Questions remain on Murnieks, Svensk

The 2026 CHL Import Draft is over but some questions still remain for the Saint John Sea Dogs.

The biggest question: what's the status of Olivers Murnieks? Nothing has been made official, but it certainly looks like the Latvian forward will play for Boston College beginning this fall.

Murnieks was selected in the fourth-round of last weekend's NHL Draft by the Buffalo Sabres. In an article on the Sabres website, the team wrote that "the 6-foot-1 centre is committed to Boston College and expected to start there this fall."

"But we’re excited to see what he does," said Jerry Forton, Buffalo's assistant general manager. "It was a big step for the Boston College staff – who we put a lot of faith in, we’re very close with – to bring him in this fall."

The Sea Dogs have said that Murnieks' home for the 2026-27 season would likely be decided by the NHL team that selected him – and it's looking like Buffalo would prefer him playing NCAA hockey. But we'll see how things play out over the next few weeks.

With uncertainty around Murnieks' future, Saint John made three selections in this year's Import Draft, picking Czech forward Matyas Cancik, Slovakian forward Oliver Ozogany and Finnish defender Vertti Svensk.

Busy start to free agency for Sea Dogs alumni

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It was a busy start to NHL free agency for several former Saint John Sea Dogs on Wednesday. Here's a quick rundown of the moves.

• Joe Veleno signed a one-year contract – with a cap hit of $1.2 million – with the New York Rangers for the 2026-27 season. The 26-year-old spent last season with the Montreal Canadiens where he posted two goals and three assists in 61 games. He also saw his first career Stanley Cup Playoff action, posting an assist in nine games. Veleno has now played for four of the NHL's Original Six franchises: Detroit, Chicago, Montreal and now New York.
• Mathieu Joseph signed a one-year deal with the Edmonton Oilers worth an AAV of $1 million. The 29-year-old split last season between the St. Louis Blues and Los Angeles Kings, posting two goals and nine assists in 51 games. He also appeared in two playoff games with the Kings. This will be Joseph's fifth NHL team (Tampa Bay, Ottawa, St. Louis, Los Angeles and Edmonton).
• Riley Bezeau has signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets. The 24-year-old spent all of last season with Columbus' AHL affiliate in Cleveland where he recorded five goals, two assists and 74 penalty minutes in 24 regular season games. He added a goal in eight playoff games. “Riley is a physical and hard-working forward that competes every shift,” said Blue Jackets' president of hockey operations and general manager Don Waddell. “He has earned his opportunity and we look forward to see his further growth in the Blue Jackets organization.”
• Philippe Daoust has signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Ottawa Senators. The 24-year-old just completed his fourth season with the AHL's Belleville Senators. In 63 games last season, Daoust recorded 14 goals and 36 assists – by far the most productive of his professional career, one that has had some injury troubles along the way.
• Boko Imama is heading south, signing a one-year, two-way contract with the Florida Panthers. The 29-year-old has spent the past two seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins organization. Last season, Imama recorded six goals, five assists and 137 penalty minutes in 66 regular season AHL games with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. He added an assist and 18 penalty minutes in six playoff games. He also appeared in two NHL games with Pittsburgh. Florida's AHL affiliate is the Charlotte Checkers.
• A few days ago, Joshua Roy signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Utah Mammoth that's worth $850,000 at the NHL level. The 22-year-old spent most of last season with the AHL's Laval Rocket where he had 23 goals and 22 assists in 57 regular season games and another two goals in five playoff matches. He also appeared in three NHL games with the Montreal Canadiens.

Other former Sea Dogs to play in the NHL last season: Charlie Coyle (Columbus), Thomas Chabot (Ottawa), Jonathan Huberdeau (Florida), Yan Kuznetsov (Calgary) and William Villeneuve (Toronto).

Sea Dogs pick three in CHL Import Draft

Jan Běhounek

The Saint John Sea Dogs added two forwards and a defenseman during Tuesday's CHL Import Draft.

With their first selection, 14th overall, Saint John selected 17-year-old Czech forward Matyas Cancik. With their second pick of the first-round, the Sea Dogs chose 17-year-old Slovakian forward Oliver Ozogany at 44th overall.

In the second round, the Sea Dogs boosted their backend by selecting Finnish defender Vertti Svensk with the 66th overall pick. Svensk, who was a fifth-round pick of the Los Angeles Kings in this year's NHL Draft, will turn 19 in November.

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.

Cancik, listed at 5'9" and 170 lbs, is familiar with the Maritimes having played in the U17 World Challenge in Truro this past November. He recorded a goal and an assist in four games with Czechia.

Ozogany, meanwhile, is more familiar with the North American game having played with the USHL's Tri-City Storm this past season. In 58 games with the Storm, the forward posted nine goals and eight assists.

Listed at 6'2" and 197 lbs, Ozogany played with Slovakia at the recent IIHF U18 World Championship where he recorded an assist in five games.

CHL Import Draft takes place Tuesday

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

The Saint John Sea Dogs made a move on the eve of the CHL Import Draft.

The Sea Dogs made a trade with the Chicoutimi Saguenéens, acquiring a second-round pick, 66th overall in Tuesday's Import Draft in exchange for the 78th overall selection and an eighth-round pick in the 2027 QMJHL Entry Draft (originally Drummondville's).

The Sea Dogs now own the 14th, 44th, 66th and 136th overall picks. Saint John is expected to make three selections.

This is the second time the Sea Dogs have inched their way up the second-round, which gives some indication that there are some nerves that the player(s) they want may not be available later in the draft. The CHL Import Draft has always been more about who you know compared to where you pick – but one unexpected selection can really throw off plans.

While not confirmed yet, it's certainly looking like the Sea Dogs may have three open import spots on their roster. Goaltender Arseni Radkov was traded while it seems unlikely that defenseman Carl-Otto Magnusson will return for an overage season. There continues to be noise that forward Olivers Murnieks, who was drafted by the Buffalo Sabres this weekend, will join Boston College for the upcoming season.

Olivers Murnieks des #SeaDogs réclamé par les #Sabres a confirmé tantot qu'il quittait la #LHJMQ pour se joindre à Boston College #NCAA

Meme s'il a eu une saison décevante c'est une grosse perte pour Saint John qui vise les grands honneurs en 26-27

— Stephane Leroux (@StephRDSJunior) June 27, 2026

Murnieks leaving would be a blow to Saint John's forward group – but, in theory, the team has the picks to find a suitable replacement for his offense.

The Sea Dogs made three selections in last year's draft and all three started the season with the club: Murnieks (sixth), defenseman Patryk Zubek (67th) and defenseman Max Vilen (128th). Both Murnieks and Vilen were selected in this year's NHL Draft.

The CHL Import Draft begins at noon Atlantic and can be followed online. A reminder that there are some new rules to keep an eye on.

The OHL's Oshawa Generals will pick first followed by the QMJHL's Halifax Mooseheads and the WHL's Lethbridge Hurricanes.

The Mooseheads acquired the second overall pick from the Baie-Comeau Drakkar on Monday, a move that certainly caught some attention given Halifax's impressive import pick history. As the CHL website notes, "Halifax has built one of the CHL Import Draft’s strongest track records for developing high-end international talent, with alumni including Jakub Voracek, 2017 first-overall NHL Draft pick Nico Hischier, Timo Meier, Ladislav Nagy, Filip Zadina and 2026 Stanley Cup champion Nikolaj Ehlers."

McFadden, Vilen both drafted; 20 QMJHL players picked

Saint John Sea Dogs prospect Brian McFadden was selected by the Washington Capitals in the fifth-round of Saturday's NHL Draft.

The Capitals picked the Holbrook, MA native with the 144th overall pick. The 18-year-old has spent the past couple seasons with Thayer Academy. In 29 games with the US prep school last season, McFadden, the team's captain, recorded two goals and 15 assists.

McFadden is listed at 6'5" and 183 lbs.

McFadden was a seventh-round pick of Saint John in the 2024 QMJHL Entry Draft. He appeared in one pre-season game with the Sea Dogs before being amongst the second round of cuts from the team's training camp roster last August.

On the NHL Network broadcast, it was reported that McFadden is committed to Northeastern University – but not immediately. Where he plays this coming season is unknown and Saint John – or the USHL – is certainly an option.

Former Sea Dogs defenseman Max VileN, meanwhile, was taken in the seventh-round by the Tampa Bay Lightning. Vilen was traded to the Moncton Wildcats mid-season where he helped the club reach the Gilles Courteau Trophy final. The 19-year-old had three goals and 24 assists in 54 regular season QMJHL games and added three goals and nine assists in 21 playoff contests.

Vilen and Sea Dogs forward Olivers Murnieks, who was taken in the fourth-round, were two of the 20 QMJHL players to be selected this weekend.

Murnieks drafted by Sabres

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Saint John Sea Dogs forward Olivers Murnieks has been drafted by the Buffalo Sabres.

Murnieks was selected in the fourth-round, 124th overall by the Sabres – a special moment given that this year's NHL Draft was being held at Buffalo's KeyBank Center.

The Latvian slid a bit but not too far. Most prospect publications had Murnieks going somewhere between the late second- and fourth-rounds.

The 17-year-old recorded seven goals and 13 assists in 31 games with Saint John last season – an injury plagued campaign. Murnieks also played for Latvia at last season's under-18, under-20 and men's worlds events.

We have selected Olivers Murnieks with the 124th overall pick!

Welcome to Buffalo, Olivers ⚔️

Details → https://t.co/l1hprW0LGM#LetsGoBuffalo | @SenecaBuffalo pic.twitter.com/oZipE26sGi

— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) June 27, 2026

Murnieks is the first active roster Sea Dog to be drafted since Eriks Mateiko went in the third-round to the Washington Capitals in 2024. He is the second Sea Dog to ever be selected by the Sabres with the only other being Felix Schutz in 2006.

It's unclear where Murnieks will play next season. He is eligible to return to Saint John but it's also possible he joins Boston College for the 2026-27 season.