Catching up on more alumni happenings

Barys Astana

The original Saint John Sea Dog is off to Italy.

Alex Grant signed with the Milano Hockey Club of the ICEHL earlier this off-season. The 37-year-old defenseman spent last season in Denmark, posting two goals and six assists in 19 regular season games with the Odense Bulldogs and another five goals and three assists in 12 post-season games.

Prior to last season, Grant, the first draft pick in Sea Dogs history back in 2005, had spent all of his non-North American playing days in the KHL.

It's been a busy off-season for several Sea Dogs alumni. Thanks to Elite Prospects, here's a look at a few more notable moves, beyond what we've covered already this summer.

• William Dufour has inked with the Nürnberg Ice Tigers of Germany's DEL. Dufour bounced around quite a bit last season, spending much of the year with the ECHL's Fort Wayne Komets.
• Chris DiDomenico has signed with IF Björklöven of Sweden's SHL. The 37-year-old has spent most of his professional career in Switzerland.
• Julien Gauthier is also heading to the SHL. The 28-year-old has signed with Brynäs IF. Gauthier has had a rough couple years due to injuries. He played in just 25 regular season AHL games last year.
• Nicolas Guay appears set to play a second season with the EIHL's Belfast Giants. The 27-year-old posted 45 points in 52 games with the Giants last season.
• Stanislav Galiev is set to play his second season with the KHL's Dinamo Minsk. Last season, the 34-year-old recorded 20 goals and 13 assists in 54 games.
• Maxim Cajkovic will play with HC Kometa Brno in Czechia this season. He spent the past two seasons with HC Litvínov in Czechia.
• Simon Bourque, part of the 2017 President Cup championship team, will be back in the ICEHL. The 29-year-old defenseman is set to play his second season with the Vienna Capitals.
• James White has signed with Poland's Cracovia Krakow. The 25-year-old played in Slovakia's second league last season. White completed his university career with Ontario Tech in 2024-25 and also appeared in five games with the ECHL's Wheeling Nailers that season.

Notebook: Hockey back soon

The Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League pre-season officially got underway this past weekend with a pair of games between the Victoriaville Tigres and Sherbrooke Phoenix.

Things really get going this coming weekend with lots of games. For the Saint John Sea Dogs, though, they will have to wait just over a week until they open up pre-season play.

The Sea Dogs play their first of five exhibition games on Wednesday, Aug. 26 against the Moncton Wildcats. They'll play two other games later that week as well.

At the time of this writing, Saint John has not released any training camp schedule details. The team has not released its full camp roster yet either but has announced several free agent invites.

The Sea Dogs begin the regular season in just over a month. They'll visit the Newfoundland Regiment on Sept. 18 in what will be the first game of the 2026-27 QMJHL season.

MAGNUSSON NOT AT UCONN

The UConn Huskies men's hockey team unveiled its freshman class last week with a notable omission.

Defenseman Carl-Otto Magnusson, who had previously committed to UConn and was expected to enroll this season, was not listed as part of the class.

It's unclear where Magnusson will play this coming season. The 20-year-old could return to the Sea Dogs but that seems unlikely given that he would take up both an overage and import spot. 

The Swede was traded to the Sea Dogs mid-season from the Moncton Wildcats. The defensive defenseman was held pointless in 25 regular season games with Saint John and in three playoff games. He was listed as a healthy scratch for one of the Sea Dogs' post-season matches.

Sea Dogs sign Ozogany

Andrej Galica/Slovak Ice Hockey Federation

The Saint John Sea Dogs have officially added another piece to their roster.

The team announced on Thursday that Slovakian forward Oliver Ozogany, who was selected by Saint John with the 44th overall pick in this year's CHL Import Draft, has been signed to a QMJHL Scholarship and Development Agreement.

Ozogany is fresh off competing for Slovakia at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup in Edmonton where he posted an assist in five games.

“We’re excited to welcome Oliver to the Sea Dogs. He is a player with a lot of potential,” said Sea Dogs president and general manager Trevor Georgie in a news release. “His experience playing as a 16-year-old in North America with Tri-City will help him in his transition to the CHL. He has been an important player for his country for many years now, and we look forward to him being important to us and our championship aspirations.”

While Ozogany is obviously an import, he's spent the past three seasons playing in the United States, including the 2025-26 campaign in the USHL. In 56 games with the Tri-City Storm last year, he posted nine goals and eight assists.

Listed at 6'2" and 203 lbs, Ozogany has an early birthday and will turn 18 in January.

The Sea Dogs have now signed their top two picks from this year's Import Draft. The team previously signed Czech forward Matyas Cancik.

The team's third pick from this year's Import Draft, Finnish defenseman Vertti Svensk, remains unsigned. A Los Angeles Kings prospect, he would be a massive addition to Saint John's backend – but one that is likely a complicated signing.

Notebook: Arkells comment on jersey choice

Arkells

Following quite a bit of feedback, the Arkells have responded to their unexpected wardrobe choice on Saturday night in Moncton.

Opening for the Jonas Brothers on the Université de Moncton campus, lead singer Max Kerman took to the stage wearing a Saint John Sea Dogs jersey – the same one he wore at Area 506 last year.

"Thought I was making friends in Moncton with the jersey. Oops. Great to see you all!," the band wrote in an Instagram post.

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A post shared by arkellsmusic (@arkellsmusic)

JOSEPH RANKED SIXTH

Sea Dogs forward Alexis Joseph was ranked sixth in The Athletic's pre-season rankings for the 2027 NHL Draft.

The pressure is certainly starting to heat up on Joseph as his second QMJHL season nears.

"He is a summer birthday, so with continued development he could profile as the kind of center teams covet as a cornerstone piece," writes Wheeler. "But you have to show it on the ice again and again, and he has left me wanting more a little too frequently. I thought about dropping him into Tier 3 here and will if he doesn't pick it up."

NHL.com had a story on Joseph during the Hlinka Gretzky Cup.

Sea Dogs forward Jamie Glance, meanwhile, was ranked 22nd by The Athletic. Prospect Finnegan Sears was an honourable mention.

Arkells wear Sea Dogs jersey to open Jonas Brothers concert

MONCTON - Saturday's Jonas Brothers concert on the Université de Moncton campus opened with an unexpected scene: a Saint John Sea Dogs jersey.

The Arkells opened for the Jonas Brothers and lead singer Max Kerman took to the stage wearing a unique/unusual Sea Dogs jersey.

An unexpected scene at the Jonas Brothers concert tonight. The Arkells open up the show by wearing a Sea Dogs jersey… in Moncton. pic.twitter.com/3H3fM7oA2L

— Jamie Tozer (@station_nation) August 9, 2026

It's not the first time Kerman has worn this Sea Dogs jersey. He wore it at Area 506 last year in Saint John.

Max Kerman of The Arkells wearing a very unusual Sea Dogs jersey at Area 506 last night. pic.twitter.com/DGHjqXZ9kn

— Jamie Tozer (@station_nation) August 4, 2025

Always cool to see Saint John being represented by the Arkells – but certainly not what you'd expect to see at a Moncton concert.

Canada captures Hlinka Gretzky gold

Alexis Joseph and Team Canada are 2026 Hlinka Gretzky Cup champions.

Canada captured the gold medal of the under-18 tournament with an 8-1 victory over the United States on Saturday in Edmonton. The Canadians scored three times in both the first and second periods.

Joseph, who was dropped to Canada's fourth line for this game, was held pointless on Saturday and finishes the tournament with a goal and two assists in five games. The Saint John Sea Dogs forward was held pointless in Friday's semifinal victory as well.

Canada finished the event with a perfect 5-0 record, which included winning all three games in the preliminary round.

GAME OVER! IT'S GOLD IN EDMONTON! 🇨🇦🇺🇸

MATCH FINI! MÉDAILLÉS D’OR À EDMONTON! 🇨🇦🇺🇸

📊 https://t.co/hU5AoHBg95
📊 https://t.co/EdF5Cx7RiP #HlinkaGretzkyCup | #CoupeHlinkaGretzky | @UpperDeckSports pic.twitter.com/iGvecpEZDn

— Hockey Canada (@HockeyCanada) August 9, 2026

Forward Oliver Ozogany and Slovakia, meanwhile, lost 3-2 to Finland in Saturday afternoon's bronze medal game. The Slovaks blew a 2-0 first period lead in the loss.

Ozogany, who was selected by the Sea Dogs in this year's CHL Import Draft, appeared in all five of Slovakia's games, registering one assist.

The only other Sea Dog taking part in the tournament was forward Matyas Cancik, who played in just one game after suffering an injury in Czechia's opener. The Czechs finished in sixth-place.