues to grow.

In The Athletic's 2027 draft rankings that were released this week, Joseph was ranked second behind Everett Silvertips defenseman Landon Dupont.

"Joseph, the No. 1 pick in the 2025 QMJHL draft, is a big, strong, athletic, pro-built at an early age center with skill and a strong skating stride," writes Scott Wheeler. "He was dominant at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in November, leading Canada Red to gold and the tournament in goals with six in five games, and has been a top player on a rebuilding under-.500 team in Saint John this year, playing to above a point per game."

Joseph finished his rookie season with 24 goals and 36 assists in 54 games. He added three assists in four playoff games.

Sea Dogs draft picks Jamie Glance and Finnegan Sears were both honourable mentions in the rankings. Both played with the USNTDP this season. Glance is committed to Boston University for the 2027-28 season while Sears is committed to Boston College.

MCCALLUM TURNS PRO

Former Sea Dogs defenseman Kale McCallum has signed with the ECHL's Trois-Rivieres Lions, it was announced this week. He made his debut on Friday, recording two shots in a 2-1 win over the Maine Mariners.

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

The 24-year-old spent parts of the previous three seasons with the UNB Reds.

McCallum, who played with the Saint John Vito's and at Rothesay Netherwood, spent the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons with the Sea Dogs before being traded to the Val-d'Or Foreurs.