Hulton named Sea Dogs head coach

SAINT JOHN - Jim Hulton has officially been named the new head coach of the Saint John Sea Dogs.

Hulton becomes the 13th head coach in team history. He takes over for Brian Casey, who took over Saint John's bench late in the season following the departure of Travis Crickard.

From the team:

“We are thrilled to welcome Jim to the Saint John Sea Dogs,” said Sea Dogs president and general manager Trevor Georgie. “Jim and I entered the QMJHL in the same season, and over the years we’ve had a front-row seat to the work ethic and competitiveness of his teams. Year after year, his teams compete hard and his players exceed expectations. He is demanding and prepares young men for what it takes to play professional hockey through a culture built on accountability.

"Beyond his experience, Jim is a true professional and a great person," added Georgie. "He shares our vision for the future of the Sea Dogs, and he wants to win just as badly as all of us do. We’re excited to welcome Jim and his family to Saint John and begin this next chapter together.”

Hulton recently left his position as head coach and general manager of the Charlottetown Islanders. He has been expected to take Saint John's head coaching position for a couple weeks.

Hulton was with the Islanders since the 2015-16 season. He is a two-time winner of the QMJHL coach of the year award and also won the CHL coach of the year honour in 2022.

Guy Girouard, a long-time assistant under Hulton, was also in attendance and confirmed to be an assistant coach with the Sea Dogs.

More to come...

Marlies take 2-0 series lead; Everblades a win away

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William Villeneuve, Cedric Pare and the Toronto Marlies are two wins away from winning a Calder Cup championship.

The Marlies took the first two games of the American Hockey League's championship series this weekend in Illinois, defeating the Chicago Wolves 4-2 on Friday and 5-4 in overtime on Sunday. The next three games will all be played in Toronto.

Pare scored and had two shots in Friday's series opener. He tied the game at 2-2 in the second period.

NASTY PASS, NASTIER FINISH 🤢

Cédric Paré scores to make it 2-2! | @cocacola_ca pic.twitter.com/33M82Fq5nD

— Toronto Marlies (@TorontoMarlies) June 13, 2026

Pare now has four goals and six assists in 21 playoff games this year.

Villeneuve, meanwhile, had three assists in Sunday's victory – including the secondary helper on Logan Shaw's overtime goal.

With the primary assist on Shaw's second period goal, William Villeneuve recorded his 15th assist of the postseason, setting a new franchise record for most assists by a Marlies player in a single postseason.

Villeneuve surpassed Andreas Johnsson's previous record set in 2018. https://t.co/reix5cQXfr

— Toronto Marlies PR (@AHLMarliesPR) June 14, 2026

Villeneuve now has two goals and 17 assists in 21 playoff games. He continues to lead all AHL defensemen in playoff scoring by a wide margin and now sits second in scoring amongst all skaters.

Game 3 of the series takes place Tuesday night.

Notebook: Peddle commits to StFX

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

Former Sea Dogs forward Tyler Peddle as committed to the StFX X-Men for the 2026-27 season.

Peddle was one of seven recruits announced by the X-Men last week. StFX's freshman class will also include forwards Riley Sampson and Jack Greenwell; defensemen Matteo Rotondi, Leyton Stewart and Cory MacGillivray; and goaltender Jack Flanagan.

The move doesn't come as a big surprise given that Peddle's father, Brad, is the long-time coach of the X-Men.

"We are very happy to add Tyler to the team," Brad Peddle said in a release. "He brings a wealth of experience in the QMJHL and at the pro level, attending three NHL camps and exhibition games. Tyler is a very competitive player who brings a heavy power game, plays with pace and will add valuable size and offence to our forward group. He has decided on STFX for the next stage in his development, and we are excited to see him come home and play for the White and Blue."

The 21-year-old spent parts of two seasons with the Sea Dogs. A seventh-round pick of the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2023 NHL Draft, Peddle spent his overage season with the Charlottetown Islanders where he posted eight goals and seven assists in 48 regular season games under Jim Hulton. He added three goals in seven playoff games.

DONATELLI LOANED TO OCEANIC

American forward Max Donatelli, who is on Saint John's protected list, will attend Rimouski Oceanic training camp on a loan, the club announced last week.

Donatelli, who will turn 19 on Monday, just completed his fourth season of US prep school hockey at St. George's School where he posted 17 goals and 33 assists in 26 games. He also appeared in 27 games with the NV River Rats under-18 team where he recorded 10 goals and 15 assists.

The Rhode Island native attended Saint John's training camp last year. He'd be a long shot to make this year's Sea Dogs team and a loan to another QMJHL squad makes sense.

Notably, the Sea Dogs and Oceanic will meet in pre-season play on Aug. 30 in Woodstock.

Donatelli's brother, Jake, was an eighth-round pick of the Halifax Mooseheads in this year's QMJHL Entry Draft.

Sea Dogs picks, players drafted into QJHL

Jacob Hamel was taken first overall by the St-Jérôme Panthers in this year's QJHL Draft, which was held on Saturday.

Hamel, who spent last season with the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, is the older of brother of Justin Hamel, who the Sea Dogs selected in the 11th-round of this year's QMJHL Entry Draft. The younger Hamel was taken in the third-round, 37th overall by the Panthers.

As mentioned, Justin Hamel could be a player to watch over the next couple years. While he was picked in the 11th-round by Saint John, QMJHL Central Scouting had him projected to be a fifth-round selection.

A few other players with Sea Dogs connections were picked during Saturday's 10-round draft:

• Overage forward Maxime Lafond, who will attended Sea Dogs training camp on a loan from the Drummondville Voltigeurs, was selected in the fourth-round, 43rd overall by the Longueuil Collège Français.
• Forward Madison Bouchard, who was a 10th-round pick of Saint John in the 2025 draft, was taken in the fifth-round, 53rd overall by the Gatineau Nomad.
• 19-year-old forward Alexis Gauthier, who spent all of last season with the Sea Dogs, was picked in the fifth-round, 60th overall by the Terrebonne Cobras.
• 19-year-old defenseman Vincent Croteau, who also spent all of last season with the Sea Dogs, was drafted in the 10th-round, 120th overall by the Cobras.
• Forward Thomas Bond, a 12th-round pick of Saint John in this year's draft, was taken in the 10th-round, 127th overall by the Granby Indigo.

This year's Maritime Junior Hockey League Draft will take place next weekend in Campbellton.

Lafond loaned to Sea Dogs camp

Ghyslain Bergeron/Drummondville Voltigeurs

The Saint John Sea Dogs have added another overager to their training camp roster.

The Sea Dogs announced Friday that forward Maxime Lafond will attend camp on a loan from the Drummondville Voltigeurs. l'Expess has confirmed that Saint John will send a draft pick to Drummondville if Lafond makes the team.

Lafond recorded 13 goals and 36 assists in 63 games with the Volts this past season. He has appeared in 215 career QMJHL games – all with Drummondville – and has posted 23 goals and 61 assists. 

Listed at 6'5" and 205 lbs, Lafond helped the Volts win the Gilles-Courteau Trophy in 2024, appearing in 19 playoff games.

Forward Maxime Lafond has been added to the #SJSeaDogs training camp roster on loan from the Drummondville Voltigeurs.

Lafond, 20, recorded 49 points (13 goals, 36 assists) in 63 games last season.#GoDogsGo pic.twitter.com/MvxFwngoX1

— Saint John Sea Dogs (@SJSeaDogs) June 12, 2026

Lafond committed to Northeastern University last October.

The Sea Dogs recently acquired overage forward Olivier Lemieux from the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada who, like Lafond, has quite a bit of playoff experience.

It looks like Lemieux and Lafond will be the only 20-year-olds reporting to Sea Dogs training camp at this time. Saint John does have American JJ Monteiro and Swede Carl-Otto Magnusson on their protected list, but it's unlikely either will come to camp in August.

Sea Dogs to name head coach Monday

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

The Saint John Sea Dogs will announce the team's new head coach on Monday morning.

The Sea Dogs have scheduled a press conference where it is expected Jim Hulton will be named head coach. Sea Dogs president and general manager Trevor Georgie will also be in attendance.

Georgie said during last weekend's QMJHL Entry Draft that the team was in the "final details" of announcing their new head coach. The hope was that an announcement would be made within the next two-to-four weeks – and the Sea Dogs have beaten that timeline.

Hulton will take over for Brian Casey behind the Sea Dogs bench. Casey took over as Saint John's head coach late in the season following the departure of Travis Crickard.

Hulton recently left his position as head coach and general manager of the Charlottetown Islanders. He had been with the organization since the 2015-16 season.

Under Hulton, the Islanders reached the third round of the QMJHL playoffs four times and played in the 2022 league final, losing to the Shawinigan Cataractes. He was named QMJHL coach of the year in 2021 and 2022. He was also named CHL coach of the year in 2022.

The 57-year-old is considered one of the QMJHL's best coaches and is known for a gritty, tough and hard working play style. Even when they didn't have the most talented roster, his Islanders teams were always a tough out.